Sweet and tangy homemade vegan Maple Mustard Dressing whips up in a matter of seconds! Think of it as a creamy, non-dairy, bee-free version of honey mustard dressing. Pour it over your salads, use it as a sauce for roasted veggies, or drizzle it over any dish that could use a little flavor boost. It makes a great dip for appetizers, too. This easy salad dressing recipe is made with hemp seeds, so it’s oil-free and nut-free. And of course, it's dairy-free and gluten-free.
DIY Salad Dressings
Throughout the summer, I shared some of my favorite salad dressings and veggie dips, including Caesar,Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. This vegan Maple Mustard Dressing is one of my favorite condiments for autumn.
I know that it’s pretty easy to pick up a bottle of salad dressing at the store, and thankfully, there are plenty of creamy vegan varieties available just about anywhere now. I like to make my own, because I can control the ingredients and suit things to my taste. Most store-bought dressings are loaded with oil. While I don’t follow an oil-free diet, I just can’t justify dumping a bottle of oil onto my meals.
It's super easy to make your own dressings at home, maybe even quicker than a trip to the grocery store. You just dump the ingredients in your blender and let it blend for 30 seconds or so. I have a Blendtec and I like to use its Twister Jar, because it's smaller and is better with thicker foods.
Heartier Salads
I haven’t given up salads now that the cooler weather is here, but I have been making them heartier. I like to add roasted vegetables, nut and seeds, and cooked grains to my lunchtime salads to give them a lot more oomph. While summer salads are full of cooling ingredients such as cucumbers and tomatoes, the hearty ingredients in autumn salads lend a warming quality to the meal.
Vegan Maple Mustard Dressing
Maple Mustard Dressing is my go-to salad dressing in the cooler months. There’s something about the combination of maple syrup and Dijon mustard that evokes the flavors of the fall season.
Hemp Seeds
I like to use cashews or tofu in my dressings to make them creamy, but for this Maple Mustard Dressing recipe I’ve used hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are full of nutrients like fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids. They’re loaded with vitamins and minerals as well. Their nutrients can help reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the symptoms of PMS, improve skin disorders, and aid digestion, among other things.
Not only is this oil-free Maple Mustard Dressing great on salads, it’s super tasty when drizzled over roasted veggies. It’s great on baked tofu or tempeh, too! Since it's nut-free, its a terrific option for those with allergies.
Vegan Maple Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
Other Salad Dressings You Might Enjoy Include:
Susan
This sounds lovely, I can definitely see it going well with a cooler month salad. Hemp seeds are pretty pricey here, so I use them sparingly. But now that hemp is actually allowed to be sold as a food (for years we were buying them as 'skin care', ridiculous as we were all just eating them), the price is down a little. Australia is silly.
Crissie
This dressing looks amazing! Can't wait to try it - and I appreciate the nut free ones personally 🙂
Dianne
Thank you, Crissie! I hope you enjoy it!
Dianne
Thank you, Susan! Hemp seeds are on the expensive side here, too. You can substitute another kind of seed or a nut in this recipe, if you don't want to spend the money on hemp.