Poppy seed dressing recipe made at home by shaking a jar with olive oil, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, and seasonings. It makes a healthy, fresh, sweet, and tangy salad dressing.
If you love poppy seed dressing, you'll want to make your own at home with a few common ingredients.
It will be healthier, taste fresh, and you'll have control of everything in it. You can even adapt this recipe to your diet needs!
Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe
You may be used to buying salad dressings in the grocery store but homemade salad dressings taste much better and are quick and easy to make.
Moreover, you have complete control of the ingredients. Don't forget store-bought dressings contain preservatives.
You can also switch the ingredients easily in order to match the flavor profile of your salads. You can decrease the tartness and also control the amount of sugar, making your homemade dressing healthy.
Homemade poppy seed dressing pairs well with goat cheese, blue cheese, berries, feta cheese, apples, stone fruits, nuts, romaine lettuce, spinach, green salads, house salads, fruit kabobs, and more!
But it is so versatile that you can also serve it with seafood, meats, and cooked veggies.
Our poppy seed dressing recipe calls for simple ingredients that are widely available and can be easily replaced to meet your taste and dietary needs.
There is a nice balance of sweet and tangy! You can even add some Greek yogurt to make it creamy.
All you have to do is add ingredients to a jar and shake it until combined. It keeps well in the fridge for up to one week and will still taste fresh!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make our poppy seed dressing you'll need:
- ½ cup light olive oil: Avocado oil and grapeseed oil make good substitutes! Avoid vegetable oil!
- Zest of a lemon (OPTIONAL): Add it to the dressing only if you love tangy dressings! Replace it with ½ teaspoon of dry mustard powder for a less tangy salad dressing!
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice: Replace it with red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lime juice!
- ¼ cup honey: Use pure maple syrup or agave if you're on a vegan diet. But if you are on a keto diet, use sugar-free maple syrup or a sugar substitute! If you prefer to use granulated sugar, add only 1-2 tbsp.
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A dash of ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (OPTIONAL): Replace it with light mayonnaise! Only add the yogurt if you enjoy creamy salad dressings. If you are on a vegan diet, use plant-based yogurt!
How to Make Poppy Seed Dressing
- In a large glass measuring cup or in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt, pepper, poppy seeds, and yogurt (only if you want a creamy dressing).
- Whisk or shake until homogeneous and thick. Let it sit at room temperature while preparing your salad in order to allow the flavors of the dressing to blend.
NOTE:
To make our poppy seed dressing super smooth and thicker, you can add all the ingredients to a food processor (except the poppy seeds and lemon zest) and blend until smooth. Then whisk in the poppy seeds and lemon zest.
Tips for making this Poppy Seed Salad Dressing Recipe
- If you are about to take a drug test, please do not eat poppy seeds. It will alter the results!
- Easily replace the lemon juice with lime juice, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or other infused vinegar dressings such as pomegranate, champagne vinegar, or balsamic vinegar.
- Make sure to match the vinegar to the salad or fruits you plan on serving the dressing with!
- Only use lime or lemon zest if you enjoy tangy dressing. Otherwise, replace it with dry mustard or Dijon mustard.
- Use decent to good-quality vinegar and olive oil/light olive oil.
- Agave and even erythritol make a great substitute for honey. If you are vegan, use maple syrup. If you are on a low-carb diet, use sugar-free honey or maple syrup.
- Make sure to shake the jar well in order to blend the ingredients.
- Only add Greek yogurt or light mayo if you enjoy creamy dressings!
- To make our poppy seed dressing super smooth and thicker, you can add all the ingredients to a food processor (except the poppy seeds and lemon zest) and blend until smooth. Then whisk in the poppy seeds and lemon zest.
Variations
- Creamy poppy seed dressing: Add about 2-3 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt (or light mayonnaise) to our recipe and whisk well. It will be tangier!
- Lemon poppy seed dressing: Use both the fresh juice and zest!
- Keto poppy seed dressing: It replaces honey with sugar-free maple syrup!
- Panera poppyseed dressing: It has a light creamy base with orange and onion notes.
- Strawberry poppyseed dressing: Add fresh strawberries to a food processor and blend with other ingredients until smooth.
How To Store Poppyseed Dressing
Keep the dressing leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Shake it up before dressing your salads!
What to Use Poppy Seed Dressing For
Here are a few suggestions to serve this poppy seed dressing:
- Berry salad
- Beet goat cheese salad
- Homemade coleslaw
- Vegan raw salad
- Kale pasta salad
- Fresh fruits
- Summer salads such as watermelon strawberry salad
PIN & ENJOY!
Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Mason jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup light olive oil or avocado oil or grapeseed oil
- Zest of a lemon OPTIONAL, Add it to the dressing only if you love tangy dressings! Replace it with ½ teaspoon of dried mustard powder for a less tangy salad dressing!
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice Replace it with red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lime juice!
- ¼ cup honey Use pure maple syrup or agave if you're on a vegan diet. But if you are on a keto diet, use sugar-free maple syrup or a sugar substitute!
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- A dash of ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt OPTIONAL, Replace it with light mayonnaise! Only add the yogurt if you enjoy creamy salad dressings. If you are on a vegan diet, use plant-based yogurt!
Instructions
- In a large glass measuring cup or in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt, pepper, poppy seeds, and yogurt (only if you want a creamy dressing).
- Whisk or shake until homogeneous and thick. Let it sit at room temperature while preparing your salad in order to allow the flavors of the dressing to blend.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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