35+ Oil-Free Salad Dressings (Vegan)

by Alena
Pinterest Hidden Image

These oil-free salad dressings are made with easy-to-find ingredients and ready to enjoy within just a few minutes! Great for meal prep and to create quick vegan bowls or salads, these creamy and flavorful recipes are true weekly staples and super nutritious.

If you want to fall in love with eating your veggies each day, we highly recommend you slather these healthy little fellers with all sorts of delicious condiments! 

This list of the best oil-free vegan salad dressings and sauces helps you add a ton of flavor to your bowls and salads without any unnecessary calories.

Nutriciously WL Challenge iPad

free weight loss email series

Getting lean while feeling full? Yes, that’s possible! Find out about easy food swaps, calorie density and 3 full days of eating for sustainable weight loss.

Almost nobody enjoys munching on plain vegetables, so the secret is always in the sauce. 

From fruity vinaigrettes to heavy, creamy and herby dressings, there are a plethora of ways to dress up those leafy greens or colorful roasted veggies so that they become incredibly delicious.

Made lighter by skipping any added oil, these flavorful and creamy sauces and vegan dressings are made with everyday ingredients and allow for easier weight maintenance.

Find more oil-free vegan recipes, light dinner ideas and tasty summer salads on our blog!

Best Oil-Free Vegan Salad Dressings

Dress up your veggies, legumes and grains with these flavorful oil-free vegan dressings and sauces to create exciting meals!

Easy Creamy Cashew Mayo

woman in white apron standing next to a table and pouring homemade cashew mayo into a glass jarpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

Let’s start with one of the most common salad dressings, mayonnaise.

Traditionally quite heavy and everything but vegan, this oil-free and super easy vegan cashew mayo is secretly healthy, incredibly creamy and ready in just five minutes. Perfect not only for potato salad!

Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing

table with a cutting board, lemon wedge and glass jar with homemade vegan dressingpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

This delicious oil-free vegan honey mustard dressing has serious potential to get you to make a huge bowl of salad every night!

Sweet, tangy and creamy, it takes any leafy greens to the next level and is ready in a mere 2-3 minutes. Perfect with some roasted pumpkin feta salad!

Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

glass on a table filled with creamy orange sundried tomato dressing and a white spoonpin it
Recipe by From My Bowl

This creamy, flavorful and tangy salad dressing packs a big flavor punch with only 5 simple ingredients!

Be sure to get dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes to keep this recipe oil-free, you’ll get plenty of delicious healthy fats from the hemp hearts in this dressing. Perfect not only for salad but also zucchini noodles!

Sugar-Free Mango Chutney

woman in apron standing next to a table with a glass jar containing sugar-free chutneypin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

For an exotic and fruity twist on your green salad, use this mango chutney thinned out with some water, vinegar and a splash of plant-based milk for a delicious oil-free bowl of goodness!

It tastes fantastic over some roasted veggies, leafy greens and crunchy seeds.

Easy Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

woman in apron holding a wooden chopping board with a small glass jar filled with creamy tofu ranch and a spoonpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

This must be the most commonly loved dressing of choice! Our dairy-free ranch is oil-free, high in protein and vibrantly green thanks to the fresh herbs.

As opposed to commercial, non-vegan ranch, it’s low in calories and high in essential nutrients and antioxidants! Perfectly creamy, tangy and meal prep-friendly.

Herby Hemp Seed Dressing

white bowl with mixed green salad drizzled with some white hemp seed oil free salad dressingpin it
Recipe by The Whole Serving

Instead of loading up on too much omega-6 when using oil, how about choosing wholesome hemp seeds for your dressing base to get your essential omega-3 fatty acids?

This easy recipe creates a simple yet flavorful herby vegan white dressing that works well for different types of salads and vegan bowls

Spicy Thai Peanut Dressing

white table with a small white plate and a glass jar filled with creamy peanut butter sauce and a wooden spoonpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

If you’re up for an Asian raw or roasted salad, you need this easy oil-free peanut butter dressing in your life!

Ready in a few minutes and using seven basic staple ingredients, it’s slightly spicy and sweetened with dates. We love it over spiralized veggies or cooked rice noodles to make some delicious vegan pad Thai!

Simple Citrus Tahini Dressing

hand holding a small can of oil-free tahini dressing and pouring it over a kale and avocado saladpin it
Recipe by Veggie Inspired

If you’ve never used tahini or sesame butter before, you’re definitely missing out! It’s the perfect slightly nutty and roasted base to make creamy oil-free vegan salad dressings that make you devour your veggies like nothing else.

