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Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Tangy, sweet, and delicious Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette is the healthy plant-based salad dressing you’ve been looking for! This tasty oil-free salad dressing is naturally sweetened and perfect for any dish. Use it on oil-free pasta salad or any kind of salad, or use it as a dipping sauce or drizzle it on bowls and more.

A portrait-style photo of a small glass jar filled with light brown oil-free balsamic vinaigrette with a spoon in the jar, a green and white floral cloth napkin beside it on a brown granite countertop.

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I recently came out with my first oil-free vinaigrette (Sweet Lime Oil-Free Vinaigrette) and it was so delicious I wanted to see if I could recreate balsamic vinaigrette without oil. And here it is!

The inspiration for this recipe was a craving I had for something my mom used to make for us: pasta salad. Now, my oil-free pasta salad is definitely different than the one she made but I love it, AND it fits the way I like to eat (as whole food plant based as possible).

So this oil-free balsamic dressing is great for any salad such as my kale salad with blueberries and grapes or my kale sweet potato salad, and definitely any kind of pasta salad, but you can use it as a dip for raw veggies, drizzle it on grain bowls, and so much more!

The magic of an oil-free vinaigrette is in the aquafaba. Yes, the water that comes in can of chickpeas! It has body and starches that water doesn’t have, but without the calories and fat in oil or nut/seed butters. I used to love tahini dressings, but since I try to eat less plant fat for heart health and working to achieve my optimal body weight, aquafaba is a great substitute.

You only get a meager amount of aquafaba in each can of no-salt-added garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas), but it should be enough to make this recipe. I personally like to cook dried garbanzo beans in my Instant Pot, so I get a large batch of aquafaba at a time. I freeze it in 1 cup portions (a product called souper cubes, but you can use 1-cup freezer safe containers too) separately from the chickpeas (which I also freeze).

You can find an explanation of how I cook them in the Expert Tips section in below. If you do not have an Instant Pot, there are plenty of tutorials online on how to cook dried beans on the stove top.

But let’s talk about this oil-free balsamic vinaigrette dressing first. I’m always looking for new oil-free salad dressing recipes, and this one’s my new favorite. It’s just so easy to mix up in the blender, and I even have a blender-free option for you.

A portrait-style photo looking down into the blender full of the unblended dressing ingredients.

Ingredients

See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list (with amounts) and instructions.

  • Aquafaba: Yup, the water that comes in a can of no-salt-added garbanzo beans (AKA chickpeas)! You can get a ton of this from cooking garbanzo beans from dried (I do this in my Instant Pot, see the Expert Tips section further down this page for more info). If your chickpeas came backed in salty aquafaba (check the sodium content in the nutrition label), then skip the miso paste in this recipe.
  • Balsamic Vinegar: You can use any balsamic vinegar (red, white, fig, flavored) you like for this recipe. I think a traditional tangy balsamic vinegar is best, rather than using expensive reduced flavored vinegars like California Balsamic (I usually just use those straight up because they’re so good).
  • Medjool Dates: This balsamic oil-free vinaigrette is naturally sweetened, with pitted Medjool dates! It tastes delicious, but for alternatives that will work for a blender-free version, see the substitutions section below. And I only needed 1 pitted Medjool date for my tastes, but you can add more if you’d like it sweeter.
  • Yellow or White Miso Paste: This is to replace the salt in the recipe, but I also love the little hint of umami flavors. Per Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.orgthe soy in miso has a protective effect so the sodium in miso paste will not affect us negatively. Please feel free to omit or use a pinch of salt if that is what you prefer.
  • Dijon Mustard: This is evidently common ingredient in most balsamic vinaigrette recipes, but I also just really like the tang it gives.
  • Dried Italian Seasoning: This complements the balsamic vinegar perfectly.
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper: I always recommend fresh cracked black pepper because it tastes SO much better than store bought ground black pepper. It’s the difference between me hating and loving the spice! I use an electric pepper mill due to a disability in my hand that makes it hard to use a conventional pepper mill and it makes a big difference.
  • Minced Garlic: This recipe only calls for a teaspoon of minced garlic, so you can buy jarred minced garlic or a use a garlic press (or a knife) to mince one clove of garlic. Or use a half teaspoon granulated garlic (to taste).
A portrait-style photo looking down into the blender, with a partially blended dressing topped with the dried herbs, black pepper, and minced garlic.

