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A deliciously sweet Poppy Seed Dressing made with 6 pantry staples! Perfect for fruit and vegetable salads, this makes any side dish taste like dessert.
Grab some strawberries, some spinach, and toss it up with the easiest salad dressing ever! Thanks to Poppy Seed Dressing, all of a sudden, life is sweeter. It’s old-fashioned, versatile, and better than any bottle at the store.
Recipe ingredients:
- Oil: Use something neutral such as vegetable oil, light olive oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Red wine vinegar: Substitute white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or champagne vinegar if you prefer.
- Sugar: Add sugar or your favorite sweetener to taste, or leave it out entirely.
- Dried mustard: Ground mustard powder balances out the sweetness and adds another layer of flavor. If you don’t have it, use an equal amount of Dijon mustard instead.
- Poppy seeds, salt.
Instructions:
- In a bowl with a whisk, or in a jar with a lid, add the vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, dried mustard, poppyseeds, sugar, and salt. If you’re making a salad right away, keep the dressing out at room temperature to let the flavors mingle while preparing the salad. (However, you can make it up to 4 days in advance.)
Recipe tips:
- Yield: About 1 cup
- Storage: Store the dressing covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Blender: For the smoothest, creamiest dressing possible, emulsify the dressing in a blender.
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Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil (see note 1)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or less to taste (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard (see note 4)
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- Salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl with a whisk, or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, dried mustard, poppy seeds, and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon).
- Stir or shake to combine. Allow the flavors to blend at room temperature while preparing the salad.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Oil: Use something neutral such as vegetable oil, light olive oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Red wine vinegar: Substitute white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or champagne vinegar if you prefer.
- Sugar: Add sugar or your favorite sweetener to taste, or leave it out entirely.
- Dried mustard: Ground mustard powder balances out the sweetness and adds another layer of flavor. If you don’t have it, use an equal amount of Dijon mustard instead.
- Yield: About 1 cup
- Storage: Store the dressing covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Blender: For the smoothest, creamiest dressing possible, emulsify the dressing in a blender.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Best poppy seed dressing ever! I use this for all of our garden salads! Everyone loves it! I use a little less than required sugar and a good pinch of kosher salt.
Thank you for your comment, Jane! I’m so glad it is a hit with everyone! – Meggan
Why only 4 days of storage? There is nothing perishable in the ingredients.
Hi Susan, thank you so much for your question! Since the dressing doesn’t have stabilizers or preservatives, we recommend following the USDA guidelines in which any leftovers would need to be refrigerated and consumed in 3-4 days. I hope you love this dressing! – Meggan
I made this just as the recipie called and everyone loved it. Now I have just made another batch and substituted honey for the sugar. Can’t wait to try it
Hi Denise, thank you so much for your comment! I’m so glad everyone loved it! – Meggan
What can you use to replace the sugar?
Hi Jennifer, you can use your favorite sweetener to taste, or leave it out entirely. Take care! – Meggan
This was so delicious. And no dairy!
Glad you loved it, Melanie! Take care! – Meggan
Love this dressing! Why does it need to be refrigerated, and why for only 4 days?
Hi Pam, so glad you loved it! Since the dressing doesn’t have stabilizers or preservatives, we recommend following the USDA guidelines in which any leftovers would need to be refrigerated and consumed in 3-4 days. – Meggan
Hey, if using a blender would you put the poppy seeds in after it is blended or just put all the ingredients together and blend?
Hi Talya, I would put them in at the same time. You could also slowly drizzle in the olive oil to the remaining ingredients while the blender is on. Hope this helps! – Meggan
Perfectly simple and delicious!
Thanks Connie! – Meggan