Not just raw salads but especially roasted plant-based Buddha bowls or even falafel wraps taste fantastic with some citrus tahini dressing!

Cilantro Jalapeno Lime Sauce

glass jar on a white table filled with creamy green avocado cilantro lime dressing next to a spoonpin it
Recipe by Eating by Elaine

Spicy jalapeno paired with herby cilantro, tangy fresh lime juice and buttery avocado — this is a match made in heaven!

To make this dressing even richer and creamier, you can mix it with some vegan mayo and serve over quinoa or pasta salad, roasted veggies or simple green salads.

Orange Mustard Jogurt Dressing

woman dipping a plant based millet wrap in a bowl of orange mustard yogurt dippin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

This easy vegan yogurt dip is perfect to make crunchy wraps or to put on top of your plant-based bowls!

Using some fresh orange juice, zest and creamy soy yogurt, it’s whisked together in just three minutes and works for many different grain-based or veggie-rich salads.

Creamy Oil-Free Bean Pesto

Vegan Bean Pesto In Jarpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

Pesto has always been one of our favorite condiments! When buying it at the grocery store, it’s rarely vegan and always loaded with oil — luckily, we found a way around that and came up with a protein-rich, creamy and oil-free vegan pesto recipe.

We especially love it mixed with warm noodles or a cold pasta salad.

Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

wooden bowl with chopped leafy greens that are drenched in vegan oil-free thousand island dressingpin it
Recipe by The Vegan 8

Perfectly sweet, tangy, bold and creamy — this healthified classic salad dressing is oil-free, mayo-free and guaranteed to make any veggies taste fantastic!

Based on cashews, it calls for flavorful add-ins such as ketchup, mustard and sweet pickle relish.

Ginger-Turmeric Dressing

wooden chopping board with a glass in which is thick and creamy yellow almond turmeric dressingpin it
Recipe by My Quiet Kitchen

This beautiful Trader Joe’s copycat recipe is made with raw almond butter, zesty lemon, spicy ginger and only a couple of more basic ingredients!

We love the anti-inflammatory compounds together with the wholesome fats that make your plant-based salads even more healthful.

Herby Tofu Dressing

glass jar with creamy green goddess dressing and a wooden spoon standing on a blue chopping board next to fresh herbspin it
Recipe by Yup It’s Vegan

One of the most delicious ways to add more protein to any salad is this creamy green goddess dressing — thanks to the tofu!

Combined with fragrant fresh herbs as well as flavorful garlic, onion and mustard, it’s especially delicious over quinoa salad or sweet corn.

Cashew Sour Cream

woman in blue shirt and apron holding a glass jar with homemade cashew sour cream which is dripping from a spoonpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

Thick, rich and tangy, this cashew sour cream is such a simple yet delicious way of enjoying any veggie bowl!

Only 5 ingredients and 5 minutes are needed to recreate one of our favorite dips in a healthy, dairy-free way. You definitely won’t regret making this!

Oil-Free Vegan Caesar Dressing

wooden chopping board with a small wooden bowl containing creamy vegan caesar dressing and some cashews on the sidepin it
Recipe by The Vegan 8

Here’s how you can enjoy some delicious caesar dressing when following a healthy whole food plant-based diet!

This popular salad add-on tastes incredibly authentic and is just made with 5 accessible ingredients (one of which you’d never guess!) — this is a must-try.

Creamy Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing

white mason jar on a wooden table in which vegan blue cheese dressing is being pouredpin it
Recipe by Veeg

Let’s keep the dairy-free theme rolling for a bit — because this low-calorie cheesy vegan dressing is just too good not to share.

Pour this high-protein goodness over some fresh salad, use it as a dip or spread on your veggie burger. It’s sure to make anything taste fantastic!

Vegan Big Mac Sauce

light table with a small glass jar containing homemade vegan big mac saucepin it
Recipe by Sweet Simple Vegan

Wait, did we just say “Big Mac”? How does that work on a vegan diet? The flavorful special sauce that many people are familiar with from fast food restaurants can easily be recreated in a totally vegan, oil-free way.

It features the classic combination of vegan mayo, relish, mustard, ketchup and a couple of spices that you’ll totally love on your burger or in your salad!

Vegan Mac & Cheese Sauce

pasta and broccoli in a white bowl over which plant-based homemade cheese sauce is pouredpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

Now that we’ve ventured away from classic salad dressings, let’s quickly take a look at this creamy oil-free vegan cheese sauce!

