Vegan blue cheese dressing

Vegan blue cheese dressing is filled with the savory flavors of parsley, oregano, and basil, along with chewy crumbles of tofu. It’s terrific on a diner-style salad. Use it as a dunking sauce, or pour it over a buffalo-flavored sandwich. Vegan and gluten-free.

Vegan blue cheese dressing reminds me of many a diner-meal – eating salads out of bread bowls or countering the spiciness of buffalo sauce on a fried appetizer.

Sadly, vegetarian diners are hard to come by in my neck of the woods. (I miss you, Chicago Diner, Spiral Diner, Champs Diner, and Fare Well!)

However, if you have a few common plant-based staples in the refrigerator & pantry, it’s easy to make your own vegan blue cheese dressing at home.

This dressing is a cross between blue cheese and ranch. It has the chunky, crumbled bites that are reminiscent of blue cheese. No dairy here, though. The crumbles are made with tofu.

The flavorings hearken to ranch with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, and garlic powder.

This non-dairy blue cheese dressing recipe has shown up on my blog multiple times over the years. It’s usually an add-on to other recipes that need something cool and creamy for balance.

However, I thought it was high time to give it a post of its own. That way if you’re looking for a flavorful salad dressing or dipping sauce, it’s easy to find. Just scroll to the salad portion of the recipe index.

How to make vegan blue cheese dressing

Mix the following in a bowl:

• Vegan mayonnaise
• Lemon juice
• Apple cider vinegar
• Non-dairy milk
• Dried parsley
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Crumbled super firm tofu

If you’re using the dressing as a sandwich topper, I recommend going lighter on the non-dairy milk. A thicker dressing stays in place better on sandwiches.

However, if you’re using it as a salad dressing, a little more non-dairy milk helps it to thin and spread out on leafy greens.

What kind of tofu should I use?

I like to use vacuum-packed super firm tofu for the “blue cheese” part of this dressing. It isn’t packed in water. So it doesn’t add any additional liquid to the recipe or dilute the flavor.

Usually I buy it at Trader Joe’s. You can see a picture in my post on favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. But lots of other brands sell it too.

If you don’t have access to vacuum-packed tofu, you have options. You can press it first. (Need some help? Follow the recommendations in my post on how to press tofu.)

Or you can make it with drained water-packed tofu that hasn’t been pressed. Be careful to add the non-dairy milk into the dressing slowly, so that you don’t go overboard with the liquid.

Can it be made without soy?

If you need/want to avoid soy, make sure your vegan mayo is soy-free. (Vegenaise makes a soy-free version.) Then either omit the tofu crumbles, or replace them with an equal amount of almond feta.

How to use vegan blue cheese dressing

Since this is a salad dressing, some leafy greens are a good starting point.

Add this dressing to any salad. It’s particularly nice with romaine or green leaf lettuce, which are milder, and really let the dressing shine. A vegan chef salad, perhaps?

It would also be fun on an old school wedge salad with iceberg lettuce and crumbled seitan bacon.

Blue cheese is also a nice counterpoint to spicy buffalo sauces. It provides cool relief.

Add it to the top of a buffalo chickpea sandwich. This convenient lunch is ready in only 20 minutes.

Pile it on top of a buffalo Soy Curls sandwich.

Soy Curls have a really nice bite & chew that’s very satisfying. They’re also made with just one ingredient – organic soybeans. Using an air fryer makes it extra convenient!

Spoon it onto a bowl of buffalo hummus.

This appetizer takes everyone’s favorite spread, and amps it up a notch. It’s great with toasted pita or celery sticks for dipping.

Roll buffalo hummus into tortilla pinwheels, along with crunchy fresh vegetables. Then serve it with blue cheese dressing for dunking on the side.

Fire up the barbecue, and make buffalo-style grilled corn on the cob. Roll it in buffalo sauce. Then finish with a ladling of vegan blue cheese dressing.

You’ll definitely need napkins for this one!

How to store the dressing

Keep the dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Keep in mind that the tofu may absorb liquid as it sits, thickening the dressing. If you want to thin it out, add another splash of non-dairy milk and stir before serving.

Vegan blue cheese dressing

Creamy non-dairy blue cheese works wonderfully on a romaine or wedge style salad. Dunk your spicy cauliflower wings into it. Or use it as a sandwich spread on top of buffalo chickpeas.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Dressing

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: creamy dressing, easy salad dressing

Prep Time: 4 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup crumbled tofu about 2.5 ounces super firm tofu*
• ▢ ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise I use Vegenaise
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk I use cashew milk
• ▢ ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ Pinch salt

Instructions

• ▢
  In a bowl, combine the crumbled tofu, vegan mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and pinch of salt.
• ▢
  If you're planning on using this dressing for a salad or would just like a thinner dressing, add an additional teaspoon of non-dairy milk, and stir to combine.

  If you're planning on using the dressing for a sandwich spread, you likely won't need any extra non-dairy milk.
• ▢
  Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.

  Move dressing to a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Notes

For the tofu, I like to use super firm tofu in vacuum packaging, because it's not packed in water. Water-packed tofu may add too much additional liquid and/or dilute the flavor.

You can use water-packed tofu, but you may want to press it first. (Here's how to press tofu.)

If you don't want to wait, you can use drained tofu without pressing. However, slowly add the non-dairy milk to the dressing, because you may not need as much.

The salad dressing will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. If it thickens while storing, add another splash of non-dairy milk and stir before serving.

There are more ideas of ways to use this dressing in the body of the blog post.

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 24mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

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