Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing
Vegan poppy seed dressing recipe will quickly become your new favorite homemade salad dressing. It’s naturally sweetened, adds brightness with its tangy-sweet flavor, and is so easy to make! The whole family will love this gluten free and dairy free recipe.
Looking for more delicious homemade dressings? Try my spicy cashew dressing, sun dried tomato vinaigrette, or dill pickle ranch dressing.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make vegan poppyseed dressing:
- Avocado oil
- Apple cider vinegar – adds tanginess.
- Fresh lemon juice – for brightness.
- Dijon mustard – helps to emulsify the dressing.
- Onion powder – adds another layer of flavor.
- Pure maple syrup – balances out the tartness from the vinegar and lemon juice and adds a touch of sweetness.
- Kosher salt – to taste.
- Poppy seeds – add a nutty flavor and a nice texture.
How to Make Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Add all the ingredients except for the poppy seeds to the base of a blender. Blend on medium-high until well emulsified.
- Add the poppy seeds and pulse a few times until they’re incorporated throughout the dressing, but not fully blended.
- Store in an airtight jar in the fridge until ready to use.
Helpful Tips
- Meal prep this dressing to have on hand to add tons of flavor to salads, roasted vegetables, and more.
- Separation may occur once refrigerated, so just give it a stir.
Quick Tip: For the creamiest results, use a blender (not a food processor) to properly emulsify the dressing.
Storage
Store this creamy poppy seed dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this vegan poppy seed dressing recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No avocado oil? – use extra virgin olive oil instead.
- Make a creamy dressing – substitute vegan mayo in place of half of the oil.
- No apple cider vinegar? – white vinegar, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar are great options. For an extra tangy flavor, use red wine vinegar.
- Add-ins – lemon zest for more of a lemony flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Poppy seed dressing contains oil (either olive oil or neutral oil), mustard, vinegar, onion powder, salt, some type of sugar, and poppy seeds for a flavor that’s both sweet and tangy.
When stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator, it’ll keep for up to 2 weeks.
Some recipes use mayo to make it creamier, but many recipes that are more vinaigrette-based like this one do not use mayo.
How To Serve
Poppy seed dressing tastes delicious served over massaged kale salad, green salads with fruit such as my shaved fennel apple salad, pasta salad, a bowl of fresh fruit (especially fresh berries), and roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts or carrots.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
- Spicy Cashew Dressing
- Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
- Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
- Carrot Ginger Dressing
I hope you love this Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt start with ¼ teaspoon if using anything else and add more to taste
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except for the poppy seeds to the base of a blender. Blend on medium-high until well emulsified.
- Add the poppy seeds and pulse a few times until they're incorporated throughout the dressing, but not fully blended.
- Store in an airtight jar in the fridge until ready to use.