Onion & garlic salad dressing + vegan vegetable dipping sauce

And yet, up until this point, it hasn’t been.

I have a variation of it – my vegan ranch dressing.

But over the years when making that salad dressing at home, I’ve simplified things by using a pre-made seasoning blend instead of adding my own individual dried herbs.

My secret ingredient is Trader Joe’s onion salt.

Many onion salts are just dehydrated onion and salt. But the TJ’s version is made with granulated onion, granulated garlic, minced onion, kosher salt, green onion, and dried chives. So many mouthwatering alliums!

In the end, you get a flavor that’s reminiscent of onion dip or sour cream & chive potato chips.

When onion salt is added to this simple salad dressing, it makes for a totally crave-able dressing that will have you making a meal of salad night after night.

It’s also terrific as a vegetable dipping sauce. Serve it with crunchy cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery, air fried summer squash, or whatever veggies you fancy. Then dunk & eat!

In this post:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Vegan mayo: Vegenaise is my preferred brand, but use whatever eggless mayo you enjoy.

Onion salt: I recommend using the Trader Joe’s version if it’s available. If not, use whatever onion salt you have.

Instead of onion salt, this dressing is also great with Penzey’s Fox Point or Justice seasoning blend. (By the way, Justice is salt-free.) For a while, either of these Penzey’s blends were my go-to for this dressing. However, they’re both considerably more expensive than Trader Joe’s onion salt, which is only $1.99.

Garlic: Depending on your preferences around raw garlic, you can choose a small or larger clove. I recommend using a zester grater or garlic press, so that large pieces don’t overwhelm individual bites. (Plus, with my favorite garlic press, you don’t even have to peel cloves before pressing!)

Apple cider vinegar: A splash of apple cider vinegar adds tang.

Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds additional tang. Freshly squeezed is best!

Non-dairy milk: Cashew milk is my go-to, but use any plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk you enjoy. Keep in mind that mayo thickness varies from one brand to the next. So that will affect how much non-dairy milk you’ll need to thin it out for dressing.

This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

In a bowl, combine the following with a spoon:

• Vegan mayo
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Apple cider vinegar
• Onion salt
• Non-dairy milk

Cover and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

You can make this dressing your own by varying the ingredients and amounts.

• For more or less tang, vary the amount of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
• Depending on the thickness of your mayo, you may need more or less non-dairy milk to reach the ideal dressing consistency.
• If you’re a big garlic fan, use a large clove. If not, use a small clove.
• Vary the amount of onion salt you use. Instead of adding it by the teaspoonful, you can just shake it into the dressing until it tastes delicious to you.
• Replace Trader Joe’s onion salt with Penzey’s Fox Point seasoning, or Justice for a salt-free alternative. Or use your favorite onion salt.
• If you don’t have or don’t use spice blends, make vegan ranch dressing instead.

Obviously, creamy onion & garlic dressing is great on salads like vegan chef salad or taco salad. But it also makes a wonderful dipping sauce for vegetables and more.

• It’s amazing with baked fries for dunking.
• Serve it alongside appetizers like fried pickles, fried zucchini, polenta fries, onion rings, air fryer summer squash, or jalapeno poppers.
• Drizzle it over BBQ jackfruit nachos (instead of ranch dressing.)
• Add it to a veggie platter for dipping broccoli, cauliflower florets, and bell pepper slices.
• Use it as a dipping sauce with vegan chick’n nuggets.
• Toss it with shredded cabbage mix for a quick & easy coleslaw.
• Spoon it into cooked pasta and raw veggies for a summery pasta salad.

Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week.

To make it last as long as possible, be careful not to contaminate the dressing. Always use a clean spoon to portion out a serving, instead of just dunking fries or veggies directly into the stored dressing.

Because of the emulsification, mayo doesn’t handle freezing well. So I don’t recommend freezing this dressing.

📖 Recipe

Onion & garlic salad dressing + vegan vegetable dipping sauce

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 3 votes

You won't believe how totally crave-able this salad dressing is! You'll want to pour it on salads, drizzle it on BBQ nachos, and use it for dunking french fries, fried pickles, and jalapeno poppers. It's also a great addition to a veggie platter for dipping broccoli and cauliflower florets.

Makes about ¾ cup dressing

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 4 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute minute

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: dipping sauce, easy salad dressing

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup vegan mayonnaise Vegenaise is my preferred brand
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons onion salt I recommend Trader Joe's variety
• ▢ 1 clove garlic finely grated or pressed
• ▢ 4 teaspoons non-dairy milk

Instructions

• ▢
  In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients with a spoon.
• ▢
  Depending on the brand, mayonnaise varies by thickness. If you'd like your dressing to be thinner, add another splash of non-dairy milk, and stir it in completely.

  If you'd like your dressing to be thicker, add another spoonful of vegan mayonnaise, and stir it in completely.
• ▢
  Taste for seasonings, and add more onion salt, if desired.
• ▢
  Serve dressing on salad or use it as a dipping sauce. If you're not serving it right away, store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

For the garlic, I recommend using a Microplane zester or garlic press to make the garlic fine & paste-like. 

Store dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It lasts about a week. Do not freeze it.

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Nutrition

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.03mg