Recipe for Light and Creamy Apple Poppyseed Dressing

Do you love poppyseed dressing, but you don’t love the calories, fat, and sugar that it normally comes with? Are you looking for a creamy option to boost flavor in your green salads and prepared salads? Is making homemade dressings appealing because you can use natural ingredients instead of chemicals in bottled dressings?

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This dressing is for you! It’s creamy, tangy, sweet, and delicious, but it has a fraction of the calories and fat as regular poppyseed dressing. Greek yogurt adds creaminess, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar add a tang, and apple cider vinegar and apple juice pair up to add a light sweetness. You can add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey for a sweeter dressing. 

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Here are a few ideas for using your poppyseed dressing.

• Drizzle it over any green salad.
• Dress a spinach salad with tangerine wedges, thinly sliced red onion, sliced almonds, and cooked skinless chicken or salmon.
• Make overnight pasta salad with whole-grain pasta, chopped tomatoes, diced onion, and this dressing.
• Have it for dessert in a fruit salad with walnuts or peanut pieces and cut ripe cantaloupe, grape halves, banana slices, or any other fruit.
• Use it instead of mayo-based dressing to make cabbage slaw or broccoli slaw.

Recipe for Light and Creamy Apple Poppyseed Dressing

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of apple juice
• 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar, optional
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, honey (or maple syrup), apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard until smooth and well combined.
2. Stir in the poppy seeds until evenly distributed throughout the dressing.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, starting with a pinch of each and adjusting according to your preference.
4. If the dressing is too thick, you can thin it out by adding a splash of water or more lemon juice until you reach your desired consistency.
5. Once you're happy with the taste and consistency, transfer the dressing to a clean jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
6. Store the poppyseed dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use.
7. Give it a good shake before serving, as the ingredients may separate over time.

Nutrition information per serving: calories: 60 kcal; total fat: 2 g; total carbohydrates: 8 g; sugar: 6 g; fiber: 0 g; protein: 3 g; sodium: 35 mg; cholesterol: 10 mg

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Reviewed by Natalie Stein, MS, MPH, CDCES