This Vegan Italian Dressing is rich and creamy, yet oil-free! With cashews and just a handful of pantry ingredients, you can whip up this versatile plant-based dressing in minutes. Perfect for topping salads or roasted potatoes, or thicken it up for a decadent veggie dip.
Nothing compliments a salad quite like the perfect dressing. And this Vegan Italian Dressing is just right. Rich and creamy, but without any dairy or oil, you can feel good about adding this to any dish. Not only is this a healthy version of the classic creamy Italian dressing--but it's even tastier!
Let's pause here for a personal testimonial. The first time I made this Italian dressing, my kids, ages 5 and 9, asked me if they could eat a salad. Just so they could eat this Italian dressing. Yes, this dressing is so amazingly delicious, that my avid anti-salad boys were willing to eat lettuce. If that doesn't sell you on this dressing, I don't know what will.
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Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this creamy vegan Italian Dressing!
- Raw Cashews
-- These are the creamy base of this dressing. You could also use blanched almonds or sunflower seeds. - Nutritional Yeast -- This adds to the creaminess of the dressing.
- Red Wine Vinegar -- For acidity.
- lemon juice -- For additional acidity and citrus undertones.
- Dried Italian Herbs I used a mix of Italian herbs that includes oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, and rosemary. If you have an Italian herb mix already, just use that. If not, use ½ tablespoon of each herb (or a mix of what you have at home).
- Granulated Onion -- This should be powdered onion. It adds to the flavor.
- Dijon Mustard -- This deepens the flavor.
- a few garlic cloves or Granulated Garlic -- Granulated garlic is a less pronounced flavor, if that's what you prefer.
- water -- To help thin it out to a dressing consistency.
- Sea Salt -- To enhance the other flavors.
-- These are the creamy base of this dressing. You could also use blanched almonds or sunflower seeds.
-- This adds to the creaminess of the dressing.
-- For acidity.
I used a mix of Italian herbs that includes oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, and rosemary. If you have an Italian herb mix already, just use that. If not, use ½ tablespoon of each herb (or a mix of what you have at home).
-- This deepens the flavor. 
-- To enhance the other flavors.Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions.
- Boil the cashews for ten minutes (alternately you could soak them overnight). Drain, rinse, and then add the cashews to a high-speed blender with the other liquid ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend to combine. Then taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. You could also add a little more water if you prefer a thinner consistency. And that's it! Serve right away or store for later.
Variations
Here are a few ways to switch things up!
- Ranch -- Swap out the Italian herbs for ranch seasoning.
- Nut-free -- Use sunflower seeds instead of cashews
- Vegan Italian Dip -- Reduce the amount of water slightly to make a delicious dip!
Equipment
For this recipe, you'll need a small pot to boil the cashews. You'll also need a high-speed blender to make the dressing.
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Storage
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also freeze this dressing in an airtight container for up to 3 months. For single servings, freeze in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag or container and store for up to 3 months.
How to Serve
This dressing is obviously the perfect topping for a big Italian Salad. But feel free to think outside of the box. It's delicious drizzled over roasted potatoes or veggies.
Or you can reduce the amount of water for a thicker veggie dip or sandwich spread. Next time you make a vegetable tray, this creamy Italian dip can be the star!
Top Tip
For this plant-based dressing recipe, I used a mix of dried Italian herbs that include: oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, and rosemary. If you already have a jar of Italian herbs at home, just use what you have. If you don't, then add half a tablespoon of each herb. If you're missing any of these herbs, don't fret! Just double up on oregano and basil (or whatever you have). The precise mix doesn't matter for this recipe.
FAQs
If you don't have cashews, there are a few possibilities. You could substitute the cashews with almonds or sunflower seeds (prepared the same way). It will alter the flavor slightly, but it will still taste great. If you're looking for a lower-calorie, seed- and nut-free option you can use silken tofu. Just skip the boiling steps and add it straight to the blender. The flavor will be a little tangier, but I've made it this way too, and though I prefer it with cashews, it was definitely tasty.
