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30 30 Minutes or Less 5I 5 ingredients or less

Poppy Seed Dressing (Creamy and Healthy!)

4.33
/5
5 mins
75 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 01/13/2017Updated: 06/14/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Creamy poppy seed dressing made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise -- you'll love the flavor of this light and easy to make dressing! Get the dressing recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Creamy poppy seed dressing made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise — you’ll love the flavor of this light and easy to make dressing! 

Front view of small glass jar with dressing, yellow spoon inserted, on decorative wooden board, with white bowl of arugula in. background.

My mom made a salad over the holidays with a poppy seed dressing that I just loved. The salad had lettuce, kale, and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember. All I can remember was that it was good and it had poppy seed dressing. Oh, and the most delicious little candied sunflower seeds. So good! 

Poppy seed dressing has always been one of my favorites so of course I asked her for her poppy seed dressing recipe and then I completely changed it because for some reason I can’t help myself!

I kept her original version on file and might just have to share that one in the future too, but I wanted to share this creamy version, a thicker, richer feeling dressing.

Front view of small glass jar with dressing and yellow spoon, with bowl of greens in background.

How to Make this Poppy Seed Dressing

The base of the dressing is Greek yogurt, one of my favorite ingredients. I love that you can eat Greek yogurt as is or make fun snacks or even use it as a marinade. I use it in countless recipes (proof: check out my Greek yogurt archives) and it always has a spot in my fridge.

Front close up of small glass jar containing dressing and yellow spoon.

For this dressing, yogurt stands in for heavier ingredients such as mayonnaise or sour cream (although don’t get me wrong, those both have a place in my heart too!).

The dressing is a nice blend of tangy and sweet — my mom’s recipe called for granulated sugar but I like honey for a smooth and flavorful way to sweeten this dressing.

It’s a simple and straightforward dressing that goes great on salads with fruit toppings but could easily stand its own on a salad topped with vegetables too. This poppyseed dressing would be fantastic for spinach salad as well. Psst: Come back Monday for a salad recipe that this creamy poppy seed dressing is perfect on!).

As a bonus, it’s likely you already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry and fridge.

Try this dressing on:

  • Sweet Kale Salad – like the kind you can buy at Costco!
  • Kale Quinoa Salad – with Walnuts and Cranberries

Small glass jar with dressing, spoonful along side with dressing running onto wooden cutting board.

PS: Like my mom, I store my poppy seeds in the fridge so they don’t go rancid. If you are looking for more ways to use poppy seeds, try orange poppy seed cookies, lemon poppyseed pancakes, or lemon poppy seed bread.

PPS: Per my calculations (see disclosures, folks!), you can eat two tablespoons of this creamy poppyseed dressing and only add 33 calories to your beautiful salad!

Love making homemade dressings? Try:

 

  • Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing with Cumin
  • Sweet and Tangy Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
  • Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette
  • Reduced Fat Ranch Dressing Recipe
  • Cilantro Lime Dressing
  • Honey Clementine Dressing
  • Maple Hot Bacon Dressing from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
  • Blue Cheese Dressing from A Family Feast
 

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Front view of small glass jar containing poppy seed dressing and yellow spoon.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Poppy Seed Dressing (Healthy!)

4.33 from 265 votes
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 5 mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
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Creamy poppy seed dressing made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise — you’ll love the flavor of this light and easy to make dressing!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients together in a jar, cover and shake well to combine. Use immediately or store covered in fridge.

Notes

  • Makes 1/2 cup.
  • Shelf life in fridge will vary depending on the date on your Greek yogurt container.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2tablespoons, Calories: 59kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 270mg, Sugar: 5g

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.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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  1. Jan says

    April 20, 2022 at 11:12 am

    5 stars
    Great dressing!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      April 25, 2022 at 9:38 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Rachel says

    April 5, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    What do you think about apple cider vinegar?

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      April 8, 2022 at 11:42 am

      That should work!

      Reply
  3. Michele says

    January 24, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    What are your thoughts on using raspberry vinegar?

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      January 28, 2022 at 8:58 am

      I think that would be tasty!

      Reply
  4. Nicole says

    December 18, 2021 at 1:30 am

    5 stars
    I love baking my fish with store bought poppyseed dressing so I loved your momz recipe and I used honey 2 raw… it’s good over Swai fish and Cod baked… I’m marinating salmon in fridge over night will see how that taste 2ma

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      December 21, 2021 at 3:16 pm

      Oh yum, I’ll have to try that!

      Reply
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