Rich, creamy, and herbed, this easy salad dressing makes your fresh, veggie-loaded greens sing! With a base of soft cheese or sour cream instead of mayo, it’s the perfect recipe for egg-free folks!
We’re on a quest to find the perfect homemade creamy salad dressing!
This simple dressing will make your fresh, veggie-loaded salads sing! It’s rich, filled with herbal goodness, and there’s no mayo… so it’s perfect for those with egg allergies.
How To Make Salad Dressing Without Mayo (Egg-Free!)
How to make creamy salad dressing without mayo, you ask? It’s so easy and the number of options may surprise you.
First, grab a Mason jar and choose your base ingredient.
Pick one (or use a combination, if you like):
- soft cheese, such as chevre, cream cheese, yogurt cheese, or kefir cheese
- sour cream (pictured above)
These all have different consistencies. The key is to add raw milk to whichever one you’re using to get it to the consistency you prefer.
My recipe below reflects a thinner consistency, which is what we like because 1) it lasts longer and 2) it is easier to pour.
Our favorite dressing base is chevre or sour cream. The yogurt cheese or kefir cheese will make the dressing more tart, so you might want to decrease the apple cider vinegar and/or add a bit of raw honey.
For homemade soft cheese and sour cream recipes, see our Fundamentals eCourse. For more soft cheese recipes, check out the Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eCourse.
Next, choose your favorite herbs.
In the recipe below you’ll see dill and parsley, plus my herbed seasoning salt blend. It’s so delicious and easy to make!
Feel free to use whatever combination of herbs you enjoy most or have on hand.
Finally, add the remaining ingredients and whisk well to combine.
It’s delicious right away but even better after some chill time in the fridge (be sure to read my best tips below).
This creamy salad dressing recipe is so versatile it’s sure to be your go-to for when you’re craving a creamy dressing.
5 Best Tips For Making The Perfect Creamy Salad Dressing
While bottled dressings are a tad bit more convenient, they pale in comparison to freshly-made salad dressings. Plus, using real, whole-food ingredients means a healthy and nourishing addition to your salads.
But, if your dressing doesn’t suit your taste buds you’re more likely to not use it. Here’s my 5 best tips for making perfect creamy salad dressing you’ll love to eat…
- Since yogurt or kefir cheese are tangy, feel free to add a bit of honey or other natural sweetener. Trim Healthy Mama plan followers, use stevia or another on-plan sweetening option.
- The flavors develop more as the dressing sits. You may want to give it a couple of hours before serving, then taste and adjust as needed.
- If you think you want more of a seasoning, wait until you’ve done #2 and tasted to make sure.
- Did you add too much of an herb or seasoning? Just add more base ingredient and adjust the rest of the seasonings to taste.
- Want to use fresh herbs instead? Remember the 3:1 ratio rule. You’ll need 3 times as much fresh herb as dried.
What Salad Is Best Served With Creamy Salad Dressing?
That all depends on your tastes, really. But definitely any big, leafy green salad loaded with your favorite veggies is perfect for a creamy salad dressing.
Other veggie salads, such as potato (or low carb cauliflower potato salad), pea, tomato and cucumber, or other mixed vegetable combinations are enhanced by using this flavorful, herbed dressing.
Or, try replacing the mayo in meat, fish, or egg salads with this dressing. You’ll get loads of flavor in one quick dollop and no need to get out extra ingredients.
Quick and easy meals? Yes please!
Can I Use Creamy Salad Dressing For Anything Other Than Salad?
Absolutely! It’s not just for lettuce salads.
Give these ideas a try:
- Spread on a wrap instead of mayo.
- Top a baked potato or sweet potato instead of plain sour cream.
- Stir into a cream sauce.
- Make it thicker and use as a dip for fresh veggies.
- Use it as a marinade.
- Soak chicken in it before frying.
- Enjoy a dollop with roasted veggies of all kinds.
Trim Healthy Mama Tips For On-Plan Creamy Salad Dressing
This dressing is perfect for the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
There are no inflammatory oils, no added sugars, and nothing artificial. Plus, using cultured, raw dairy gives you gut-healthy probiotics.
If you’d like to add a bit of sweetness, use pure stevia extract or erythritol.
Want to know if erythritol is OK for a traditional foods lifestyle? This article shares everything you need to know about the sugar alcohols, xylitol and erythritol!
This is a THM:S dressing so use in a low carb setting for best weight loss results. Since it’s made with dairy, it’s not suitable for a Deep S meal.
Now that you see how easy and delicious making your own healthy salad dressings is, you’ll want to keep a batch of this creamy dressing on hand at all times!
Creamy Salad Dressing
Rich, creamy, and herbed, this simple dressing makes your fresh, veggie-loaded salads sing! This recipe calls for a base of soft cheese instead of mayo — perfect for egg-free folks! Makes 2 to 3 cups.
Ingredients
-
1
cup
soft cheese
such as chevre, cream cheese, yogurt cheese, or kefir cheese (or use 1-1/2 to 2 cups sour cream) -
1
cup
raw whole milk
plus additional if needed, for consistency (omit milk if using sour cream) -
1/4
cup
raw apple cider vinegar -
2
teaspoons
herbed seasoning salt
or 1 teaspoon sea salt (plus more to taste) -
1
tablespoon
dried dill -
1
tablespoon
dried parsley -
1
pinch
ground black pepper
Instructions
-
Whisk all ingredients together — in food processor, blender, or with a whisk by hand.
-
Add additional milk as needed for consistency. I use 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
-
Adjust seasonings to taste.
-
Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
5 Best Tips For Making The Perfect Creamy Salad Dressing
- Since yogurt or kefir cheese are tangy, feel free to add a bit of honey or other natural sweetener. Trim Healthy Mama plan followers, use stevia or another on-plan sweetening option.
- The flavors develop more as the dressing sits. You may want to give it a couple of hours before serving, then taste and adjust as needed.
- If you think you want more of a seasoning, wait until you’ve done #2 and tasted to make sure.
- Did you add too much of an herb or seasoning? Just add more base ingredient and adjust the rest of the seasonings to taste.
- Want to use fresh herbs instead? Remember the 3:1 ratio rule. You’ll need 3 times as much fresh herb as dried.
Calories from Fat 27
More Salad Dressing Recipes!
We’ve got more healthy homemade salad dressing recipes for you, too:
- Creamy Sunflower Seed Salad Dressing (Dairy-Free)
- Tangy & Sweet Tomato Salad Dressing (THM:S)
- Probiotic Lemon-Garlic Salad Dressing Vinaigrette
- Creamy & Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
- THM Probiotic Cucumber Ranch Dressing
- 28 Fermented and Probiotic Salad Dressings
What herbs will you use in your creamy salad dressing?
This post was featured in 28 Fermented and Probiotic Salad Dressings.
This post was originally published and written by Wardee Harmon on 8/13/09. It was updated and republished on 6/29/20.
