Go Back
–+ servings
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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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 cashews, soaked raw sunflower seeds, raw cashew butter, raw 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.org, the 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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!