Made with cashews, potatoes and carrots, it’s really healthy, easy to make and surprisingly flavorful. Perfect for your plant-based mac and cheese, baked potatoes or casserole recipes!

Healthy Stir-Fry Sauce

glass with low calorie stir-fry sauce next to gingerpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

We love a good Asian stir-fry sauce! This healthier version of a traditional stir-fry sauce is lower in sugar, oil-free and fully vegan — perfect to pour over colorful and crispy sautéd veggies, tofu and some rice. 

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

blue wooden table with a glass jar and a spoon which is dripping with creamy green salad dressing
Recipe by This Healthy Kitchen

Getting back to more traditional salad dressing with this wholesome green goodness — creamy avocado, flavorful basil and tangy vinegar combined with a few other basics make for this simple and nutritious dip that can be thinned out to make an oil-free dressing. Love it!

Vegan Garlic Yogurt Sauce

woman standing behind a table and holding a spoon with thick homemade vegan Greek yogurt dressing with garlic, tahini and parsley
Recipe by Nutriciously

This Middle Eastern yogurt sauce doubles as a salad dressing or dip and is traditionally used to make a vegan kebab.

Easily made in larger batches for the following days to enjoy, you can create flavorful pasta salads, vegan bowls, falafel wraps and more with this versatile oil-free sauce!

Sweet Mustard Dressing

side view of a glass with sugar-free and oil-free vegan sweet mustard dressingpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

Only a handful of healthy ingredients and a blender are needed to make this quick oil-free dressing within 3 minutes!

It’s low in overall fat, sweetened without sugar and can be used to make different kinds of salads or bowls. We also use it as a dip or to make vegan wraps!

Oil-Free Vegan Italian Dressing

wooden table with fresh herbs and a glass jar containing creamy white vegan Italian dressing
Recipe by Vegan Huggs

Everyone enjoys a good Italian dressing, right? How about skipping the unnecessary oil and additional calories while keeping that classic zesty flavor — this wonderful version is made with a combination of cashews, non-dairy yogurt and all the traditional spices you could think of!

It’s rich, cheesy and makes any salad taste fantastic.

Healthiest Vegan Buffalo Sauce

woman in apron standing by a table and pouring homemade Buffalo sauce from a glass into a sauce boatpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

Although this creamy red buffalo sauce does taste fantastic, we probably wouldn’t pour it over a salad — but how about dipping your crispy baked cauliflower bites into that oil-free and sugar-free goodness?

You can also spread it on sandwiches or veggie burgers, serve it with baked potatoes, fries or chips.

Creamy Vegan BBQ Ranch Dressing

glass jar with some creamy vegan BBQ ranch dressing which is dripping from a spoon
Recipe by Where You Get Your Protein

This creamy oil-free ranch tastes good with just about anything. That baked cauliflower wings we just talked about? Dip these babies in there!

In the mood for burritos, tacos or any type of salad? Make this cashew-based ranch, perfectly flavored to be really addictive and have you eat your veggies without a problem.

Tasty Vegan Yum Sauce

white table with some chickpea, almonds, lemon and a glass jar labeled "yum sauce" filled with yellow thick sauce
Recipe by Live Eat Learn

Ultra creamy, oil-free, full of flavor and offering 10 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons — this healthified version of the popular sauce from Cafe Yumm is great on any vegan bowl you want to make.

Chickpeas, silken tofu, curry powder and almonds come together to create this dreamy and healthy vegan sauce that is sure to become a favorite in your home.

Low-Fat Vegan Cheese Sauce

woman in white shirt and apron holing a glass of white cheese sauce with a spoonpin it
Recipe by Nutriciously

You cannot have too many plant-based cheese sauces in your life, right? This high-protein, creamy goodness is surprisingly low in fat and ridiculously simple to make.

Flavorful, tangy vegan cheese sauces are perfect for healthy vegan lasagna — no matter if the sauce is made from starchy veggies, creamy nuts or the secret ingredient we used for our recipe here.

5-Minute Russian Dressing

wooden chopping board with some ketchup, onion and a jar of thick vegan Russian dressing with a spoon
Recipe by My Darling Vegan

Filled with sweet and spicy flavors, this delicious classic salad dressing is fully vegan and can be used for sandwiches, buddha bowls or in your salads.

It’s rich, creamy and you can use our cashew mayo from above to make this velvety sauce!

