Simple, tasty & healthy oil-free Strawberry Vinaigrette. Sweet, tangy, ready in a couple of minutes & perfect drizzled over leafy greens!
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This healthy Strawberry Vinaigrette is so good! Light, fresh, summery, fruity, and bursting with flavor.
It's made in quite literally a minute or two and is thick and clingy without using any oil. That means it's virtually fat-free and very low in calories. Could it get any better?!
It's good on any leafy green salad but particularly delicious on my Strawberry Spinach Salad with some crumbles of vegan feta cheese!
Recipe
Oil-free Strawberry Vinaigrette
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup (140 grams) fresh strawberries , (frozen strawberries can be used out of season but the flavor won't be as good).
- ¼ cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened applesauce , or extra virgin olive oil if you don't need it oil-free
- about ½ cup (120 ml) water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup , or sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt , plus more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , plus more to taste
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash and hull the strawberries then add to a blender with all of the other ingredients. If you prefer a thicker dressing start with half of the water.
- Blend until smooth. Add more water to thin as necessary and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour into a sealed container and keep refrigerated for up to 7 days.
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Caroline Jordan says
can you use apple cider vinegar instead of apple sauce?
Melanie McDonald says
Definitely not. They have very different qualities and there is already vinegar in the recipe. The applesauce is used an an oil replacement and makes the dressing cling to the salad leaves. The best substitute would be extra virgin olive oil.
Stacey says
Summer all summed up in a dressing! Sweet , tart & delicious 💗
Reuben says
Can you freeze leftover dressing if not using within 7 days?
Thank you.
Melanie McDonald says
I've never tried freezing it, sorry!
Judy Flynn says
Sounds delicious. However, I don't eat sugar of any kind, so can you leave out the sugar?
Bonnie says
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!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Bonnie! It would be great made with raspberries instead of the strawberries too.
Karen says
Could lemon juice be used instead of balsamic vinegar?
Melanie McDonald says
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.
Kathy says
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.
A Virtual Vegan says
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)
Jean says
Dressing. Typo in comment above.
Jean says
Perfect summer dresding. I used watermelon and strawberries and what a treat on my salad plus it is so low calorie.
Caroline says
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!
Deb says
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.
Carla Adams says
So good, you can drink it.
Carla Adams says
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!
Dana says
Very tasty! Loved it on my mixed greens. I would like it to be a bit thicker but otherwise it is excellent.
Lynne Wright says
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.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Lynne. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I need to try it with raspberries now!
Matilda says
Melanie, This will most certainly be one of my go to favorite salad dressings. It is delicious!. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Matilda
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Matilda. Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know!