Five-Ingredient Nutritional Yeast Salad Dressing (Vegan, Paleo, Low Carb)
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If you're looking for something to spice up your salads, look no further. This nutritional yeast salad dressing is a breeze to make and has a zingy cheesy flavor that you're sure to love.
I've been making my own homemade salad dressing for a long time. Our long-standing favorite used to be this Moroccan Vinaigrette, and then this homemade vinaigrette salad dressing that you can make 5 ways, but this nutritional yeast dressing is a great one as well.
And let me say that if you aren't making your own homemade salad dressing yet, I hope that this post gets you motivated to do so.
‘Cause I have another super simple salad dressing recipe that should be on your table.
I honestly can't remember the last time I purchased salad dressing. Maybe way back in my college days before I was into making my own just about everything.
You might not be as excited about making your own stuff as I am, but I hope you catch the bug.
Why Make Homemade Salad Dressings
- Using only wholesome whole food ingredients.
- Save tons of money.
- Reduce the impact on the environment by buying less packaged stuff.
- Avoid extra sugars. Many dressings are loaded with HCFS and other sweeteners. Particularly if you are on a candida diet, these will wreak havoc on your health.
The inspiration for this dressing came from Oh She Glows, a fabulous vegetarian blog. I made this Adzuki Bean Quinoa Tabbouleh, loved the dressing on it and decided to make my own version of it.
My kids quickly pushed aside the Moroccan Vinaigrette and our Favorite Salad Dressing – Five Ways and ate this one voraciously for the next few weeks. And now here it is for you to enjoy as well.
We use this not only as a salad dressing but to top all kinds of things.
What Is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast (called “nooch,” for short) is yellow flakes or powder that is deactivated yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). It's popular for its nutty, cheesy, umami flavor and as such it's a popular ingredient in dairy-free and vegan cooking. It's grown on molasses and then heated, dried, and crumbled and is used for adding cheesy flavor to all kinds of dishes.
Notably, it doesn't cause fermentation like baker's or brewer's yeast and it's rich in B vitamins, protein and minerals.
Ways to Use This Easy Nutritional Yeast Salad Dressing
- on top of beans and rice for a jazzed up last minute meal
- atop cooked veggies. Marinate in the dressing for about 2 hours for added flavor
- as a dip for fresh veggies. My boys like to mix extra nutritional yeast into this easy salad dressing (actually they use a whole lotta nutritional yeast) to make it really thick.
And if you are looking for a nutritional yeast that does NOT contain added b-vitamins, this brand is your answer.
Other Homemade Salad Dressings
- Moroccan Vinaigrette
- Vegan Avocado Salad Dressing
- Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
Tangy Five-Ingredient Nutritional Yeast Salad Dressing–for More Than Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional, but oh-so-necessary in our opinion)
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Pour olive oil and apple cider vinegar in serving container.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Stir to combine. Stir again to redistribute ingredients before serving.
- Store in refrigerator, preferably in a glass container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Enjoy!
Do YOU Make Your Own Salad Dressing?
Thanks for posting this recipe. With the weather warming up, I am ready for salads again. This will be perfect as a dressing. I have a Tuesday Greens linky at http://www.craftygardenmama.com and would love to have you link up some of your real food posts. Thanks and have a great week!
I agree- haven’t bought dressing in years. I’ve never used nutritional yeast in my dressing- Where do you buy it?
There’s a link in my post but here is another one to Amazon. It is my affiliate link – hope that helps.
Most health-food stores sell nutritional yeast. At my co-op it’s available in the bulk section, where it looks expensive (price per pound) but because it’s so light and fluffy, it actually costs pennies per serving. I love nutritional yeast and look forward to trying this dressing!
WOW, sounds so yummy and its so simple! Love it! I hope you stop by Gluten Free Fridays this week to link up this yummy recipe! It will be live Thursday evening at 7:05 pm! We are having a Gluten Free giveaway this week to one lucky person! Hope to see you there! Cindy 🙂
Love this recipe, Adrienne! So awesome.
I bet you have some great ones too!
I love making my own dressings! I love how simple this one is!
I tried adding some EVOO to the bottom of a nearly empty bottle of dressing to use up the seasonings, and it got really thick in the fridge. No one would touch it. I ended up using it as a marinade so it wasn’t wasted. I suspect this one would be okay left out since it has salt, vinegar and the anti-bacterial garlic in it? My only concern would be the garlic breaking down, but maybe the salt and vinegar would preserve it? Unfortunately, most of my girls eat Ranch dressing like a food, rather than a condiment. (Teens, so there’s no going back. Stubborn critters. They avoid “organic” like the plague.) Hoping to find a good homemade ranch dressing to sneak into their bottle of Hidden Valley sometime…any ideas?
Yep – the olive oil turns solid in the fridge. I can’t speak to how long it will last but mine is doing OK. I dont know if I can replicate store bought ranch, but maybe have them read my post today on generational health issues and maybe they’ll listen to you :).
Ok, cool. Makes sense. Thanks Adrienne. 🙂
Hi Adrienne, This sounds great!—and I LOVE using nutritional yeast. But just a quick Q. Approx. how long do you think this will last in the frige? And I’m sure once we try it and realize just how much we love it, this concern will most likely be moot, right? 🙂 But just curious anyway. Thanks!
Hmm.. I am not sure and I really can’t make a claim about it but I will say I have it on my table and don’t even bother putting it away b/c we go through it pretty fast. Folks leave out olive oil bottles and such, you know? And the salt can only help it keep.
So, even with fresh garlic you don’t refrigerate your
dressing?
I wondered myself because the vinegar should hold it, but
I always chill it, then I am running it under running warm
water to melt the oil… lol I always sprinkle Nutritional
Yeast on my salad, why not in the dressing! Thanks!
I’m a rebel that way. I know I should. So for safety reasons, please do so. I guess I will start today.
I love that this dressing recipe includes nutritional yeast! It’s such a great source of B vitamins, and the flavor is fantastic. Thank you for sharing! If you haven’t already, I’d love if you’d come join my How To Tuesday link party, too.
Thanks! I hope you like it. We sure do! I was so glad to put it back in our diet.
I felt like a secret agent…replaced our usual vinaigrette with this recipe and it was a total hit!!!
We even used some as marinade for grilled chix and it was ah-mazing! This will be a staple for our house, thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
Wow – so glad to hear it – you Secret Agent, you :). Ha!