This Vegan Green Goddess Dressing will make your taste buds sing! Packed with fresh herbs, this dressing is the perfect way to add a little extra flavor. Whether you’re drizzling it over a salad, using it as a dip for veggies, or even as a spread on your favorite sandwich, it’s sure to become a staple in your kitchen.
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In the search for more vegan condiment varieties, this bright green dressing fits the bill wonderfully! A fresh herb and citrus flavor combo mixed with a savory creaminess was a perfect addition to our collection. There was some trial and error to get the ingredients just right. Finally, by making some changes, like substituting cashews for sour cream and mayonnaise, it then wasn’t hard to make a lighter, plant based alternative to the standard “dairy heavy” kind.
This version of the Green Goddess dressing recipe has lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs that make for a lively flavor combo with the equally creamy texture from cashews instead of sour cream and mayonnaise.
The original Green Goddess salad dressing was created in 1923 at the Palace hotel in San Francisco, California by Chef Philip Roemer and named after a popular play “The Green Goddess”. This vegan version is completely plant based but inspired by that recipe.
There are many store brands and versions of “Green Goddess” but homemade dressing is definitely a great way to add fresh basil, parsley, or other herbs to your meals by way of this vibrantly green colored, delectable sauce.
Vegan Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients
This dressing can be put together in a pinch. It’s just 10 minutes of prep time to make. Green Goddess is great any time, but especially during spring and summer when fresh ingredients are abundant!
- Cashews – adds a smooth, creamy texture to the dressing, replacing sour cream and mayonnaise.
- Water – add more if the dressing is too thick.
- Garlic – adds a spicy, savory umami aspect, use more or less to you taste preference.
- Fresh Parsley – peppery and. aromatic
- Fresh Basil – pungent, sweet, and a bit spicy. Adds much of the dressings bright green color.
- Green Onion – more mild, less pungent than many other onions.
- Lemon juice – adds most of the tangy flavor, fresh squeezed is preferred but bottled will work.
- Capers – adds another aspect of tangy flavor.
- Maple syrup – adds a slight sweetness to tone down any minor bitterness.
- Salt & Pepper – to taste.
How to make Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
Measure out the various ingredients and place them all in a blender. Blend all the contents until smooth (a high speed blender will generally make a smoother desired consistency but any blender will work). Add a little more water, to personal preference, if the dressing seems a bit too thick.
The Green Goddess dressing will be ready to use immediately, but will have a richer flavor if left to sit for around a half hour or so for the flavors to blend together.
Variations
Feel free to switch out the parsley and/or basil with some other fresh greens such as cilantro, dill, or even spinach. Add some chipotle or jalapeno peppers to spice things up a bit. You can create different versions of Green Goddess dressings, using whatever herbs or spices you have on hand.
Serving Suggestions
You can use this Green Goddess dressing on a variety of your favorite salads. It also is great on rice or quinoa dishes, for a veggie dip, and even baked potatoes! Go ahead and get creative with this delicious recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about one week.
No, this dressing does not freeze well. The ingredients will tend to separate after freezing and it will lose it’s creaminess.
Explore our Vegan Staples Cookbook
Looking for more plant based salad dressings?
- Vegan Thousand Island Dressing
- Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Vegan Creamy Italian Dressing
- Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing
- Vegan Garlic Dressing
- Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Hummus Dressing
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Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 2 green onions
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp capers
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- If you don't have a high speed blender, soak the cashews in bowl of water for about four hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the cashews. If you forget to soak them, boil them for 30 minutes and then drain.
- Transfer the cashews to a blender and add all the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to an airtight bottle or jar to store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Enjoy over salad, raw or steamed vegetables, or potatoes.
Very tasty, I love it. Thanks
I was wondering if you had any thoughts on whether or not sunflower seeds would make a good substitute for cashews?
Sunflower seeds should work fine. It will just change the flavor a bit.
This looks delicious! Do you think tofu, maybe silken tofu, would work in place of the cashews?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!