One of the hallmarks of a whole food plant based diet, is the oil-free and sugar free aspect. This is one of the things that makes it different than a standard vegan diet, but also a little more challenging. I don’t know if you’ve read the back of any store-bought dressings lately, but 99% of them are filled with oil and/or sugar. So that means that you typically have to make your own healthy dressings. Today’s easy homemade dressing is an Oil Free Vegan Pecan Vinaigrette that is creamy & tangy.
No Oil WFPB Salad Dressing
Fo a creamy texture in our no oil WFPB salad dressing, we use nuts and this gives the dressing healthy fats that help us absorb more of the fat soluble vitamins like vitamin E & vitamin K from our salad greens. There are a lot of dressings using walnuts & cashews, but I decided to try some different nuts for a change – pecans.
This salad dressing would also be considered a raw vegan dressing, since you can make it with raw pecans.
Plant Based Pecan Balsamic Salad Dressing
I prefer the flavor of balsamic vinegar, but you could use any flavored vinegar, like apple cider vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, black fig vinegar, or rice vinegar.
Sugar Free Vegan Salad Dressing
Of course to make this completely WFPB compliant, especially the Eat to Live Nutritarian plan by Dr. Fuhrman, we can’t use any refined sugar and he even recommends no maple syrup because it is not nutrient dense.
You can use 1/4 cup of this date paste which you can make ahead of time and have on hand. Or just use 1/4 cup of dates or raisins to add the sweetness. Maple syrup can be used as some plant-based doctors say it’s ok in moderation.
Easy Homemade Oil Free Salad Dressing Recipe
This healthy Oil Free Vegan Pecan Vinaigrette recipe is super fast and simple to make. I used a Vitamix, so if you don’t have a high powered blender or food processor, you are going to want to soak your pecans in warm water for about 20 minutes to soften them a bit.
I also find that I get a better creamy texture if I double the amount of the recipe because my Vitamix is so large. Smaller amounts can be more challenging to blend sometimes.
This dressing goes great over a spinach & arugula salad with pecans & cranberries.
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Pecan Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup pecans unsalted
- 1/4 cup date pate or dates or raisins
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard or deli mustard
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
Other Simply Plant Based Kitchen Recipes you might like:
- Tangy Spinach Hummus Recipe
- Sweet & Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe
- How to Make Date Paste
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Healthy Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce
- Easy Homemade Muesli Recipe
- Vegan Black Bean & Spinach Enchiladas
If you try this recipe, please comment below and let me know how it turned out for you!
Oil Free Vegan Pecan Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup pecans unsalted
- 1/4 cup date pate or dates or raisins
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard or deli mustard
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
Nutrition
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