Name: Creamy Italian Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup white vinegar; 1/2 cup red wine vinegar; 1/2 cup raw cashews; 1 Tablespoon maple syrup; 1 lemon juiced; 2 Tablespoons stone-ground mustard; 1/2 cup water; 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 3 cloves garlic minced; 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; Salt and pepper to taste

When I finally learned to make delicious oil-free salad dressing, I often missed creamy dressing recipes. My family, for instance, loves Vegan Ranch Dressing. So I figured if I mastered vegan ranch, why not give creamy Italian dressing a try. Creamy Italian dressing is easy to make, and it tastes much better than any Italian dressing with oil and other preservatives.

In fact, the more dressings I create, the more ideas I get for creating dips, sauces, and dressings. Even though I make a variety of Italian dressings, my new Italian dressing recipe I had a specific salad in mind.

Once I tasted my new Italian dressing on my spaghetti salad recipe, I fell in love.

WHY I MAKE MY OWN DRESSING INSTEAD OF BUYING DRESSINGS

Although making homemade dressing takes time, I can no longer buy store-bought dressing. Even store-bought, oil-free, creamy Italian dressing is loaded with preservatives and sugar. And, once I started eating homemade salad dressing, the bottled version just doesn’t come close to the real deal.

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING?

For those who prefer dressings without nuts, white beans can be substituted for raw cashews. It does, however, have a grainier texture. For that reason, I prefer using cashews in my creamy Italian dressing instead. But, in oder to make this recipe friendly for everyone, there is a substitution in the recipe.

White vinegar
Red Wine Vinegar
Raw cashews
Fresh lemon juice
Maple Syrup
Garlic
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Stone-ground Mustard
Italian Seasoning
Water
Basil (fresh)
Parsley (fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE OIL-FREE CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING

Another great aspect of this recipe is it all happens in one blender cup, for the exception of the fresh basil and parsley.

Then, I chop the parsley and basil separately and stir it into the dressing. Since this recipe can be either a dressing or a dip, if you wish for a thicker dip, reduce the amount of water to 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup. The dressing, however, also thickens when placed in the refrigerator.

Additionally, I suggest adding salt and pepper after the flavors develop in the refrigerator. Because people have different diets, I recommend adding salt and pepper to please your individual tastes.

LOOKING FOR GREAT OIL-FREE DRESSINGS? CHECK IT OUT

12 servings