Looking for a fun way to jazz up your salads? Try one of these healthy salad dressing recipes! We've got one simple dressing base, with 4 different flavors!
I'm a big salad lover. Like big BIG.
I could have a giant salad for lunch and dinner every single night and be happy. I love the way they make me feel, I love how many nutrients you can jam in, and I love how simple they are.
While you can certainly get creative with your salads, make a different salad every single day can be a little time-consuming. We're all busy and chopping, mixing, etc. for multiple meals a week might just not happen. My solution for keeping things super simple but also interesting (i.e. I'm not eating the same thing every day) is my dressings.
How to Meal Prep Salads
Instead of making something brand new every single day, I have a way of making salads that is quick, easy and exciting.
STEP 1: The Prep
Each Sunday I'll cut up a bunch of different veggies. Some I'll roast, others I'll keep raw. And then I'll also cook up some grains and maybe some protein (crispy tofu, smoky tempeh, crispy chickpeas, etc.).
STEP 2: Storage
Next, it's about storage. Rather than assembling your salads altogether, I like to store my ingredients separately. That way I can a) keep the greens from getting soggy and b) change things up based on what I'm craving that day. The variety helps make eating salads that much more exciting.
STEP 3: Making Them Tasty
And finally…the dressings! Now,this is how you can really make your salad feel like a whole new meal. Just by changing up the dressing, you could have the same salad for lunch and dinner and it would taste completely different! It's my secret weapon for staying creative in the kitchen, without adding a ton of extra work for myself.
How to make a Healthy Salad Dressing
Today's post is all about how to make one healthy salad dressing (the same base), butwith 4 different variations simply by changing up with spices which completely transform the flavor
You know I love using spices to flavor my food (check out my 10 must-have spices!) and I also use them in my salad dressings. I'm excited to be partnering up with Simply Organic to bring you today's post because their organic spices are my absolutely FAVE. They're incredibly high quality, they're extremely fresh and I just adore the brand.
So we'll be using a few of Simply Organic's dried spices in our dressing flavors, but first I want to share my everyday salad base. To make a healthy salad dressing you need two things: fat & acid.
I have found that the easiest and most “basic” combo is extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar. Both ingredients are fairlygeneric in terms of flavor which makes them the perfect vehicle for our spices! You'll notice that my proportions are always the same and that's because I want you to see that making homemade salad dressings is super simple and a great way to stay healthy and on track.
So…are you ready to dive in? Let's get mixing!
1. Lemon Pepper
A fun, zippy and bright salad dressing, this one uses lemon juice, salt, and Simply Organic's Lemon Pepper Seasoning to give it an extra boost. I love serving this dressing with a fresh green salad or drizzled over sauteed kale. It's a great basic dressing I always keep on hand!
To make this Lemon Pepper Dressing you will need:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Simply Organic Lemon Pepper seasoning
Add all the ingredients into a bowl or mason jar, give it a good whisk (or shake) and enjoy. Keep the dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks.
Try this dressing on:, Blackberry & Apricot Quinoa Salad, Spring Pesto Pasta
2. Creamy Garlic
I've talked about my love of tahini dressing countless times before, but I honestly just can't get enough. This dressing goes well with everything! And it couldn't be easier to make. We're using our standard base, with a bit of tahini, salt, pepper, and Simply Organic's Garlic Powder. We use garlic powder foreverything but we especially love it in our dressings because it's not quite as strong as raw garlic. It's just delicious!
To make this Creamy Garlic Dressing you will need:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Simply Organic Garlic Powder
Add oil, vinegar, and tahini into a bowl/jar. Give it a good whisk to combine the tahini, then add the seasonings and give it another whisk/shake. Keep the dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks.
Try this dressing on:Easy Detox Quinoa Salad, Simple Fall Salad, Life Changing Sweet Potato Pizza
1. Smoky Chili Lime
I always like to have a somewhat unusual dressing in my fridge and this has been a favorite lately. While I don't use it all the time, any meal I'm having that uses Mexican/Latin-inspired ingredients, this goes perfectly with it. Something with black beans, tomatoes, even sweet potato. You can't go wrong! We're using Simply Organic's Chili Powder for the chili and their Smoked Paprika to give us a nice smoky finish!
To make this Smoky Chili Lime Dressing you will need:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Smoked Paprika
Add all the ingredients into a bowl or mason jar, give it a good whisk (or shake) and enjoy. Keep the dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks.
Try this dressing on:Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes,Vegetarian Mason Jar Quinoa Salad, Black Bean Quinoa Fajita Bowls
1. Ginger Miso
I'm also a huge fan of adding miso into my recipes and this is one of my favorite dressings. Miso is amazing because it's not only salty, but it's also super flavorful and can really give your salads and interesting twist. I love using ginger in anything Asian-inspired, but find that using Simply Organic's Ginger is actually better than fresh in recipes like this because it's a little mellower and less overpowering. Great for my ginger-opposed boyfriend!
To make this Ginger Miso Dressing you will need:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 – 1.5 teaspoons miso paste
- 1.5 – 2 teaspoons Simply Organic Ginger
- Salt & pepper as needed
Add oil, vinegar, and miso into a bowl/jar. Give it a good whisk to combine the miso, then add the seasonings and give it another whisk/shake. Keep the dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks.
Try this dressing on:Sheet Pan Miso Roasted Veggie Bowls, Asian Kale Salad, Quinoa Pad Thai Salad
More Healthy Salad Recipes to Try!
If you're feeling like you need some salad inspiration, here are some of my favorites. Simply swap out the dressing the recipe calls for in exchange for one of our healthy salad dressing recipes!
- Grilled Romaine Salad(pair with smoky chili lime)
- Harvest Salad (pair with creamy garlic)
- Southwestern Red Potato Salad (pair with smoky chili lime)
- Carrot Ribbon Salad (pair with ginger miso)
- Garden Pasta Salad (pair with lemon pepper)
- Chickpea & Quinoa Mason Jar Salad (pair with lemon pepper)
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Simply Organic. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share companies I love and trust, so thank you for continuing to support SQ!
