Four ingredient and oil-free blueberry basil salad dressing. So good you could drink it with a straw.
Hello gorgeous! Grab a spoon and pull up a chair because this just happened.
That’s right, my blender just whipped up the tastiest salad dressing this side of Lake Michigan, and you’re going to have to dial up all of your self-control to stop yourself from drinking it or eating it with a spoon.
This sexy little number was inspired by the boutique salad dressing section in the organic produce aisle of my local supermarket. There were colorful rows of specialty dressings with exciting combinations of ingredients that spoke to me. I can’t give them away because I have a long list of dressings that I’m going to share with you from now until September. Stay tuned.
The blueberry basil dressing was the first one to catch my eye because of its vibrant color. I’m not a bottled salad dressing girl, so I surprised myself when I realized that I was holding a bottle of dressing in my hands and was actually contemplating purchasing it. Then I read the ingredients.
Oil was the first ingredient. So. Much. Oil.
Why?
I don’t freak out over using a little bit of oil for cooking, and sometimes I do put a little in salad dressing if it needs it, but I use it moderately. There’s nothing worse than a greasy mouthfeel and aftertaste that results from a heavy on the oil recipe. I prefer being left with the flavor of the fresh fruit or vegetables in a dish. My arteries fancy that too.
So after reading the long list of ingredients in that bottle of salad dressing, I decided to make my own version. One that was lighter in texture, calories, and fat, and one that celebrated the flavor of the blueberries and basil.
And this my friends, is the result.
You won’t want your dressing on the side when you try this delicious sweet basil salad dressing with blueberries. You won’t have to, because it’s good for you. It’s made from fresh blueberries, sweet green basil, tangy lemon juice, a pinch of onion powder, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper. All of it blended into a vibrant concoction of salad boosting happiness.
It’s so good that I had a few spoonfuls—the trials and tribulations of recipe development—while I was tweaking the recipe. Then I drowned a big bowl of baby spinach leaves, cucumber, and avocado with it and did a happy dance in my chair while I ate it. Sorry about that visual.
This four ingredient (I don’t count water, sugar, salt, and pepper as ingredients because they’re kitchen staples) blueberry basil salad dressing can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to six months.
Here’s a fun hack for you:
Freeze the dressing in an ice cube tray, then remove the frozen cubes and store them in a freezer bag, take a few out at a time and pack them with a salad for lunch. A great way to brown bag it the fresh and healthy way.
This dressing would be so good on this salad, or this one. It would also be terrific on a warm salad like this one.
Tell me:
What’s your favorite salad dressing?
Oil or oil-free?
Bottled or homemade?
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Blueberry Basil Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 cup of fresh blueberries
- 3/4 cup of basil leaves – pack them into the cup
- Lemon juice from one large lemon – approximately 1/3 of a cup
- 1 teaspoon of sugar or sweetener of your choice if you use anything other than sugar make sure you add slowly, tasting as you go.
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground onion powder
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. You will see tiny pieces of the blueberry skin.
- Pour over your favorite salad and enjoy!
Jenn S. says
Simply gorgeous!! I love recreating store bought finds into healthier homemade ones too! Blueberry basil sounds like an amazing combo!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks, Jenn! There's nothing better than homemade. 🙂
Strength and Sunshine says
The only time this oil-free girl ever uses oil in cooking is if it's a tiny bit of sesame oil for flavoring! Haha! Oil is so unnecessary!!
Linda Meyer says
I don't mind us a little to crisp things up or to give certain baked goods a better texture, otherwise I totally agree.
Trinity Bourne says
This sounds absolutely amazing. I love the creativity! Fruits with salads.... yes please to that!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Trinity! I love adding fruit to salads. It gives just the right sweetness to an otherwise savory dish.
Christine (Run Plant Based) says
This looks great and love that it's oil free, thanks! Agreed on most dressings, way too oily! So much better to make oil free or whole fat ones at home.
Linda Meyer says
Most of my salad dressings are oil-free these days. I only add a teaspoon if it needs it for thickness. Bottled dressings are the worst when it comes to oil!
Natalie says
Fruity and tangy, this sounds like my kind of dressing! It's beautiful too! The dressing aisle is a great source of inspiration, I always am enticed by the flavors they come up with, but way too much oil you are right. Oil in the last few ingredients, I'm okay with that. Oil as number one, no thanks. And you just blew my mind with that ice cube hack 😮
Linda Meyer says
Haha! I'm so glad you liked the hack. It's a great way to keep small servings of dressing for smaller salads. Thanks, Natalie!
Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen says
Sounds so fresh, flavourful and delicious!
Linda Meyer says
It really is. Thanks so much, Aimee!
Sophia @veggies dont bite says
Umm, YUM! I love the mix of the basil and the fruit. I've been using basil in a bunch lately and love it paired with fruit!
Linda Meyer says
It's so good with fruit. I can't wait to be able to grow in in my garden again. Basil on the daily! Thanks, Sophia.
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
now that i have real basil in my patio, i could see this happening soon 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Lucky you! I can't wait to be able to grow herbs again. 🙂
Evi says
This sounds perfect! I love fruity dressings. That fact that it's oil-free here makes me so happy! Going to make it soonish, would be lovely on a baby spinach or asparagus salad 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Evi! Yes, I put it on a baby spinach, roasted beet, and fresh blueberry salad yesterday and it was so good. Thank you!
The Vegan 8 says
This is just beautiful Linda! I love blueberries and basil together would be so amazing and so fresh and perfect for Spring. I love the color. I totally hear you on storebought dressings....the amount of oil is utterly disgusting. I have a Goddess dressing recipe I just wrote this week that is a remake of the Trader Joes Goddess dressing for a reader request (to be oil-free) and it was slightly challenging to create because their version is LOADED with oil, haha! But oh man, this dressing of yours is just perfect and healthy....win-win!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you Brandi! It's so light and the basil and blueberries go together so well. I hear you on the Goddess dressing. Alex makes a great one and I just realized that we haven't put it on the blog yet. We need to do that-haha! I'm looking forward to seeing yours. I'm sure it will be a winner. 🙂
Eileen xo says
What a lovely dressing! The color is just so vivid! I will be making this again and again! I love basil and blueberry
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Eileen! I do love the color, and the basil is so wonderful with the blueberries. I'm so happy you like it. 🙂
Hauke Fox says
That's an awesome idea! Never came across blueberry dressing. Will give it a shot for sure 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Howie! Thanks so much, I hope you try it. Let me know what you think if you do.
Gin says
Basil and blueberry sounds delicious! I have this pinned and I can't wait to try it. Perfect summer salad dressing!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Gin! It's perfect for summer salads. 🙂
Barbara says
Ok so I made this last night and it was too runny. I added a few raw cashews and used my immersion blender and it did help a little bit. I put it in the fridge and got it out today and it is thicker when it is cold. The flavor is nice but not very strong. I doubt I will make it again but it is pretty.
Alex Meyer, MA says
Hey Barbara, Thank you so much for your comment. We're sorry the dressing wasn't exactly what you were looking for, but maybe I can help! The salad dressing wasn't intended to be creamy, it's a thin vinaigrette made for summer salad. You were spot on to add cashews to make the salad creamier, however, when adding ingredients to this recipe it's important to note that the flavors may change. Cashews have the potential to dilute the flavors of the dressing. Additionally, blueberries change in strength of flavor according to weather. If they're in prime blueberry season the flavor is stronger. Something I'd recommend for this recipe in the winter is using thawed out frozen blueberries. If you want an even stronger blueberry flavor, frozen wild blueberries are going to be your best bet! We hope this helps and that you reach out in the future if you have any questions : )