Substitutions

  • Aquafaba: This is a unique ingredient since it’s a little thicker (and has more body) than water. If you can’t find it, you can blend a half cup of water with a tablespoon or two of soaked raw cashews, soaked raw sunflower seeds, raw cashew butter, raw sunflower seed butter, or tahini. (Just using water might not yield delicious results.)
  • Balsamic Vinegar: Although this is a balsamic oil-free vinaigrette, you can use any vinegar you enjoy here. This recipe would work just as well with apple cider vinegar. I think white vinegar might be too pungent, but you could try with just a tablespoon and see how you like it. You could also experiment with fresh squeezed citrus like lemon or lime.
  • Medjool Dates: I used a Medjool date to sweeten this recipe naturally. Other options include pure maple syrup or date syrup. These options also allow you to make the recipe without a blender.
  • Yellow or White Miso Paste: If you’re fine eating salt (or if you eat the potassium chloride salt substitute) you can go ahead and use that. If you are totally avoiding added sodium, you can leave it out.
  • Dijon Mustard: I don’t think yellow mustard would be a good substitute here, but brown mustard might be ok. If you don’t have Dijon mustard, I would personally leave out the ingredient.
  • Dried Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have this blend, you can use a little dried thyme, dried basil, etc. to season this oil-free vinaigrette to your liking.
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper: You can omit this if you prefer. If you want heat, try crushed red pepper flakes.
  • Minced Garlic: If you don’t like raw garlic, consider using a half teaspoon of granulated garlic. Or you can omit it.
A portrait-style photo looking down into the blender, the blended dressing looking frothy.

How to Make Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

Watch me make this recipe or follow the step-by-step instructions below.

  1. Blend most of the ingredients: Add the aquafaba, balsamic vinegar, pitted Medjool date(s), miso paste, and Dijon mustard to the blender and blend until smooth (about 45 seconds for me).
  2. Taste Test: If you started with 1 Medjool date (or even if you didn’t), taste the oil-free vinaigrette. Does it need more sweetness? Add another pitted date. More vinegar? Add more of that. Blend until smooth again and move onto step 3.
  3. Add the seasonings: Add in the dried Italian seasoning, fresh cracked black pepper, and garlic. Blend on the lowest speed for 3-4 seconds or pulse it in.
  4. Storage: I like to store this oil-free salad dressing immediately so I can refrigerate it so it’s cold for when I’m ready to eat it. Use a blender spatula if you have one to get all the contents out of the blender. As written, this recipe fits perfectly in a mini tulip Weck jar, but you can use any kind of airtight jar or container to store it. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Shake well before use.

Expert Tips

  • Get lots of aquafaba: Make your own aquafaba by cooking dried garbanzo beans. I do this in my Instant Pot: Add 1 cup rinsed dried garbanzo beans and 4 cups of water to the Instant Pot, place on the lid and set the pressure valve to ‘sealing.’ Cook on high pressure for 42 minutes and let the pressure naturally release for 20 minutes. Carefully switch the pressure valve to ‘venting’ and release the remaining pressure. When the pressure float releases (check your manual if you’re not sure what this means) you can remove the lid. When cooled, separate the chickpeas from the aquafaba. It will last up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
  • Make this recipe without a blender: Don’t have a blender? No problem. Switch out the Medjool dates for a liquid sweetener such as date syrup or pure maple syrup (start with one half tablespoon and add more to taste). Add all ingredients to a jar and either place a lid on and shake really hard or use a mini whisk to whisk it all together.
  • Play with flavors: Once you know to use a half cup aquafaba as your base for an oil-free vinaigrette, it really gets fun to play around with flavors. Play with different fruit juices, vinegars, mustard, spices, and sweeteners to make your own blends!

Serving Suggestions

This oil-free vinaigrette was created in tandem with my oil-free pasta salad recipe because they go perfectly together!