It really depends. Generally speaking, creamy dressings include dairy and vinaigrettes do not. But you never really know what you're getting at a restaurant or at the grocery store, so always be sure to ask or check the label. That said, if you're making a salad at home, you can whip up this creamy Italian Dressing in mere minutes and the flavor is far superior to anything you can buy premade.
Related recipes
Check out these vegan salad and salad dressing recipes!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Italian Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a small pot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews.
- Add the cashews, ¾ cup of water, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic cloves to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the other ingredients to the blender. Blend for a few seconds until combined.
- Taste the dressing and adjust seasonings if necessary. Check the consistency. Depending on your thickness preference, you might need to add a little more water.
- Serve right away or store in a glass, airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 1 cup of dressing, but you can easily double the recipe if you're serving a lot of people or want to use it throughout the week.
- Nutritional info is calculated for 8 servings, estimated at 2 tablespoons per serving.
- I used a mix of Italian herbs that includes oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, and rosemary. If you have an Italian herb mix already, just use that. If not, use ½ tablespoon of each herb (or a mix of what you have at home).
- For a more dip-like consistency, reduce water to ½ and adjust if necessary.
- You can substitute granulated garlic for the garlic cloves, but the flavor will be less intense.
Nutrition
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Laura says
Made it this morning, and dressed a salad with it just now. Best creamy vegan no oil dressing on the Internet. In March, after a life of superb, grassfed animal foods and fine olive oil, I became a whole plant no SOS vegan for reasons that I shall not explain. Life is good, but the only thing I continued to long for was a decent oily salad dressing. Why the no oil community continues to think that mixing balsamic with maple syrup remotely imitates a true vinaigrette, surpasseth understanding. Thank you for this one.
Julianne Lynch says
I'm really glad you enjoyed the recipe! If you're looking for an oil-free balsamic dressing, you might also enjoy this one: https://nosweatvegan.com/creamy-balsamic-dressing/
Kim says
I just made this. Delicious! The only thing I didn’t have on hand was the marjoram, so I added a little more oregano. Thank you!
Julianne Lynch says
That sounds like the perfect adjustment. I'm so glad you liked the recipe!!
Sandra McSeveney says
I have been whole food plant based for 27 years. I have bern looking for an Italian Dressing recipe that didn't have oil in it for all these years because it was my favorite dressing, but I've never found one until this recipe. It is delicious! Thank you so much. I want to ask this question, though, why does one have to boil the cashews for 10 minutes if I have a Vitamix. Is it for the purpose of making the dressing last longer in the refrigerator, or what? I would just like to know the reason for doing that? I figure there must be a reason, because it would be quicker to skip that step. Thank you very much.
Anyway, the recipe is great!
Julianne Lynch says
First, thank you for such a nice compliment! The only reason to boil the cashews is to soften them to make them easier to blend. If your Vitamix can get them smooth without boiling, then just skip the step!
Beth says
Would this work better on greens or could I use it in an oil free pasta salad?
Julianne Lynch says
Use it anywhere you would use a creamy Italian dressing. So greens are where I like to use it, but you could also make a creamy pasta salad with it.
Paulette says
Is the 3 Tablespoons of Italian herbs correct? I've made this recipe twice and it's much greener looking than yours and the herbs seem overwhelming.
Julianne Lynch says
If you find the herbs to be overwhelming then just reduce by half.
Sheryl says
So Yummy!
Julianne Lynch says
Thanks!
Carrie Nelson says
I made this and really like it. I think I would soak the cashews longer to make sure there is no or less graininess to the dressing. My question is, I saw on the link to this recipe the Nutrional Information.
utritional facts
Calories530% Daily Value
Total Fat33 g
42%
Carbohydrate46 g
17%
Sodium1229 mg
53%
Protein24 g
48%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie need.
Is this correct? I hope if it is it's for the whole bottle not a serving, because that's too much. I appreciate your time to answer.
Julianne Lynch says
Hi Carrie! Thanks for your question. This was an older recipe that didn't have the correct nutritional information. I updated it to be more clear. Now you can see that this makes roughly 1 cup of dressing, which includes about 8 servings of 2 tablespoons each. The nutritional info can be found at the bottom of the recipe card.