Poppy Seed Dressing
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Add sweet and tangy flavors to your favorite salad with this Poppy Seed Dressing recipe! This homemade salad dressing is made with honey and white wine vinegar, and will brighten up any dish. It’s easy to make with pantry staples in just 5 minutes, so whip some up for your next salad today!
While browsing through my grandma’s old recipe box full of hand-written recipes, I came across a recipe for poppy seed dressing. I knew that I had to try her sweet and tangy salad dressing recipe, so I headed into the kitchen and made it exactly as her recipe was written.
Before the recipe made it’s way on to the blog, I decided to make a few minor changes to adapt it to my tastes. Instead of sugar, I used honey, and I added just a tad bit more salt and poppy seeds. The recipe is still sweet, but more balanced, and the flavor is so great!
I’m excited to share my slightly updated version of my Grandma Meme’s poppy seed dressing. It’s the perfect vinaigrette dressing for spring and summer salads, or drizzled over fresh fruit. It has wonderful flavor, it’s easy to mix up in just 5 minutes, and you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks to toss with all of your favorite salad recipes!
Ingredients
- Honey (or granulated sugar) – my grandma’s original recipe called for sugar, but I really enjoy the flavor and sweetness of honey in this salad dressing. Feel free to use your favorite sweetener!
- Salt – just a teaspoon helps balance out the sweet and tangy flavors in the dressing.
- Dry mustard – this might also be labeled as ground mustard, or mustard powder at the grocery store on the spice aisle. This is a secret ingredient used by chefs to help balance out rich flavors in a recipe. You can also use 2 tablespoons dijon mustard in place of the 2 teaspoons of ground mustard if that’s what you have on hand.
- White wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) – both of these vinegars are going to be fruity, with the flavor of white wine vinegar being a little more delicate, than apple cider vinegar. I enjoy the light, fruity flavor of white wine vinegar in this salad dressing, but apple cider vinegar will also work.
- Canola oil – or any neutral-flavored vegetable oil, like a light olive oil or avocado oil.
- Poppy seeds – the namesake of this recipe adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the salad dressing.
- Minced onion (or shallots) – my grandma’s original recipe called for minced onion, but I prefer the more delicate, sweet taste of shallots, so I used them in my version of the recipe. If you’re not a fan of onion, you can leave them out, or if you don’t want minced onions in the dressing, feel free to blend them in, or use onion powder instead.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk honey, salt, dry mustard and white wine vinegar together. Slowly drizzle in the oil and whisk as you add it to the other ingredients.
- Stir in the poppy seeds and minced shallots with a spoon.
If you prefer, you can blend all of the ingredients together in a blender, except the poppy seeds. Stir in the poppy seeds before serving.
Ways to use it
- Make a spinach strawberry salad (pictured above) with spinach leaves, fresh strawberries and blueberries, candied pecans and ricotta cheese.
- Make a fruit salad by tossing 12 cups of fresh fruit with 1/2 cup poppyseed dressing. The fruit can be any combination of sliced strawberries, diced pineapple, fresh blueberries, peeled and diced kiwi, grapes, and sliced bananas.
- Make a citrus avocado salad. Peel and slice an orange and grapefruit. Slice the citrus into half moon shapes and arrange them on a plate. Top with one avocado, thinly sliced, 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion and 1 tablespoon of thinly sliced mint leaves. Drizzle 3 tablespoons poppy seed dressing over the salad.
- Make strawberry gazpacho by blending 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes with 1 pound strawberries and 1/2 cup poppy seed dressing. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and feta cheese for a sweet spin on soup for the summer.
- Try it on this steak salad recipe.
- Make poppy seed coleslaw by tossing 1/2 cup of this poppy seed dressing with 3 cups shredded green cabbage, 2 cups shredded red cabbage and 1 cup shredded carrots. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
- Replace the coleslaw dressing in this broccoli salad with 1/2 cup of this poppy seed dressing.
- Use it to marinate chicken before grilling. I recommend 1/4 cup of salad dressing for every pound of chicken you want to marinade.
Recipe notes
- To make a creamy poppy seed dressing, substitute the cup of oil in this recipe with a cup of mayonnaise.
- Store the poppy seed dressing in the fridge in an airtight container with a lid (like a mason jar), for up to 3 weeks. It’s natural for the dressing to separate as it sits in the refrigerator. Give it a good shake before using it in a recipe.
- As written, this poppy seed salad dressing recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy free. To make it vegan, use granulated sugar instead of honey.
More salad dressings and sauces
Make more delicious homemade dressings and sauces, to add flavor to all of your meals, using these easy recipes!
Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey, or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard, or 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ½ cup white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup canola oil, or vegetable oil, or light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ¼ cup minced shallots, or red onion (or 2 teaspoons onion powder)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the honey, salt, dry mustard and white wine vinegar together. Slowly drizzle in the oil and whisk as you add it to the other ingredients.
- Stir in the poppy seeds and minced onions.
- If you prefer, you can blend all of the ingredients together in a blender, except the poppy seeds. Stir in the poppy seeds before serving.
Notes
- To make a creamy poppy seed dressing, substitute the cup of oil in this recipe with a cup of mayo.
- Store the poppy seed dressing in the fridge in an airtight container with a lid, for up to 3 weeks. It’s natural for the dressing to separate as it sits in the refrigerator. Give it a good shake before using it in a recipe.
- As written, this salad dressing recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy free. To make it vegan, use granulated sugar instead of honey.
Nutrition Facts
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