Chili Almond Dressing

white mason jar on white table next to some almonds in which is some thick brown almond dressing
Recipe by Eating Bird Food

Another fantastic copycat recipe, this oil-free vegan almond dressing is like your homemade and healthy version of the one you can find at the Whole Foods salad bar.

Seven flavorful and simple ingredients come together to be blended into one delicious and thick salad dressing — even more flavor variety so you enjoy eating your nutritious greens regularly!

3-Ingredient Apple Sage Dressing

large glass bowl with a colorful plant based grain salad in which some light apple sage dressing is being poured by a hand
Recipe by Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen

Yes, you read that right — a delicious, oil-free vegan dressing made with only three ingredients!

If you’re not in the mood for a heavy, nut-based sauce on your delicate greens or colorful vegan bowls, this can be your new go-to dressing.

Blueberry Yogurt Dressing

vibrantly purple blueberry dressing in a glass on a table
Recipe by Nutriciously

Speaking of fruity and lighter salad dressings, this combination of blueberries and yogurt is so good, you could almost drink it with a straw!

It’s made from only a handful of simple staple foods and so more-ish.

Vegan Bang Bang Sauce

marble table top with some cauliflower, a golden spoon and a glass jar with thick orange bang bang sauce
Recipe by Contentedness Cooking

Would you believe that this creamy and versatile sauce is ready in one minute, undetectably vegan and budget-friendly?

It goes really well with a whole host of vegan bowls, veggies, cooked potatoes and so much more. Use our homemade cashew mayo to make it or simply swap this ingredient for plant-based yogurt!

Authentic Greek Tzatziki 

close up of plate with chopped leafy greens over which some oil free vegan garlic yogurt sauce is being poured
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite

Creamy, garlicky and perfect for dipping, smothering or licking off your fingers!

This healthy vegan condiment definitely hits the nail on the head and is the perfect wholesome replacement for the dairy-based original sauce. We truly love good vegan tzatziki!

Simply Strawberry Vinaigrette

white table with some strawberries and a glass with homemade oil-free strawberry vinaigrette
Recipe by A Virtual Vegan

Okay, so we’ve had dressings made with apple, blueberries, mango and orange — how about we add a strawberry vinaigrette into the mix?

Really simple to make, super tasty and completely oil-free, it only takes a few minutes and offers a lovely balance of sweet and tangy flavors.

Healthy Harissa Tahini Sauce

small white bowl on a chopping board filled with thick vegan harissa tahini sauce
Recipe by Bowls Are The New Plates

Let’s take a look at more vegan sauces using tahini! This harissa version adds a delicious North African flavor to this simple 3-ingredient versatile dipping sauce or salad dressing.

Try it with some roasted veggies or quinoa buddha bowls!

Easy Vegan Romesco Sauce

table with some bell pepper, fresh herbs and a white bowl filled with red vegan romesco sauce
Recipe by Bad To The Bowl

Often already vegan but rarely oil-free, this flavorful romesco sauce demonstrates how you can create a fantastic whole food plant-based version to top your healthy bowls with!

Naturally gluten-free, this sauce uses blanched almonds, roasted red peppers and only a handful more everyday kitchen staples.

More vegan recipe roundups

If you liked these oil-free vegan salad dressings, be sure to check out these hand-selected plant-based recipes next!

We hope you liked our hand-picked list of oil-free vegan dressings and sauces! Which ones are your favorites and have you tried any of the recipes we recommended? Let us know in the comments below and Pin this article here.

collage of four homemade oil-free vegan dressings like sour cream, basil pesto and two different sauces

35+ Oil-Free Salad Dressings (Vegan)

Yield: 3 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

These oil-free vegan salad dressings are made with easy-to-find ingredients and ready to enjoy within just a few minutes! Great for meal prep and to create quick vegan bowls or salads, these creamy and flavorful recipes are true weekly staples and super nutritious.

Ingredients

Orange Mustard Sauce

  • 2 tbsp mustard
  • 4 tbsp soy yogurt, unsweetened
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 4 tbsp orange juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Blueberry Yogurt Dressing

  • ½ cup fresh blueberries (75 g)
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp soy yogurt
  • 2 tbsp water
  • Salt and pepper

Sweet Mustard Dressing

  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 dry dates, pitted
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Orange Mustard Sauce

  1. In a small bowl or glass jar, whisk together all ingredients for the orange mustard sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper. 
  2. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more mustard for a spicier sauce, or more orange juice for a sweeter sauce.

