Salad Dressing

Kimma41

Looking for salad dressing ideas? What brands? Which ones taste good?

dsboohead

I am simple and do balsamic vinegar mixed with sicilian olive oil! Not all olive oils are created equal. Sicilian is a bit more expensive but I could drink it straight outta the bottle.

Jeremy4193

I use Mrs. Dash and balsamic vinegar.

vickster18

Nothing beats making your own but you did say “brands” so I’ll throw these two in. Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette available in grocery stores. The other ready made one we use on occasion is Primal Kitchen Ranch but you have to order that one online. Mostly we make our own with balsamic vinegar.

murp4069

I like Newman’s Own sesame ginger, Hidden Valley spicy ranch, forgot the brand Lite Hiney Mustard (on its own or mixed with balsamic vinegar), forgot the brand raspberry vinaigrette. I also recently made a Greek yogurt ranch mixed with salsa, and it came out very delicious.

MamaMc3

Olive Garden Light Italian - yum!

AnnPT77

I always make my own, because I get bored with commercial ones long before a bottle is gone.

Sometimes I just use a decent quality vinegar, maybe add nuts or seeds to the salad for fat, and add flavor to the salad itself with fresh herbs, a tablespoon of fresh-grated parmesan, or some blue cheese.

Vinegar & oil is fine, too, and mixing in some prepared mustard (especially brown or dijon) is good, too. Mustard/vinegar combo is good on oven-roasted veggies, also.

Other good bases for a dressing are Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Yogurt with dried herbs (thyme, oregano, that sort of thing), minced garlic, salt and fresh-ground pepper is Ranch-like. Anything with minced garlic, mince very fine, make it when you start cooking so the flavor blends. Dried herbs have more effect when it sits a bit, too.

Salsa makes a good dressing alternative.

Tahini and white wine vinegar, maybe with some finely chopped sweet onions, is good (let it steep a little so the onions' flavor blends and mellows).

Rice vinegar or ume plum vinegar with a little sesame oil, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger is tasty, especially in a salad with toasted almonds. Ume plum vinegar is salty. If you use rice vinegar, a little soy sauce won't hurt.

If you like tomato-y dressings, V8 juice is a good base for vinegar/seasoning.

As long as you don't go wild with oil, nuts/seeds or cheese, homemade dressings tend to be quite calorie efficient, and can be very affordable, too. Quick and easy to make.

peaceout_aly

Kimma41 wrote: »

Looking for salad dressing ideas? What brands? Which ones taste good?

Walden Farms makes tons of calorie-free dressings

berky06

I like Italian dressing-but to cut down the calories I use 1T dressing and 1T vinegar instead of using the 2T serving size. Still get the flavor, but less calories. I use different types of vinegar-whatever I have on hand.

busyPK

Ken's Steakhouse Light Northern Italian with basil and romano. It's so good and all 3 of my young kids approve!

kelly_stevens81

I go with the Maple Farm brand dressings, they have fat free raspberry vinaigrette, fat free cranberry vinaigrette, Fat free balsamic vinaigrette, and fat free wasabi Dijon at the Kroger near me. All are delicious and low in calories and fat.

acbraswell

I like the Simple Truth brands of organic vinaigrettes. Right now I'm loving their Orange Cranberry dressing. Lots of flavor in the 2 Tbsp serving size.

HoneyBadger302

Bolthouse Farms greek yogurt line has lots of tasty dressings for significantly fewer calories per serving than "normal" dressings. I find them in my grocery produce section.

Kalex1975

I'm also a fan of the Bolthouse Farms dressing.

Lately, I've been using the Panera Bread poppyseed dressing... 25 calories in 2 tablespoons.

Rayman79

For a creamy dressing I like to use a bit of greek yoghurt with some seasoning or spice paste mixed in (eg Moroccan, tandoori, harissa etc). Low cal and heaps of flavour. Otherwise it's usually a spray of olive oil and a bit of sticky balsamic reduction (which you can buy already reduced - and is awesome).

shortie555

any type flavor of hummus - really good and so many options!

bbell1985

I use cholula hot sauce. Basically no calories.

jennybearlv

Blue cheese. There is nothing diet about my salads.

dressagerider1020

Skinny Girl honey mustard and also poppyseed. Fat free, sugar free, and I can pronounce most of the ingredients

water, cider vinegar, dijon mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, white wine, citric acid, tumeric, tartaric acid, spices), maltodextrin, mustard seed, salt, cellulose gel, honey, mustard flour, dried onion, lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, granulated garlic, natural flavors, cellulose gum, sucralose, potassium sorbate and calcium disodium edta (to preserve freshness).

Strawblackcat

Honestly, after learning how many calories were in most salad dressings, I learned to go without. I'd rather have more food. Try using some different lettuces or adding different diced fruits and filling low-cal toppings. If you MUST have dressing, a good balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of some nutritional yeast on top can go a long way.

kt9052

It's not really a dressing but I find if I put all my salad veggies in a bowl with a lid and use a couple table spoons of cottage cheese and shake my salad up I use next to no dressing because every piece gets coated!! You get a little protein from it too

Grammytryingtogetfit

I also like Skinny Girl, all of them actually very tasty and low in calories:)

lemurcat12

Vinegars. Mix with mustard or olive oil or both or just use some good quality balsamic on its own. Lots of super easy options.

I also like including various pepper sauces (on their own or in a mix) and making a spicy Asian dressing with lime juice, soy sauce, and sriarcha. Excellent for salads based more on cucumbers and/or tomatoes or other non-lettuce-based salads.

I don't get not using dressing unless you really don't care for them; it's easy to make a very low cal dressing, and even when I use olive oil (which is usually) I just use a small amount, you don't need nearly as much as in a traditional vinaigrette.

kazie1206

You can also try squeezing fresh lemon and lime on your fresh greens with a touch of salt and pepper. When I first was told to try, after an eye roll (extra, extra ranch loving girl here), I was really surprised how tasty and refreshing the salad was. Especially the lime if you have avocado in your salad.

sullus

peaceout_aly wrote: »

Kimma41 wrote: »

Looking for salad dressing ideas? What brands? Which ones taste good?

Walden Farms makes tons of calorie-free dressings

You missed the bit where she asked "Which ones taste good"

cheryldumais

Bernstein's Light Cheese Fantastico. I add extra fresh garlic and some balsamic vinegar. Very low cal and yummy. Aside of that I make alot of my own but for commercial that's the one I would pick.

ms_havisham

One of my favorites is walnut oil, orange zest, a little orange and lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mixing and matching different oils with different acids is a great way to keep it interesting. It works for marinades and pasta/rice/ grain dishes too.

Elle_Marie_Fit

I mash avocado with EVOO, sea salt, black pepper, squeezed lemon juice, & minced red onions. Then I add a bit of water to thin it out. I really enjoy it. (This is great if you are increasing healthy fat intake.)

ashley52601

Trader Joe's has several delicious options in their refrigerated section with reasonable calorie counts. My favorites are the avocado green goddess (20 cals per serving!) A creamy cilantro one and a spicy peanut one. I want to say the other 2 have 60 cals a serving or less. They also have carrot turmeric and almond butter flavors but I haven't tried those.

GreenValli

I like Ken's Ranch with bacon (but many other brands in the market), citrus dressings taste good on salads with berries, sour cream mixed with salsa to top a taco salad. I use very little dressing though. 1/2 tablespoon. I never use low calorie.

stind89

Newman’s own! I love all Newman’s products so much! I just use the serving size or less, just enough for a flavour pop and I’m good.