Lime, parsley and dill creamy salad dressing recipe (Oil Free, Vegan)

This oil free and vegan salad dressing features bright citrus notes of lime, and a lovely herb blend that includes parsley and dill. It is an excellent ranch dressing replacement, perfect for chickpea salad blends (such as our sandwich recipe here), and goes great on any green salad.

The lime zest ensures that the citrus notes will be appreciated, even if you have a fairly flavorful meal that you are using this dressing on. This plant based recipe is both oil free and low fat, and works along with your 80/10/10 eating style if you’re following the recommendations of Dr. McDougall, Esselstyn, Barnard, and more.

This recipe makes about 1 cup of dressing.

Parsley and Dill Citrus Salad Dressing

This creamy salad dressing is incredibly easy to make, and features bright notes of lime with the delicious herbed notes of parsley and dill. Excellent as a replacement for ranch, part of a chickpea salad sandwich filling, or on any green salad.

4.67 from 6 votes

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Course: Salad, Sauces, Spreads & Condiments

Cuisine: American, Fusion

Keyword: chili garlic sauce, dill, limes, parsley, sunflower seeds

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 43kcal

Author: Jen deHaan

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk or water
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 tsp lime zest Approximately. Optional but recommended.
• 3 garlic cloves Use extra if using bottled minced.
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp parsley Chopped, fresh. Pulse in after blending dressing.
• 1 tsp dill Dried. Pulse in after blending dressing.

Instructions

• Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, but reserve the parsley and dill and set aside. Blend it until the consistency is nice and smooth.
• Add the parsley and dill to your blender, and pulse until you see the parsley well chopped and incorporated.
• Enjoy this dressing on your next green salad, or in our Chickpea Salad that's great in a sandwich!

Notes

To make this dressing thick and more of a spread or "mayo" like, increase the amount of sunflower seeds you use. Alternatively, you can add some firm tofu to the blender to thicken it up. You may wish to add some more lime zest and herbs if increasing these items.

If you decrease the plant based milk, make sure that your blender can handle small volumes. My Vitamix bins don't accommodate a smaller amount than the values provided in this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Parsley and Dill Citrus Salad Dressing

Serving Size

 

2 Tbsp

Amount per Serving

Calories

43

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

2

g

3

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Sodium

 

147

mg

6

%

Potassium

 

57

mg

2

%

Carbohydrates

 

5

g

2

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

3

g

3

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

84

IU

2

%

Vitamin C

 

4

mg

5

%

Calcium

 

12

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe? Customized it?Let us know how it was in the comments!

Try this dressing in a sandwich salad filling!

Our vegan chickpea salad sandwich recipe uses this versatile dressing. It mixes really well into the salad mixture and adds a unique citrus note to the otherwise traditional recipe.

Adjusting this vegan recipe

There are several adjustments you can make to this creamy salad dressing recipe to customize it for your tastebuds or your meal. Here are a few:

Sunflower seeds: You can substitute tofu for the sunflower seeds, or other nuts or seeds like cashews. We love to use sunflower seeds since they are a bit lower fat, less expensive, and regional.

Thicker consistency: If you want to use this recipe to create a spread or a thicker dressing, increase the amount of sesame seeds (I would try about 1/2 cup), or add 4-6oz of firm tofu to your blender. Increase the herbs and seasoning to taste.

Limes: You can use lemons or oranges (and their zest) instead of lime. Alternatively, you can use a blend of the fruit. Feel free to also use the pulp if you wish, although I generally advise removing the pith and skin.

Regular blender: If you are using a regular blender as opposed to a high-powered one, you may want to soak the sunflower seeds before blending. You can also swap the seeds with tofu if you have issues blending seeds.

SOS-Free: Omit the maple syrup and salt. You may wish to increase the garlic and citrus or vinegar if you do not find the dressing flavorful enough without the salt.

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