Creamy Dijon Cashew Dressing (Vegan)

This dijon cashew dressing only uses 6 simple ingredients and is ready in 5 minutes (depending on your blender).  Use it on grain bowls, simple salads, or as a dip for veggies.  It’s vegan, oil-free, whole food, tangy, and creamy!  

Raw cashews are mild tasting and they blend up beautifully for dairy-free dressings or dips.  Cashew salad dressings will thicken up once chilled, so it may need to be thinned out with a bit of water after you refrigerate it.

Ingredients

Raw Cashews - Use raw cashews, roasted cashews will give the dressing a roasted cashew flavor.  I haven’t tested it, but a ¼ cup of raw cashew butter should work instead of a ½ cup of raw cashews (I’ve tried this substitution in other recipes).

Water - Gotta have the water to blend the cashews.

Dijon Style Mustard - Dijon mustard or dijon style of mustard has a sharp tanginess to it.  Brands vary in degree of sharpness, so adjust how much you use as needed.

Balsamic Vinegar - Adds a sweet, rich, tartness to the dressing.

How to Soak Cashews

If you have a high-speed blender, you may not need to soak your cashews. If your blender can’t handle raw cashews, then they need to be soaked for a smoother consistency.

• Option one: Place the cashews in a container with a lid and enough water to cover them by ½ inch (the cashews will swell as they soak) and soak the nuts for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
• Option two: Boil enough water to cover the cashews by at least ½ inch and pour the hot water over the nuts in a heat-tolerant container.  Soak for around 20-30 minutes.

If a smooth consistency is the least of your worries and you just want a quick dressing for your salad then don't worry about soaking the cashews for this recipe. Depending on your blender it might take a little longer to blend and not be as silky-smooth.

Tips

• If you're using the cashew salad dressing as a dip, keep it a little thicker to coat the vegetables.
• Add more water if you prefer a thinner dressing.
• I would stick to Dijon-style mustard and not substitute it with a different mustard. When I haven't had any Dijon on hand and tried to use a different mustard, the dressing came out bland. The Dijon just adds a punch of flavor!

Storage

The leftover dressing will last in the fridge for about 3-4 days.  If it has thickened too much once chilled in the fridge, thin it out with a little bit of water (as needed).

Uses for Cashew Salad Dressing

• Grain bowls (Buddha Bowls)
• Chickpea Vegetable Rice Bowl
• Salads
• As a vegetable dip

More Recipes for Oil-Free Salad Dressings

• Strawberry vinaigrette (Oil-Free)
• Smoky tahini dressing
• Dijon tahini dressing
• Spicy Peanut Dressing
• Cilantro cashew dressing

I hope you enjoy this recipe for vegan cashew salad dressing! 

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