6 Plant-Based Oil-Free Salad Dressing Recipes

4.40 from 58 votes

These wfpb salad dressings taste even better than the oil-filled ones!

plant-based salad dressing recipes

The salads I love combine a mixture of greens and fresh veggies with a generous portion of the delicious and healthy dressings below. In addition to being ultra-low calorie, whole food, plantbased and oil-free, each dressing is so flavorful it may make your jaw drop, and is sure to please even salad haters and omnivores.

As you might know, my journey to lose weight started when I adopted a whole food, plant-based diet. I had to learn a lot of things – including how to cook without setting off the fire alarm! Giving up oil was one of those things, and these 6 wfpb salad dressing recipes were the perfect way to start eating more salads.

How To Make Dinner Salads for Four

how to make a dinner salad for four

Dinner salads don’t have to be about lettuce and a few boring vegetables. I like to start with garden fresh vegetables and go from there. I almost always have some type of lettuce, but you can switch it up with leafy greens, spinach, arugula, dandelion greens – or a combination. See which lettuce looks the best and give it a try.

For every two cups of greens, I like to add one cup of cut vegetables. Look for what’s fresh at the farmers market or in the produce aisle at your local grocery store. It doesn’t have to be the same vegetables every time – that’s what makes it fun and interesting. I like mixing it up with carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

To make dinner salads for four, you’ll need about 8 cups of salad total. Since we’re using two cups of lettuce for every cup of vegetables, that makes the “recipe” look something like this:

  • 6 cups loose greens, such as lettuce, spinach, arugula, or dandelion greens.
  • 2 cup cut vegetables, such as carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

You can toss everything together in a large bowl and add one of these 6 wfpb salad dressing salad dressings below. Each recipe creates enough salad dressing to make four, large well-coated dinner salads. If you want to make more than just one nights worth of salad, multiply the ingredients by four which will make enough dressing to fill a recycled salad dressing jar.

6 WFPB Salad Dressing Recipes

Try these 6 Plant Based Oil-Free Salad Dressing Recipes the next time salad is on the menu!

I think you’re going to be surprised when you make these salad dressing recipes. You’ll find that you really don’t need that calorie-dense oil. Each salad dressing recipe has a unique ingredient that gives just the right amount of body.

For example, the Tamari Vinaigrette and the Sesame Umami dressings get a delicious mouthfeel from the super savory, gluten-free Tamari sauce. In the 1001 Islands, Agave Mustard, and Creamy Italian dressings, the main ingredient is actually tofu! They have such a creamy texture, and you definitely won’t miss the oil. And, for the Strawberry Vinaigrette, fresh strawberries are pureed to become the body of the dressing.

I am happy to share my plant-based salad dressing recipes with you. I’ll be sharing more delicious recipes with SkinnyMs, so be sure to check back often!

4.40 from 58 votes

6 Plant-Based Oil-Free Salad Dressing Recipes

From creamy salad dressings to Vinaigrette style, you'll love these six easy and quick plant-based recipes. You won't find any oil in Eric's recipes, only whole foods.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yield 4 people
Serving Size 2 tablespoons
Course Condiment, Salad
Cuisine American

Ingredients

Tamari Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup tamari
  • 1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1001 Islands

  • 6 tablespoons silken tofu
  • 3 tablespoons stone ground mustard
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Agave Mustard

  • 1/4 cup cup silken tofu
  • 1/4 cup stone ground mustard
  • 3 tablespoons agave syrup
  • 1 pinch salt or to taste
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Strawberry Vinaigrette

  • 4 large strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons agave syrup
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Creamy Italian

  • 6 tablespoons soft silken tofu
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Sesame Umami

  • 1/4 cup tamari (optional soy sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 clove garlic

Instructions

Tamari Vinaigrette

  • Whisk and mix with salad.

1001 Islands

  • Puree using immersion blender or whisk briskly until smooth.

Agave Mustard

  • Puree using immersion blender or whisk briskly until smooth.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

  • Mix in food processor or pulse in high speed blender to retain texture if desired.

Creamy Italian

  • Puree tofu and water using a small food processor or immersion blender then pulse-blend in other ingredients to retain bits of color from herb flakes.

Sesame Umami

  • Toast sesame seeds in skillet over medium-high heat until they pop, then grind seeds in spice grinder and whisk together with other ingredients.

Notes

The nutritional information in the nutritional information section of the card is for the Tamari Vinaigrette, but here’s the break down for the remaining recipes:
1001 Islands
Serving: 3 tbsp. (approximately) | Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 289mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 2
Agave Mustard
Serving: 3 tbsp. (approximately) | Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 188mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 4
Strawberry Vinaigrette
Serving: 2 tbsp. (approximately) | Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 2
Creamy Italian
Serving: 3 tbsp. (approximately) | Calories: 16kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 293mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 1
Sesame Umami
Serving: 3 tbsp. (approximately)| Calories: 34kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 811mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 2

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 842mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 1
Keywords Plant-Based, Quick and Easy

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Learn more about Eric and his initiatives at EricandPeety.

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Our plant-based cashew flat bread is a versatile recipe that you can alter to fit your cravings!

The versatility of cashews really is what made this flat bread recipe possible! Cashews are king when it comes to plant-based cooking, as you’ll see in this simplistic recipe. All it requires is cashews and water, and then you can add whatever ingredients you’d like from the list provided!

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This quinoa apple breakfast bowl is a plant-based recipe that will warm you up and fill your belly on those cold, winter mornings.

When we combined our favorite superfood quinoa, with chopped apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, and walnuts, magic happened! The aromas and flavors swirled together to leave you with an absolutely delectable breakfast option. It truly is food for the body and mind.

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Eric O'Grey

Eric O’Grey is an inspirational speaker with a Bachelor of Science in finance from San Jose State University and a Doctor of Law from Emory University. Eric enjoys long-distance running with his dog, Jake; gourmet plant-based cooking; and spending time with his wife, Jaye. He is passionate about animal kindness, plant-based nutrition, and helping others reverse obesity and achieve their optimal weight and happiness.

More by Eric

32 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this post! I’m constantly on the hunt for oil-free salad dressing recipes. More articles like these, please!

    1. Jennifer, You’re welcome! Eric O’Grey, the recipe creator, will be sharing many more of his delicious plant based recipe.

    1. Hi Emily, any vinegar will do! In a pinch you could also use lemon juice, but the dressing won’t taste quite the same.

  2. I don’t really buy tofu/have it on hand. Could I replace the silken tofu with fat-free Greek yogurt? Would that be a good substitute?

  3. Thanks so much for the recipes. Which type of silken tofu do you recommend? -extra firm, firm, medium firm, soft, so many choices😂

      1. Thanks so much Gail for your reply. Where I live (Canada) there is a brand of silken tofu called Mori-Nu. It comes in several textures-soft, firm, and extra firm as well as lite and regular options😂. I guess the best thing to do is to choose the soft option.

  4. My husband and I are just now getting started with our Plantfood diet we need PF dressing with vinegar for coleslaw

  5. I’ve been searching for low calorie, plant-based oil free dressing. That is the area that I find most difficult… cutting down on the dressing especially since I’m eating so much salad!

    1. Meri, Hmmmm…I’m not sure since we haven’t tried either in place of the tofu. Please let us know if you do and what you think. 🙂

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