Moroccan Vinaigrette—For Salads, Sides, and More
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This Moroccan Vinaigrette is the perfect blend of cumin, paprika, parsley, garlic, and a dash of cayenne. It's so good, you'll want it on your table for every meal.
And it's not just for salads. It's great on sides & main dishes too.
It might sound strange, but this salad dressing recipe is simply one of our overall favorite recipes.
It's a homemade wonderfully-seasoned salad dressing that frankly, is on our table for every meal.
This Moroccan Vinaigrette is modified from the recipe of the same name in Lorna Sass' Complete Vegetarian Kitchen, one of my many Lorna Sass cookbooks. I highlighted this cookbook in my post about pressure cookers. Please note that when I referenced this cookbook in the pressure cooker post, it was under the title of Recipes from an Ecological Kitchen. This new title is a more recent version of the same book, but it's still not available new on Amazon. Unfortunately, these great books are no longer in print. (I am no longer a vegetarian, but this book is a keeper regardless of your “dietary status”!)
As I said, we have this on our table at almost every meal and when you are really in a bind, you can just pull some of your prepared beans out of the freezer, combine them with some cooked whole grains (rice, millet, buckwheat) and top with this vinaigrette and you have yourself a fast meal. For more protein and/or for those of you concerned about copper toxicity (which I will post about in the future), top with some small pieces of healthy animal protein or pumpkin seeds. Yum!
Whenever we make a meal for a sick friend or a family with a new baby, this vinaigrette tops a vegetable medley or Moroccan Carrots. And it goes fabulously with Pakistani Kima, our favorite when having company for a meal (again, post to follow in the near future).
Why Make Your Own Homemade Salad Dressing?
Control over the ingredients
No disodium EDTA or high fructose corn syrup and you can make the whole thing organic (if you care to) for a fraction of the cost of bottled organic dressings.
Saves Money
And as I mentioned in my post about making your own vegetable broth mix, by making your own spice blends, you can save money by purchasing dressing ingredients (spices, lemon juice, and olive oil, in the case of this dressing) in bulk and using them up before they spoil or lose their flavor. You also make fewer trips to the grocery store, saving gas and time, since you have the raw ingredients in your kitchen to make what you need! With the price of gas these days, you really end up saving!
Save Time
How do you save time making your own? Well, I know making your own dressing takes time, but so does going to the store. Maybe it's a wash, but the way we eat dressing, I still think I'm saving time.
So, here's how to make this dressing. And, as with almost all of my recipes, I recommend at least doubling the recipe so that you can save time!
Other Homemade Salad Dressings
I have a thing for homemade salad dressings. If you do too, here's a list of some others on my site that I think you'll like.
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – delicious and has a low-carb option, too!
Vegan Ranch Dressing – in my fridge all the time. Makes a great dip!
Zingy Dairy-free Avocado Dressing – another one that makes an amazing dip.
Nutritional Yeast Dressing – so easy kids can make it.
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette – with five different variations!
Recipe Notes
Lemon Juice: I LOVE this lemon juice. We use it for EVERYTHING including morning lemon water, this Sesame-free Savory Hummus, and this Sugar-free Lemonade. I'd love to squeeze my lemons, but this is one area where I choose convenience. The juice keeps in the fridge for up to eight weeks. I buy it in huge packs of two glass bottles at Costco. Definitely check it out!
Moroccan Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed or organic bottled)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic (finely minced, or 1/8 teaspoon garlic granules)
- 3/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley (tightly packed, minced) (or 4 teaspoons dried parsley)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Taste and adjust seasonings adding more lemon juice or vinegar if you like.
- Store unused portion in refrigerator. Keeps well up to two weeks.
- You may wish to add additional lemon juice, cumin and parsley after a few days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Do you make your own salad dressing? What kind?
I also was wondering what to use forthe dressing. I have an evoo bottle i just emptied so I’m going to use that! It has a lid an held oil anyways!
Re salad dressing bottle/jar. This sounds really lame, but we have 2 go-to’s in our house for homemade salad dressing containers. First, a leftover mustard container–hubby loves the old-fashioned grainy mustard. So at the end of the bottle, I use the remaining mustard to make my own vinaigrette. Second (and which looks a LOT nicer but pours and stores really well) is the Good Seasons salad dressing cruet. It has a plastic removable flip top lid, so you can take it off to add your ingredients, then use the pour spout top so it doesn’t drip down the lip of the glass jar, as mason jars tend to do…When you need to, it goes in the dishwasher…
Hope this helps. Your post is a little old, but you never know. :0)
I barely go to the grocery store but I need to get one of those GS cruets. I am using mason jars now which are working out just fine. Re: the mustard container, I love the “no waste” of that, but I would be a little concerned about putting a bunch of acid in there and re-using that. But maybe I’m being a little too cautious. There is acid in mustard already in the vinegar…..
Azure Standard now has mason jar tops like for vinaigrette’s….i just bought a couple last month.