Blueberry Yogurt Dressing

  1. Put all of the ingredients for the dressing in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Mustard Dressing

  1. Drain your soaked dates and add them to a blender together with the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste. Herbs like thyme or basil taste great in this dressing!

Notes

  • Most oil-free vegan dressings can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for around 5 days.
  • If you want to make larger batches of any of the dressings and freeze them for later, let them defrost in the fridge overnight and give them a good stir before serving.
  • You can always add fresh or dried herbs of your choice to these dressings!
  • Find 35+ more oil-free dressings & sauces in the article above.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1 recipe each
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 732mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically, their accuracy is not guaranteed. Just focus on whole plant-based foods and eat until satiety!

Please rate & share if you like this!

Leave a comment on our blog or share on Pinterest or Instagram.

Browse these categories

Alena sitting in a cafe with a bowl of fresh plant-based food and a glass of coffee in front of her

About Alena Handwritten FontAlena Schowalter is a Certified Vegan Nutritionist who has been a vegetarian since childhood and vegan since 2012. Together with her husband, she founded nutriciously in 2015 and has been guiding thousands of people through different transition stages towards a healthy plant-based diet. She’s received training in the fields of nutrition, music therapy and social work. Alena enjoys discussions around vegan ethics, walks through nature and creating new recipes.

21 thoughts on “35+ Oil-Free Salad Dressings (Vegan)”

  1. I’m always on the hunt for oil-free salad dressing inspiration but they are so hard to find! This list will keep me going for a while ;) Thank you guys!!

    Reply
    • Thanks so much for checking in! Hope you’ll find a new favorite or two on this list here :)
      Wishing you a beautiful weekend and hope to talk soon x

      Reply
  2. Wow, these all sound so awesome! And many sound like they are so quick to make. Don’t know which ones to start with :) Before salad dressings always seemed like an extra hassle and I just stuck to good old vinegar and oil, but so many here look doable!

    Reply
  3. Hi Alena, thanks for creating this article! I’m new to oil-free dressings and was wondering if you have to blend all recipes above? I assume so but wasn’t sure :)

    Reply
    • Hi there Nina,
      happy you like the article! Some of the dressings you just have to whisk or mix with a spoon, other require blending – really depends on the ingredients and texture you’d like to achieve :) For example, legumes need to be dealt with some electrical help pretty much always!
      Best wishes

      Reply
  4. This is by far the best collection of plant-based dressings I’ve come across on the internet or anywhere else, and I’ve been looking for a long time.

    Thank you so much for compiling these for your readers. Dressings are critical to success on a plant-based diet and now I’m feeling great about moving ahead this summer.

    You’re a sweetheart to have done it!

    Reply
  5. Using Cashews or Tahini is NOT Oil Free. I’m on a Vegan Oil Free Diet which does not allow Nuts for that very reason. I keep looking for “Oil Free” Recipes and these recipes keep coming up as Oil Free. I get frustrated that people keep posting these Oil Free recipes that are not Oil Free….Sigh

    Reply
    • Hey Jim,
      I understand what you mean — oil is usually referred to as “free oils” (which I heard Dr McDougall say) as in vegetable or nut oils. What you mean is a very low-fat diet devoid of nuts and seeds, as recommended by Dr Esselstyn. This is like saying bananas are not sugar-free because they contain natural sugars — of course, if you need to watch your overall fat content, then not all of these dressings are for you. I recommend using applesauce, beans, mustard, vinegar or vegan yogurt as a base for your dressing, then!
      Hope this helps.
      Best wishes!

      Reply
  6. This is by far the best collection of plant-based dressings I’ve come across on the internet or anywhere else, and I’ve been looking for a long time.
    Thank you so much
    Pls do share more recipes

    Reply
  7. Thank you for putting this list together!! its amazing!
    Just have a quick question, are these ok to freeze?
    Planning on making a few batches since I dont like to eat the same dressing everyday and not sure if they last more than a few days in the fridge
    What kind of ingredients should we look for when deciding to freeze them or not , as well as what do you recommend could be added to keep them lasting longer in the fridge. thanks!!!

    Reply
    • Hi Natalia, great question!
      Glad you like these dressings, you may have noticed that only a few of them are from me and the majority is from other bloggers — just check their original recipe and see whether they’ve added and storage instructions.
      I found that all of my dressing recipes can be frozen, they just might separate but you can always give it a good stir again :) I assume that dressings made with avocado might turn brown, though.
      Hope this helps!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Alena Cancel reply

Skip to Recipe