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Poppy Seed Dressing (The Best Quick Salad Dressing)

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Learn how to make the best homemade poppy seed dressing! This naturally vegan recipe is creamy, amazing, just sweet enough, and perfect for any salad.

The Best Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing

After rounds and rounds of testing, I feel like I’ve finally made the perfect poppy seed dressing.

If you’re anything like me, there’s a good chance that you’ve been buying prepackaged salad mixes just because you’re so hooked on the poppyseed dressing they come with.

I was looking at the salad that I’d become so obsessed with and thought, “You know, I could probably make this cheaper and better.”

So that’s what I set out to do.

I can definitely say I’m so happy with the result! This salad dressing now has a permanent spot in our fridge (and I’m eating so much more salad now that I have it on hand)!

How to Make Poppy Seed Dressing

To make the best poppyseed dressing, you really need to use a blender. Emulsifying the oil is what makes this recipe so incredibly creamy.

If you don’t have a blender, you can vigorously whisk the oil in by hand a little at a time.

To make this salad dressing, blend the vinegar, onion powder, sugar, mustard, and salt together. Next blend the oil in a little bit at a time. Finally, pour the dressing into a bowl and stir the poppy seeds in.

The ingredients for poppy seed laid out on a marble background and labeled.

What to Serve with this Salad Dressing

This recipe is especially amazing on a Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad.

It also tastes incredible on:

Poppy seed dressing in a white bowl with a spoon.

Optional Substitions

There are a few substitutions you can make with this recipe, depending on which ingredients you have on hand.

  • You can substitute vegetable oil with olive oil. I prefer the taste of vegetable oil for this recipe, but both oils will work.
  • Onion powder can be substituted with grated onion. This recipe tastes amazing either way, but for ease I tend to use onion powder.
  • Instead of yellow mustard, you can use either Dijon mustard or dry mustard powder.
Poppy seed dressing in a jar with a strawberry spinach salad in the background.

Healthy Poppy Seed Dressing with Greek Yogurt

Another popular way to make poppy seed salad dressing is with Greek yogurt. I personally prefer this oil-based recipe, but when I do make it with Greek yogurt, this is my recipe that I use.

In a medium bowl, mix the following:

  • ½ Tablespoon honey
  • ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt

If you love sweet and tangy salad dressings that are naturally dairy-free, you may love my Tahini Lime Dressing recipe.

You also like my Broccoli Cranberry Salad and my Raw Vegan Rainbow Taco recipes – this dressing tastes phenomenal on both of them!

Fit Foodie Finds also has a great yogurt-based dressing recipe that you can check out!

Who Can Eat this Salad Dressing?

This recipe is naturally gluten free, vegan, and dairy-free.

Poppyseed Dressing Nutrition

According to Cronometer, each serving of this dressing has approximately 109 calories, 6.7 g carbs, and 6.5 g net carbs (note – nutrition information isn’t always accurate).

Poppyseed dressing being poured into a glass jar.

What You’ll Need

For this recipe, you’ll need two things.

The first is poppy seeds. This is the brand that I love.

The second thing you’ll need is a blender. While I love using my high speed blender for all of the different sauces I make, you don’t really need a fancy one for this recipe. This affordable blender is a great value and perfect for this job.

Yield: 8 servings

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Poppy seed dressing in a glass jar.

Learn how to make the best homemade poppy seed dressing! This naturally vegan recipe is creamy, amazing, just sweet enough, and perfect for any salad.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • â…“ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ Tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions

To a blender, add the sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, and onion powder. Blend on low to medium speed until combined.

While the blender is going on low, pour the oil in very slowly.

Pour the dressing into a bowl or airtight storage container. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Notes

It's important to add the oil slowly because adding too much oil at once won't allow the salad dressing to emulsify correctly.

If your blender doesn't have an opening in the lid, you'll have to turn the blender off each time you need to add a bit more oil.

This will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one week.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1/8

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 9.2gSaturated Fat: 1.4gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 202.7mgCarbohydrates: 6.7gNet Carbohydrates: 6.5gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 6.3gProtein: 0.2g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you thought in the comments or on Instagram! @keytomylime

Be sure to pin this recipe for later!

Image of poppy seed dressing in a glass jar.

Try making this incredible, affordable, and delicious poppy seed salad dressing at home!

Poppy seed dressing in a glass jar.

2 thoughts on “Poppy Seed Dressing (The Best Quick Salad Dressing)”

    • Hi Chris, So happy to hear you liked the poppy seed dressing! It’s one of our favorites. If you try it with 1/2 the sugar, please let me know how it turns out. -Alexa

      Reply

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