What is a good/tasty and low-calorie substitute for olive oil in salads?

I use greek yogurt mixed with herbs, garlic and salt as one of my go to dressings. There is a good one on food network - light italian dressing.

LeenaGee wrote: »

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girlviernes wrote: »

you aren't going to like it, but I recommend you stick with oil. You may need to use less dressing. The advantage of using an oil is that it is healthy and it is important so your body can use the fat soluble nutrients in the salad.

I agree totally. Olive oil is amazing, do not give it up or substitute it with anything else. A little goes a long way.

Me three. In an average salad I use a teaspoon per large portion of salad, which is only 40 cal. Totally worth it for both taste and nutrition.

I use lemon juice

I have found that if your salad is more veggies and less greens, the dressing spreads way farther. Choose veggies you like. I think common ones include tomato, cucumber, zucchini. Maybe add a bit of fruit. Fresh herbs. And then some greens, but keep it mostly bulky, like "have a few greens with your veggies" sort of a ratio. I like baby spinach, which also allows the dressing to spread well, because it's smooth.

Ellaskat wrote: »

I use 1 teaspoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar salt pepper and lemon juice

I like this. Olive oil is so good, giving you long term satiety.

Diamonds are small and expensive too but who wants to give them up?

I use guacamole and melted cheese instead of a dressing.

I bought one of those Misto sprayers that you can fill with your own oil and use instead of nonstick spray. It isn't perfect, but it's handy for stuff like salads. A little goes a long way.

I use only about a teaspoon of olive oil and mix it with a generous amount of white balsamic vinegar. You really don't need much at all!

kurocho wrote: »

The most calories in my salad come from olive oil I use. It's ridiculous! What can I substitute it with? I am lactose intolerant so yogurt won't work. I'm not willing to use just balsamic vinegar. I need to find something low-calorie that works as a binder and has similar texture to olive oil. Any suggestions?

Personally, olive oil enhances the taste slightly for me. You could just skip the olive oil and put lemon. It's going to feel a bit dry but it should taste somewhat the same. Personally, I use olive oil with everything. It's good fat!

If you are using a cup of olive oil per salad, obviously there is room for improvement. So, reducing oil and adding e.g. lemon juice or vinegar will help. But, if you use a olive oil in moderation, like a teaspoon or two per seving, it is much healthier than any other alternative.

I say stick with olive oil. And if you splurge and get a flavored one you can use a lot less and your salad will come alive.

If the only reason you're concerned about the olive oil is calories - just use a little less of it. Because...delicious!

That being said, if you're just looking to mix things up again, try salsa as a 'dressing'.

beachlover83 wrote: »

I like salsa on my salads.

This. Make sure its real mexican and not the stuff in a jar at the supermarket.

I use lemon juice and olive oil. Always have. I just use less olive oil than I used to. One half to one teaspoon, depending on the size of my salad. That's 20-40 calories.