Name: Creamy Walnut Salad Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 200 gram block of vegan feta cheese; 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup; ½ cup of toasted walnuts; ¼ cup of olive oil; ½ cup of water; ¼ cup of fresh cilantro; ¼ cup of fresh dill; 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard; 1-2 cloves of garlic; Salt & pepper to taste (optional)

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With a few ingredients, this creamy walnut salad dressing is super flavorful and comes together in less than 10 minutes. This recipe is perfectly tangy and boasts heart-healthy fats with toasted walnuts. It’s perfect for summer salads or even as a dip!

overhead shot of creamy walnut salad dressing in glass jar with a silver spoon inside of dressing with cut lemons, toasted walnuts and garlic cloves in the background slightly blurred out with a brown colored linen cloth in background

Do you know what makes a good salad? It’s hands down the salad dressing.

And if you’re like me, you may not be a saucy type of person, but when it comes to eating a really good salad, I have always found that it’s the sauce that really elevates the salad experience.

I was sitting at home one day, in the mood for a salad.

I looked in my pantry and fridge, gathered the ingredients, and piled everything I had on my countertop.

At first, looking at everything made me a bit overwhelmed, but I knew the flavor profile I was looking for something that was light & creamy, tart, and garlicky all at the same time.

The star of this salad dressing is walnuts.

Did you know that one serving, or 7 walnuts, provides you with 4 grams of protein and two grams of fiber?

As a student studying nutrition, I want to dive right in and share with you the health benefits of this Toasted Walnut Salad Dressing that is so versatile, that you’ll want to eat salad all week long!

You’ll love this recipe because it’s:

Easy to make: I’m all about making a plant-based lifestyle EASY & TASTY. This dressing doesn’t require a lot. You toss the ingredients into your food processor or blender and whip it up!

Has a unique flavor: In my opinion, anything that has garlic in it is going to taste good! But aside from that, the unique combination of toasted walnuts, vegan feta, lemon, garlic, and herbs takes this recipe up another notch.

So versatile: Even though this recipe is a salad dressing, you can easily make turn this into a dip for your veggies, or a sauce for your tacos and pasta!

ingredient shot list for creamy walnut salad dressing: whole lemon, toasted walnuts, bowl of water, vegan feta cheese, olive oil, fresh dill and cilantro, maple syrup and two garlic cloves

Ingredients & Substitutions:

Vegan feta: Using vegan feta in this recipe is what makes this salad dressing creamy and tangy. If you are not a fan of vegan feta (which is primarily made with coconut oil), try using vegan mayo or my vegan sour cream.

Walnuts: Walnuts are one of the richest nuts in polyunsaturated fats (the good fats) as well, walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are said to help improve your heart health. You are always free to mix up the nuts! Try using almonds, cashews, or seeds like hemp or sunflower.

Lemon: There are so many benefits to adding lemons to your foods! Lemons are an amazing source of Vitamin C and have so many antibacterial properties, which is why a lot of people drink lemon tea during the winter months to boost their immune systems. If you don’t have a lemon on hand, you can use orange juice, lime, or even grapefruit juice.

Maple syrup: Maple has many health benefits which can support your plant-based lifestyle. In two tablespoons of maple syrup, you get half of your recommended daily value of manganese which is very important for bone health! I used pure dark amber maple syrup in this recipe (the darker the maple syrup, the more antioxidant properties it has!) to counter the strong acid/tart tastes you’ll find in this recipe from the lemon and vegan feta cheese used. You can also use monk fruit sugar, brown sugar, or agave syrup as a substitute.

Olive oil: Adding a bit of olive oil helps the other ingredients to bind together plus, olive oil has been shown to reduce inflammation that has been linked to certain cancer diseases. Alternatively, you can also use avocado oil or coconut oil.

Mustard: Much like the use of olive oil, mustard is used for binding purposes of this salad dressing, so the oil and water can combine together smoothly, but mustard is also rich in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus!

Cilantro, Dill, Garlic: Using fresh herbs such as cilantro, dill and garlic not only elevates the flavor of this walnut dressing but fresh herbs also provide powerful polyphenols which are said to have large amounts of antioxidant properties. You can always switch out the herbs – parsley is also a substitute. If don’t have fresh garlic, you can always use garlic powder too.

Water: Water was used to help thin out the dressing as it can become quite thick when blended.

Tips:

Make sure to set your oven timer when toasting your walnuts so they do not burn!

You can use a blender or food processor to make your dressing. Just be sure to scrape down the sides during the process to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

When blending your ingredients, add a bit of water and olive at a time. This will help to ensure your dressing blends together smoothly.

If your dressing becomes too thick once refrigerated, you can thin it out with some water and a whisk or, by adding it back into your blender for a few seconds.

overhead shot of creamy walnut salad dressing in glass jar with a silver spoon being lifted out of the glass jar showing a close up of the dressing; cut lemons, toasted walnuts and garlic cloves in the background slightly blurred out with a brown colored linen cloth in background

Instructions:

STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and gather all ingredients. Wash your herbs & lay your herbs out on a clean tea towel or a few paper towels to dry.

STEP TWO: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and add your walnuts. Toast in the oven for 2-3 minutes, checking often and giving the tray a gentle shake so the walnuts do not burn. Remove when you can smell the walnuts toasted and rest aside until cooled.

STEP THREE: Once your herbs are dry and your walnuts have cooled, add half of your toasted walnuts, dill, cilantro, garlic cloves, vegan feta, olive oil, maple syrup, water, and lemon juice into your food processor and blend until combined and smooth. Optionally, you can add a few roughly chopped pieces of toasted walnuts to your dressing and stir. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use walnut oil instead of whole walnuts?

Yes, you can replace the olive oil with walnut oil if you don’t have access to whole walnuts. You can even find roasted walnut oil in specialty stores and use it in this recipe too! If doing so, just replace the regular olive oil with the roasted walnut oil in the recipe.

Do you have to toast the walnuts?

No, you don’t have to toast the walnuts but doing so really helps to bring out the nutty flavors of the walnuts and adds more depth to the dressing.

Is this dressing healthy?

Everyone’s views on ‘healthy’ will be completely different from the next. This walnut salad dressing is made with ingredients that make this a better option than store-bought bottled dressings that are most times filled with a lot of fillers and preservatives. To up the health factor, try adding more herbs and veggies to your meal and you’ve got the best lunch or dinner salad that will keep you full and satisfied!

Storage & Freezing

Storing: You can store this dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezing: I haven’t tried freezing this walnut dressing but if you make too much and want to freeze this for a later, do know that its consistency of it would change once frozen and defrosted.

So here’s how to make your Creamy Walnut Salad Dressing!