Give Your Greens Extra Zip

You don’t have to relegate yourself to a sad desk salad when trying to eat more greens. In addition to stacking your bowl with lots of colors, flavors, and textures, don’t forget the all-important dressing. Bottled salad dressing can get dull and doesn’t taste as fresh as the homemade kind. If you’ve never tried making your own, you may be surprised how easy it is. Try some of these vegan salad dressing recipes to give your salad extra zip.

• Raspberry Vinaigrette

  

  Raspberry vinaigrette can get pricey at the store and once you make your own, you may never go back. Either fresh or frozen berries work well for this recipe. It tastes great with a sprinkle of walnuts or sunflower seeds for a sweet and salty salad.

• Italian Herb Dressing

  

  With the perfect blend of garlic, herbs, and mustard, this zesty dressing elevates any salad. Use fresh herbs if you have them for a more assertive taste. Remember that herbs lose flavor as they age, so try to use the freshest dried herbs possible. Try tossing this one with a vegan pasta salad for a burst of Italian flavor.

• Lime Agave Salad Dressing

  

  For a Mexican-inspired salad dressing, give this lime and agave version a shot. All of these ingredients are vegan, gluten-free, and can suit a raw diet if the agave and olive oil are cold-processed. You can swap out the agave for honey, but know that many vegans avoid honey.

• Japanese Miso Salad Dressing

  

  Miso comes from fermented soybeans, grains, and an edible fungus called koji, giving it a complex umami flavor. Combined with ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, it makes a lovely salad dressing that tastes great with noodle-based dishes as well as greens. If you have gluten sensitivities, read the label on your soy and miso; some of them are processed with grains containing gluten.

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• Vegan Caesar Dressing

  

  Most Caesar dressings do not work for vegan diets because they often contain mayonnaise and anchovies. This one has neither but packs in plenty of flavor thanks to garlic, lemon juice, and vegetarian Worcestershire sauce. Check the label on the sauce before buying since many brands do not use vegan practices.

• Thousand Island Dressing

  

  Just because you follow a vegan diet doesn’t mean you can never enjoy Thousand Island dressing again. Just use a vegan mayonnaise instead of the egg-based kind. Onion powder deepens the flavor and adding sweet pickle relish gives it an additional fermented dimension that tastes great on a salad.

• Vegan Ranch Dressing

  

  You can still make a tasty ranch dressing vegan by swapping out the dairy products for soy milk and vegan mayonnaise. Use apple cider vinegar instead of white for a slightly sweeter flavor and don’t skimp on the onion and garlic powder. Fresh herbs give it even more punch.

• Tahini Goddess Dressing

  

  This green Goddess dressing with tahini tastes so good, you may want to dig in with a spoon. Tahini gives it a creamy texture without any dairy, lemon juice adds a little tang, and parsley gives it a fresh green color. Just a little sugar or agave really rounds it all out, so don’t skip it unless you need to avoid sugar entirely. Try it in coleslaw or pasta salad in addition to green salads.

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• Vegan French Dressing

  

  Bottled French dressing contains a lot of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial coloring, but you can make your own for a more natural, vegan salad topper. It requires just a handful of ingredients you may have on hand already, so you can have a delicious dressing faster than you can say “on the side.”

• Tahini Caper Salad Dressing

  

  If you’ve never tried cooking with capers, try mixing up this tahini caper salad dressing. Capers have a briny, salty flavor that pairs beautifully with creamy, nutty tahini and bright lemon juice. Toss this dressing with greens or a grain-based dish for a different twist.