You only need about five minutes and a few simple ingredients to make this creamy cashew dill dressing. Use it as a sandwich spread, dip or salad dressing.
This recipe was born out of sheer laziness. Or perhaps I should say, lack of forward-thinking.
I had some lovely roasted beets and wanted to make a salad. However, I didn’t have the cashew cheese that makes my roasted beet salad so delicious. While the cheese is easy to make, it has to chill overnight in the fridge.
So I decided to try a quick dressing with similar ingredients. They say necessity is the mother of all invention. That’s certainly the case here.
Creamy Cashew Dill Dressing
I usually make the cashew cheese with cashews, lemon juice, water, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and salt. I tweaked the ingredients a bit for the dressing. The recipe includes:
- cashews
- plant milk
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- Medjool date
- fresh dill
- sea salt
The garlic and dill add extra flavor, and the Medjool date provides just a bit of sweetness. You can adjust the quantity of plant milk to control the level of creaminess. Add a little more for a pourable dressing. Use slightly less for a thicker dip or spread. I’ve enjoyed it all three ways!
Creamy Cashew Dill Dressing - V & GF
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews no need to soak
- ½ cup plant milk add more if you wish to adjust the consistency of the dressing
- juice from 1 lemon
- ½ - 1 tsp. garlic powder to taste
- 1 Medjool date
- 1 Tbs. fresh dill or 1 tsp. dried dill
- ¼ tsp. fine himalayan cooking salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Add ingredients in the order they are listed to a high-speed blender.
- Begin blending on the lowest setting and gradually turn up to highest setting and blend for approximately 30 seconds (use tamper if necessary).
- Check consistency. Add more plant milk (1 Tbs. at a time) and blend to reach desired creaminess. (I like my dressing on the thick side.)
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
If you try this recipe, be sure to let us know how you liked it and how you used it. Share photos on Instagram @VeggiePrimer with the tag #veggieprimer.
Annie
Hi,
How long can this keep in the fridge ?
Thank you.
Margaret
It should keep fine for 2 or 3 days.
Anik
Can I replace the rice milk with cashew or almond milk?
Margaret
Sure! You can use whichever plant milk you prefer! 🙂
Jennifer Baker
I tried this recipe. It was ok. Thanks so much for the inspiration! I just used what I had on hand, lime and maple were used as substitutes. I found the dressing a great thick consistency for tossing greens or using as a dip. I thought it was a little sweet though, like pepper would go a long way. It just doesn’t taste like the non vegan version. It’s missing a something? Again, I used what I had on hand, so maybe limes can’t sub for lemon, or I added a tad too much maple!! That’s probably it. Maybe some heat would spice it up. Thanks so much. It’s a good base flavor. I think this would be a good sandwich spread too!
Margaret
Hi Jennifer - thanks for sharing. The lime and maple may have contributed to the sweetness. Lemon would likely be better. You could also reduce the amount of maple syrup or just use half a date. I encourage you to tweak the recipe to taste. I often swap out the dill for italian spices or add a bit of nori for more of a ceasar dressing taste. I also adjust the amount of rice milk or add water to thin the dressing to a pouring consistency. As you noted, the recipe makes a good base.