Nice! They have so many products it’s hard to know what all is there. What one(s) did you buy – the pour spout lid? I think they would be impossible to clean, no?
P.S. For anyone reading this comment, you can sign up and purchase from Azure here and I would so appreciate your using my link when you do so. Thanks in advance!
I bought this one: reCAP Mason Jar Pour Spout Lid, Regular Mouth
https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/household-family/kitchen/canning-supplies/canning-lid-accessories/regular-mouth/mason-jar-pour-spout-lid-regular-mouth-black/32830?package=NF2103
$5.63
I have several sets of very small bottle brushes and several sizes work for something this small.
Thanks! I’ll have to get some bottle brushes. I believe we have only one. I do wonder how well they clean but I guess if you scrub them enough…….
Well, I HAVE gone through many bottle brushes as I have to drink 100 oz of water daily due to having diabetes and trying to remove sugar from my body. (I’m severely dehydrated, all the time), and having wide mouth glass bottles I use. I wonder about the people who design bottle brushes: WHY do they make a small diameter handle but put a wide spot just above the brush part!!!!! I really have such a collection of them, but I finally found one long enough and narrow enough all along the handle. AND I have lots of small and even tiny ones to get into the droppers of dropper bottles, and similar bottles. They usually work well. I rinse in hot water, add some homemade dish soap and a bit of water, put the lid on, and shake well, then take the brush and brush from the bottom to the top and along the rim outside. Rinse thoroughly and let air dry. I never worry about getting them clean.
I’d love to know what your preferred brush is!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086D7SX8K?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1
I use the black handled blue brush for my wide mouth glass water bottles, and use the tiny ones for a number of uses. This large set is only about $8.
If you are just interested in the long bottle brush, this one is also good
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C9K32HY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1
Oh wow that’s crazy. I don’t need all those but that whole set is $8? Is it good quality at all? I guess these days who knows. But wow that’s cheap.
This dressing is one of the best I have ever had. I will never ever buy store bought dressings again. We had the beef curry and Moroccan Carrots and my whole family was raving by the end of dinner. Would love to see more ideas for different salad dressings! Thanks so much!
Thanks! Did you see my new dressing? Just search for dressing on my search bar :)!
I have chosen to feature your vinaigrette this week! I have tweeted it, pinned it and shared it on my Facebook page. It will be featured on Summer Salad Sundays this coming Sunday. Thanks for linking up and I hope to see you again soon!
Thanks! You’re so kind. I have another great dressing I need to post soon…just a little busy :).
Great vinaigrette, love all of those flavors! I’m Pinning this one! Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays, look forward to seeing you again soon.
Thanks for the pin, Debbie. Really appreciate it!
This looks like a great dressing. I have been making a ton of homemade dressings, but I have not used this combination of herbs. I will try it.
I agree with others about a bottle. If you don’t want the good seasons dressing, at some grocery stores they collect goods for shelters, maybe a store near you does that, and then you can donate the mix.
I also find tons of cute bottles at Marshalls or TJ Maxx. I think they may sell oils that are close to expiring, so you might not want to use the oil, but you could find some cute containers for cheap!
Nice idea for the bottles. Thanks!!!
I use the Good Seasons dressing bottles too! Most grocery stores should carry them in their dressing mix section. They are so cheap, around 3 dollars I believe, that I don’t feel bad about just throwing away the box of dressing mix pouches that comes with them. I have several of these bottles for the various homemade dressing we use. They’re made from sturdy glass, come with a plastic pouring lid, and are an easy size for kids to handle. They are also easy to wash and fill. When you remove the lid, a dish brush easily fits all the way in. They’re not as pretty or large as a vintage bottle would be, but they’re certainly nicer looking and easier to handle than a mason jar. They are also a nice height for fridge shelving. I have a hard time finding a place for tall bottles in my fridge. If I make more than 2 cups of dressing, I just fill more than one bottle.
Yes, I re-use olive oil bottles too. I have also been using a bottle with a spout that my husband picked up for me in a gift shop. Its a removable spout on a bottle – I bet an empty soda or beer bottle would work – just dont drink the soda haha
I never measure for salad dressings, but I made a lemon one last time and it was really good. I’m approximating on the following measurements.
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/8 C Balsamic Vinegar
Juice AND most of the rind from one lemon
1/8 C water
5 drops Liquid Stevia
2-3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp Liquid Lecithin (could substitute 1 Tbsp prepared mustard)- doesn’t change the flavor, but emulsifies it.
Salt, pepper and oregano (or Italian seasoning) to taste
Blend in a high speed blender for best results (or grate your lemon zest very fine)
Thanks for the recipe, I have already made it several times. It’s delicious.
Regarding the salad dressing bottle, I use an olive oil bottle. I’m lucky to have lots of Italian and Greek grocery stores in the vicinity. Both carry a wide selection of good olive oil, and some bottles are very interesting. All of the bottles come with a pour spout that prevents drips, and theyclook great on the table.
Glad you enjoy it! I’ll try that out! I do have an olive oil bottle – thanks!