Does eating salad seem like a chore?
If so, then it’s time to mix things up. Swap that tired old dressing that’s been sitting at the back of your fridge for months with an exciting, delicious homemade dressing!
If you’re thinking, “no, eating salads isn’t a chore”, you’ll still benefit from our homemade dressing recipes. How? Because they all include bone-healthy ingredients and are far healthier than the majority of pre-made options.
You see, typical store-bought salad dressings come packed with added sugar, inflammatory oils, and countless other additives that add little to no nutritional benefit.
That’s why we’ve picked some of the AlgaeCal staff’s brains to come up with three delicious homemade salad dressing recipes that you can make in minutes. These new twists on old classics are full of healthy, nutritious, and bone-friendly ingredients like tahini, ginger, and olive oil.
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Vegan Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
1 tbsp. tamari*
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3–4 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ lemon juice
1 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1–2 garlic cloves
Directions: Put ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth. Serve over a bed of greens and top with crunchy whole grain croutons or roasted nuts and seeds. If you’re open to eating dairy, shaved parmesan is a classic Caesar salad garnish.
Note: This garlicky dressing is particularly great with kale. The lemon juice helps to break down the fibrous leaves.
Nutrition Information
2 servings
Calories: 338.3
Total Fat: 23.3g
Carbohydrates: 24.5g
Fiber: 4.5g
Protein: 18g
Sodium: 540 mg
Sugar: 19g
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 23%
Potassium: 47mg
*Nutritional value based on reduced sodium tamari.
Japanese Ginger Carrot
Ingredients:
1 inch ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small carrot roughly chopped
1 tbsp. tamari*
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup water
pepper to taste
Directions: Blend ingredients until well combined. Play around with texture and try it smooth or with small chunks of carrot and ginger remaining.
Note: Believe it or not, this dressing contains no added sugar whatsoever!
Nutrition Information
2 servings
Calories: 255.6
Total Fat: 27.6 g
Carbs: 6.8g
Protein: 4.5g
Sodium: 490 mg
Potassium: 160 mg
Vitamin A: 167%
Vitamin C: 5%
Calcium: 4%
Iron: 8%
*Nutritional value based on reduced sodium tamari.
Seaside Citrus Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. honey
½ small orange, juiced
½ cup olive oil
½ shallot chopped
1 tsp. mustard
¼ cup plain yogurt
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Whisk together ingredients and serve immediately. If you don’t have a whisk handy, you can mix it briskly with a fork or shake the ingredients in a jar until combined.
Note: Try experimenting with the type of mustard for different textures and tastes. Wholegrain mustard gives a slightly coarser texture, while English mustard adds a hint of spice.
Nutrition Information
4 servings
Calories: 1,063
Carbs: 41
Total Fat*: 111.08g
Fiber: 3.1g
Protein: 4.3g
Sodium: 208.6mg
Potassium: 227.9mg
Vitamin C: 86%
Calcium: 17%
Iron: 11%
Magnesium: 11%
*The majority of calories and fat come from the recipe’s olive oil. Approximately 964.4 cal and 110.4g fat are directly attributed to the olive oil content.
Who said salads are boring? Let us know what you think of our homemade dressings in the comments. And feel free to share your own salad dressing recipes too!