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    Home » Recipes » Salads & Salad Dressings

    Published: Jun 8, 2018 · Modified: Jul 11, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 18 Comments

    Oil-Free Strawberry Vinaigrette

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN WATCH VIDEO
    5 from 18 votes
    A really simple and super tasty, completely oil-free Strawberry Vinaigrette. The flavour is amazing. Such a lovely balance of sweet and tangy. It's ready in a couple of minutes and keeps for up to a week in the fridge too!

    A really simple and super tasty, completely oil-free Strawberry Vinaigrette. The flavour is amazing - Such a lovely balance of sweet & tangy. It's ready in only a couple of minutes & perfect when drizzled over fresh leafy greens!

    Homemade Strawberry Vinaigrette in a bottle

    This Strawberry Vinaigrette is so good! It kind of blew me away when I tasted it straight out of the blender the first time I made it. It's light, fresh, summery, fruity and bursting with flavour, and I have eaten it with salad for dinner every day for 4 days straight now.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to make Strawberry Vinaigrette
    • Recipe Video
    • Recipe
    • Comments & Reviews

    Salad needs dressing. It's kind of boring without. And if I'm going to want to eat it, then it has to come with a really great dressing. And that dressing needs to be easy to make. No faffing about.

    This Strawberry Vinaigrette meets all those requirements. It's made in literally a minute or two and it's thick and clingy and super healthy too. It's full of fruit and contains absolutely no oil, which also makes it really low in calories.

    Ingredients

    This Oil-Free Strawberry Vinaigrette has just a few, simple, regular ingredients:

    • strawberries
    • balsamic vinegar
    • garlic
    • apple sauce
    • maple syrup or sugar
    • salt & pepper
    • water

    How to make Strawberry Vinaigrette

    This oil-free fruity vinaigrette is really easy to make. Simply add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. Add a little water to thin if necessary and check the seasoning, then you're done!

    Strawberry vinaigrette being drizzled over leafy greens

    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    Recipe Video

    Recipe

    a bottle of strawberry vinaigrette

    Oil-free Strawberry Vinaigrette

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    5 from 18 votes
    A really simple and super tasty, completely oil-free Strawberry Vinaigrette. The flavour is amazing - Such a lovely balance of sweet & tangy. It's ready in only a couple of minutes & perfect when drizzled over fresh leafy greens!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 5 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes
    Servings: 8 x 3 tablespoon servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 heaping cup (140 grams) fresh strawberries , (frozen strawberries can be used out of season but the flavour won't be as good).
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar
    • 1 clove garlic
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened apple sauce
    • ½ cup (120 ml) water , plus more to thin as needed
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup , or sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
    • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper , plus more to taste

    RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

    • Blendtec Blender
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Wash and hull the strawberries then add to a blender with all of the other ingredients.  
    • Blend until smooth. Add more water if you prefer a thinner dressing and adjust the seasoning to taste. 
    • Pour into a sealed container and keep refrigerated. 

    NOTES

    Will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge.

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 3tablespoonCalories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 76mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Judy Flynn says

      June 16, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      Sounds delicious. However, I don't eat sugar of any kind, so can you leave out the sugar?

      Reply
    2. Bonnie says

      May 27, 2022 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      I tested it out on myself tonight because I am taking salad and dressing to a luncheon gathering tomorrow and i wanted to see what it would be like first. It is perfect as written! I used to buy an organic raspberry vinaigrette dressing but it has been discontinued, so this is an excellent replacement. And it fits perfectly in the raspberry vinaigrette bottle.😁 Thank you!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        May 29, 2022 at 11:00 am

        I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Bonnie! It would be great made with raspberries instead of the strawberries too.

        Reply
    3. Karen says

      July 05, 2021 at 8:28 pm

      Could lemon juice be used instead of balsamic vinegar?

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        July 05, 2021 at 9:47 pm

        I think it would probably end up way too tart. Balsamic vinegar is rich with some sweetness whereas lemon juice is sourer and more acidic. If you do use lemon you'd need to use less and you might need to add more sweetener. You'll have to adjust it to taste.
        It will completely change the flavour and appearance of the dressing.

        Reply
    4. Kathy says

      August 13, 2020 at 6:03 am

      5 stars
      This is FABULOUS!! I used a very ripe peach instead of strawberries because it’s what I had on hand. Everything else as written. YUM!!! I eat a lot of salads to lower calorie density....hard to find fabulous dressings without oil or nuts. This is awesome. Will certainly try with strawberries as well when I get some.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 13, 2020 at 10:14 am

        So pleased you enjoyed it, Kathy! I agree, it is rather awesome with peaches. I should actually post a new recipe like that. You'll love the strawberry version too! It's also good with raspberries ;O)

        Reply
    5. Jean says

      June 01, 2020 at 7:35 am

      Dressing. Typo in comment above.

      Reply
    6. Jean says

      June 01, 2020 at 7:33 am

      5 stars
      Perfect summer dresding. I used watermelon and strawberries and what a treat on my salad plus it is so low calorie.

      Reply
    7. Caroline says

      May 16, 2020 at 3:12 pm

      5 stars
      I was a bit wary about the balsamic and garlic, but this was really good! I only used 1/4 cup of water instead of 1/2 and was perfect for me. Using this for a spinach salad and also on top of pancakes!

      Reply
      • Deb says

        September 10, 2020 at 11:17 am

        5 stars
        I forgot to add the garlic and it was still excellent. I am diabetic so I used Yacon syrup instead of maple syrup becuase it is easier on my blood glucose levels. Thanks for a great dressing foundation that can work well with many fruits.

        Reply
    8. Carla Adams says

      February 16, 2020 at 5:57 pm

      5 stars
      So good, you can drink it.

      Reply
      • Carla Adams says

        February 16, 2020 at 6:00 pm

        5 stars
        I rated this dressing as a 5 but forgot to add that I used an overripe apple instead of applesauce and a date instead of sugar. It was awesome!

        Reply
    9. Dana says

      July 24, 2019 at 10:10 pm

      5 stars
      Very tasty! Loved it on my mixed greens. I would like it to be a bit thicker but otherwise it is excellent.

      Reply
    10. Lynne Wright says

      July 03, 2018 at 9:48 pm

      5 stars
      This looked so good that I decided to double the recipe. Then I realized that with fresh strawberries it wouldn't last in the fridge for several weeks. I gave half of it away to a friend and she loved it as much as I did, so that was a win - win. I recently made this with fresh raspberries from our garden. I had to add the step of straining all the tiny pits out after blending. It was as delicious as the strawberry recipe. Thanks so much for this recipe -- it will now be a staple in our kitchen.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        July 03, 2018 at 10:07 pm

        Thanks Lynne. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I need to try it with raspberries now!

        Reply
    11. Matilda says

      June 08, 2018 at 9:12 am

      5 stars
      Melanie, This will most certainly be one of my go to favorite salad dressings. It is delicious!. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Matilda

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        June 08, 2018 at 1:30 pm

        I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Matilda. Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know!

        Reply

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