Creamy Maple Dressing with Black Pepper
Posted: 11/13/2020
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Your autumn salads will glow with homemade creamy maple dressing. You’ll want to add it to roasted vegetables and maybe even sandwiches!
This is a luscious autumn dressing, with notes of maple, apple, stone-ground mustard, and freshly cracked black pepper. You’ll find that it’s perfect for heartier salads of winter greens like spinach, Brussels sprouts, or kale. The creamy dressing highlights the sweet earthiness of roasted vegetables like butternut squash or sweet potatoes. The golden sugar flavor of maple complements the fresh tang of sliced apples, pears, or beets.
Creamy maple dressing gets a little tang of its own from Greek yogurt and apple cider vinegar. With generous amounts of freshly ground black pepper and coarse mustard, it has plenty of peppy flavor. I’m so excited about this dressing. I could slurp it up like soup. And I’ve made it a little bit healthier for you, too, with only 80 calories per serving.
With this creamy maple dressing, you won’t have an excuse for not eating healthy salads. You think winter isn’t the season for salads? Think again! You might not be eating fresh leafy green salads with ripe red tomatoes but there’s plenty of salad material right now. This dressing is perfect for winter salads like a kale and pear salad, or a spinach salad with beets, almonds, and feta, or a salad with broiled apples and pecans.
It’s great for grain salads like autumn quinoa salad, with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, feta, and bacon. Try it on this quinoa salad with Brussels sprouts and dried apricots. Or drizzle it over warm roasted squash, sweet potatoes, roasted beets, roasted carrots, or Brussels sprouts.
Liven up a ham and Swiss sandwich with creamy maple dressing. Go ahead and add a couple slices of bacon, too, while you’re at it. Or try it on a roasted turkey sandwich with Havarti and lots of arugula.
About this creamy maple dressing:
Like most homemade dressings, creamy maple dressing is easy to make. It will take you five minutes. You’ll never find dressing this good at a grocery store! All you need is a small bowl, a whisk, and the following ingredients:
- plain yogurt, either Greek or regular
- mayonnaise (just a couple tablespoons to smooth out the flavor)
- real maple syrup, the darker the better
- apple cider vinegar
- coarse stone ground mustard (you can substitute Dijon but coarse ground mustard is really better for this dressing)
- a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper
- salt
If you like, use a small blender, mini food processor, or stick blender to mix the dressing. I have a little Ninja food processor that is perfect for dressings.
How to make this salad dressing your own:
- Use all mayonnaise instead of yogurt. Or all yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Or skip both and make a vinaigrette that isn’t creamy.
- Increase or decrease the amount of black pepper, depending on your taste.
- Too sweet? Decrease the amount of maple syrup or add a bit more vinegar.
- Try balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
- Add a teaspoon or two of finely chopped fresh herbs after blending the dressing. Good choices would be rosemary, thyme, sage, or oregano.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate leftover salad dressing in a small glass jar with a tight lid for a week.
Shake well before serving.
More tasty ways to top a salad!
The dressing makes the salad, am I right? Don’t settle for boring bottles of salad dressing. Try making your own! It’s easy, economical, and your dressing is always fresh. Try:
- Sweet BBQ Salad Dressing with Lime
- Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
- Red Wine Vinaigrette with red wine vinegar or White Wine Vinaigrette with white wine vinegar
- Carrot Vinaigrette Salad Dressing with chili powder and cumin
- Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe with Fresh Raspberries
- Healthy Green Goddess Dressing
- Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
- Catalina Dressing
- or take a look at all my salad dressing recipes!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
/4 cup
Your autumn salads will glow with homemade creamy maple dressing. You'll want to add it to roasted vegetables and maybe even sandwiches!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt, Greek or regular
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coarse stone ground mustard, or 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until combined. Or add all ingredients to a small jar, shake until blended.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Use all mayonnaise instead of yogurt. Or all yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Or skip both and make a vinaigrette that isn't creamy.
- Increase or decrease the amount of black pepper, depending on your taste.
- Too sweet? Decrease the amount of maple syrup or add a bit more vinegar.
- Try balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
- Add a teaspoon or two of finely chopped fresh herbs. Good choices would be rosemary, thyme, sage, or oregano.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 2tablespoons, Calories: 80kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 413mg, Sugar: 9g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
denise says
this would be fantastic on salad!
Rachel Gurk says
It’s such a great dressing, and so easy to make!