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    Home / Recipes / Sauces, Dips & Dressings

    Creamy Italian Dressing

    Published: Oct 30, 2020 · Modified: Jun 10, 2022 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Creamy Italian Dressing on Salad

    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.

    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, I had a specific salad in mind in my new Italian dressing recipe. 

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

    Creamy Italian Dressing

    WHY DO I MAKE MY 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 didn’t come close to the real deal. 

    WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING?

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

    • White vinegar
    • Red Wine Vinegar
    • Raw cashews or white beans for a nut-free option
    • 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

    Add basil and parsley creamy Italian Dressing

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

    Then, I chop the parsley and basil separately and stir them 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 ¼ cup instead of ½ cup. The dressing, however, also thickens when placed in the refrigerator. 

    Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe

    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 tastes. 

    LOOKING FOR GREAT OIL-FREE DRESSINGS? CHECK IT OUT

    • Italian Dressing
    • Yogurt Dressing Recipe
    • Carrot Ginger Dressing
    • Vegan Thousand Island Dressing
    • Citrus Dressing for Salads
    • Lemon Basil Dressing
    • Maple Dijon Dressing
    • Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing
    • Peanut Thai Dressing
    • Ranch Dressing
    • Almond Butter Dressing
    • Miso Tahini Dressing
    • Southwest Dressing
    • Vegan French Dressing

    📖 Recipe

    Creamy Italian Dressing on Salad

    Creamy Italian Dressing

    Kathy Carmichael
    Creamy Italian Dressing is oil-free and easy to make. Perfect for any salad, or even as a dip, creamy Italian Dressing is one of my favorites.
    4.29 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Sauces, Dips & Dressings
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 49 kcal

    Equipment

    • 365 by Whole Foods Market, Organic Pure 100% Grade A Maple Syrup, Dark Color Robust Taste, 32 Fl Oz
    • Raw Cashews, 1 Pound – Deluxe Whole Nuts, Unsalted, Unroasted Fancy Snack, Size W-320, Kosher, Vegan, Bulk, A good source of Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper & Manganese
    • NutriBullet Pro 900 Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer, 9-piece Set

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup white vinegar
    • ½ cup red wine vinegar
    • ½ cup raw cashews or white beans for a nut-free option
    • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
    • 1 lemon juiced
    • 2 Tablespoons stone-ground mustard
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • If you don't have a high-speed, you should soak the cashews overnight.
    • You don't need to soak the cashews if you have a quality blender.
    • Drain the cashews and add all the ingredients other than the fresh basil and parsley if soaking.
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Chop the parsley and basil separately, and stir into the dressing
    • All dressing thickens in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
    • For a thicker dip, reduce the water to ¼ cup.

    Notes

    White bean alternative to cashews:

    Substitute raw cashews with ¾ cup white beans (drained and rinsed).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 49kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 32mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 150IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    1. Jo

      September 26, 2021 at 8:14 am

      Sounds like a great dressing for potato salad. I am wondering though if you meant to have so much garlic included in it? It is so similar to the nut-free Italian Dressing, maybe the 3 cloves of minced garlic got left in by mistake.

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        September 26, 2021 at 8:46 am

        Hi Jo, the three garlic cloves are included in the recipe card at the bottom. If you don't like that much garlic, I suggest you add a clove at a time, taste it, and then add more. Similar to spices, always add slowly to meet your individual taste preference. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂

        Reply
    2. Anonymous

      November 22, 2020 at 6:44 pm

      4 stars

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      November 15, 2020 at 11:37 pm

      4 stars

      Reply
    4. Anonymous

      November 15, 2020 at 4:51 am

      4 stars

      Reply
    5. Erin

      November 14, 2020 at 6:09 am

      Hi! How long will this keep?

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        November 15, 2020 at 6:18 am

        Hi Erin, it will last 5 days in the refrigerator...if it lasts that long 🙂

        Reply
    6. Anonymous

      November 03, 2020 at 12:09 am

      4 stars

      Reply
    7. Anonymous

      October 31, 2020 at 3:23 pm

      5 stars

      Reply
    8. Anonymous

      October 30, 2020 at 11:50 am

      5 stars

      Reply

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    184 shares