However this oil-free dressing would also go well with my kale salad with blueberries and grapes, kale sweet potato salad, or literally any other salad, grain bowl, or even roasted or steamed vegetables.

You can also use it as a tart and fun dressing for a fruit salad or as a dipping sauce for raw veggies.

More Delicious and Healthy Plant Based Recipes

A portrait-style photo of a small glass jar filled with light brown oil-free balsamic vinaigrette with a woman's hand drizzling the vinaigrette over the jar with a spoon, a green and white floral cloth napkin beside it on a brown granite countertop.
A landscape-style photo of a small glass jar filled with light brown oil-free balsamic vinaigrette with a woman's hand drizzling the vinaigrette over the jar with a spoon, a green and white floral cloth napkin beside it on a brown granite countertop.

Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

Liz
Tangy, sweet, and delicious Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette is the healthy plant-based salad dressing you've been looking for! This tasty oil-free salad dressing is naturally sweetened and perfect for any dish. Use it on oil-free pasta salad or any kind of salad, or use it as a dipping sauce or drizzle it on bowls and more.
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Salad, Sauce, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 18.8 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Blender see Notes section below for no-blender option

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Blend most of the ingredients: Add the aquafaba, balsamic vinegar, pitted Medjool date(s), miso paste, and Dijon mustard to the blender and blend until smooth (about 45 seconds for me).
  • Taste Test: If you started with 1 Medjool date (or even if you didn't), taste the oil-free vinaigrette. Does it need more sweetness? Add another pitted date. More vinegar? Add more of that. Blend until smooth again and move onto step 3.
  • Add the seasonings: Add in the dried Italian seasoning, fresh cracked black pepper, and garlic. Blend on the lowest speed for 3-4 seconds or pulse it in.
  • Storage: I like to store this oil-free salad dressing immediately so I can refrigerate it so it's cold for when I'm ready to eat it. Use a blender spatula if you have one to get all the contents out of the blender. As written, this recipe fits perfectly in a mini tulip Weck jar, but you can use any kind of airtight jar or container to store it. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Shake well before use.

Video

Notes

  • Aquafaba: This is a unique ingredient since it’s a little thicker (and has more body) than water. If you can’t find it, you can blend a half cup of water with a tablespoon or two of soaked raw cashewssoaked raw sunflower seedsraw cashew butterraw sunflower seed butter, or tahini. (Just using water might not yield the best results.)
  • Balsamic Vinegar: You can use any balsamic vinegar (red, white, fig, flavored) you like for this recipe. I think a traditional tangy balsamic vinegar is best, rather than using expensive reduced flavored vinegars like California Balsamic (I usually just use those straight up because they’re so good).
  • Use Another Vinegar: Although this is a balsamic oil-free vinaigrette, you can use any vinegar you enjoy here. This recipe would work just as well with apple cider vinegar. I think white vinegar might be too pungent, but you could try with just a tablespoon and see how you like it. You could also experiment with fresh squeezed citrus like lemon or lime.
  • Medjool Dates: I used a Medjool date to sweeten this recipe naturally. Other options include pure maple syrup or date syrup. These options also allow you to make the recipe without a blender.
  • Yellow or White Miso Paste:This is to replace the salt in the recipe, but I also love the little hint of umami flavors. Per Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.orgthe soy in miso has a protective effect so the sodium in miso paste will not affect us negatively. If you’re fine eating salt (or if you eat the potassium chloride salt substitute) you can go ahead and use that. If you are totally avoiding added sodium, you can leave it out.
  • Make this recipe without a blender: Don’t have a blender? No problem. Switch out the Medjool dates for a liquid sweetener such as date syrup or pure maple syrup (start with one half tablespoon and add more to taste). Add all ingredients to a jar and either place a lid on and shake really hard or use a mini whisk to whisk it all together.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 TablespoonsCalories: 18.8kcalCarbohydrates: 4.1gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSodium: 40.5mgPotassium: 32.3mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 3.2gVitamin A: 0.5IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 6.5mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword balsamic vinaigrette no oil, balsamic vinaigrette without oil, dressing, oil-free, oil-free dressing, oil-free salad dressing, oil-free vinaigrette, plant based salad dressing, vegan salad dressing
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