Hello, my beautiful chickpeas! Today's recipe packs in so many bright and vibrant flavors, and it is absolutely perfect for the spring and summer. This Vegan Green Goddess Dressing is creamy, herby, tangy, and completely dairy free! This can be used as a delicious dressing on your favorite vegan salad or buddha bowl, as a condiment on a sandwich or wrap, or drizzled onto roasted veggies.
Ever since I incorporated this dressing into my rotation it has become one of my obsessions. I can't wait for you to obsess over it as well!
Inspiration for Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
If you're on the food side of tiktok, the term "Green Goddess Dressing" may sound familiar to you. A couple of years ago it became wildly popular on tiktok when Baked By Melissa posted a video of her take on a green goddess salad and it went viral. However, green goddess dressing has actually been around since the 1920s!
According to Sporked, green goddess dressing first came about in 1923 in San Fransisco when it was made as a tribute to actor George Arliss, who was a star in a play called The Green Goddess. Now there are many versions of Green Goddess Dressing in grocery stores, but nothing beats homemade in my book.
Green goddess dressing can vary a lot. Generally it's made of herbs, something creamy (often mayo), and vinegar. My version utilizes basil as the main herb (with the option to add in others), a combo of both lemon juice and apple cider vinegar for acidity, and cashews for creaminess. We also throw in lots of spinach just to keep things interesting! It is of course completely vegan, and even oil-free. It will be the perfect addition to your favorite vegan salad this summer!
Ingredients
This recipe has SO MUCH flavor packed in from lots of fresh ingredients. Let's talk about them.
- Apple cider vinegar & lemon juice: every good dressing needs some acidity!
- Chives, basil, garlic, shallot, and salt: for lots of herby goodness and general flavor.
- Spinach: I love tossing spinach into anything I can to squeeze in some extra greens! This won't add much flavor to our dressing, but it will add more of that bright green color, provide some extra nutrients, and compliment our other flavors well!
- Cashews: when blended, cashews are extremely creamy! Since our green goddess dressing is fully vegan, this is key.
- Nutritional yeast: to give a bit of a "cheesy" and savory flavor.
- Cilantro & dill: these are technically optional, but I love the flavor they add. If you want the flavor profile of your dressing to be a bit more complex, I definitely recommend adding these!
How to Make Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
This one is INCREDIBLY simple.
- Blend everything together.
- Drizzle on your salad (or anything else) and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
This Vegan Green Goddess Dressing is honestly so versatile! Here are some ideas on how to best enjoy it.
- You'll notice that the dill and cilantro are "optional". If you really want to lean into the basil and let this be primarily a basil-flavored dressing, then leave these out and the basil will shine a bit more! But if you like dill and/or cilantro and want your dressing to have a little more variety in its flavor, then they are an excellent addition. You could also experiment with other soft herbs here instead of the dill and cilantro if you'd like!
- Note that this dressing will thicken a bit once it sits in the fridge overnight - so if you prefer a thicker dressing then feel free to make it the day before and refrigerate until you're ready for it!
- If you prefer your dressing to be slightly sweet, feel free to add in a teaspoon or two of maple syrup!
- Use this dressing on pretty much anything you want! It is an excellent addition to your favorite vegan salad, buddha bowl, sandwich, or wrap. It could also be a great dip for crackers, or drizzled onto some roasted veggies!
- If you're looking for more flavorful dressings, you should also check out my Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing and my Oil-Free Zesty Italian Dressing!
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chives
- ½ cup basil
- 1 cup spinach
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small shallot bulb
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- Optional: 2 tablespoon cilantro
- Optional: 2 tablespoon dill
Instructions
- Toss all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until it reaches your desired consistency! If you would prefer a thinner consistency, feel free to add in extra water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
- Drizzle your dressing on whatever salad (or anything else) you desire. Note that your dressing will likely get a little thicker after sitting in the fridge overnight. Enjoy!
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your dressing-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Amber Woodyard says
I love a good green goddess dressing, especially when I can use so much from my organic garden to create it!
Delaney Marie says
Love that! Enjoy!
Jordan says
Always looking for a new healthy dressing to add to my rotation. Love all the fresh herbs and greens in this one. Colorful AND healthy.
Delaney Marie says
Thank you so much! Colorful and healthy are two of my favorite things 🙂
Amelia says
Do you think you could successfully substitute tofu for the cashews to lower the fat content?
Delaney Marie says
Hi Amelia, thanks for your question! I haven't tried this myself so unfortunately I can't say for sure if it will work, but you can of course experiment yourself if you would like. If you give it a try let me know how it goes!