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This Poppyseed Dressing is deliciously sweet and made with 6 pantry staples. Perfect for fruit and vegetable salads, this makes any side dish taste like dessert.
This Poppyseed Vinaigrette is a little bit sweet and is perfect on any vegetable salad with fruit and nuts. My favorite combination is fresh spinach, juicy strawberries, and toasted pecans, but there are so many great ways to enjoy this poppy seed salad dressing. It’s old-fashioned, versatile, and better than any bottle at the store.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Olive oil: Choose a light olive oil which has a more neutral flavor. Or substitute avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
- Red wine vinegar: I like red wine vinegar for the color it lends to the dressing, but you can substitute white vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even lemon juice.
- Sugar: Add sugar or your favorite sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup, to taste. Using different sweeteners changes the flavor, but the dressing still tastes great. Or, omit the sugar entirely.
- Dried mustard: Ground mustard powder balances out the sweetness and adds another layer of flavor. If you don’t have it, use an equal amount of Dijon mustard (the flavor will change).
Step-by-step instructions
- In a bowl with a whisk, or in a mason jar with a lid, add the vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, dried mustard, poppyseeds, sugar, and salt.
- If you’re making a salad right away, keep the dressing out at room temperature to let the flavors mingle while preparing the salad. Or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This poppy seed dressing recipe makes about 1 cup of dressing, enough for 8 servings, 2 tablespoons each.
- Storage: Store the dressing covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Blender: For the smoothest, creamiest dressing possible, emulsify the dressing in a blender.
- More salad ideas: I love a bed of arugula with toasted almonds, red onion, fresh blueberries, goat cheese or blue cheese, and poppy seed dressing. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a creamy poppyseed dressing?
Make a creamy poppy seed dressing by adding a teaspoon or two of Greek yogurt or mayo.
What is poppyseed dressing made of?
Like many dressings, poppy seed vinaigrette starts with oil, vinegar, and an emulsifier like mustard. Some variations have sugar or a creamy element to make a creamy dressing.
Favorite salads for poppyseed dressing
Salad Recipes
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Salad Recipes
Fruit Salad
Salad Recipes
Kale Salad
Salad Recipes
Burrata Cheese Salad
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Poppyseed Dressing
This Poppyseed Dressing is deliciously sweet and made with 6 pantry staples. Perfect for fruit and vegetable salads, this makes any side dish taste like dessert.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil or other neutral oil (see note 1)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or less to taste (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard (see note 4)
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- Salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl with a whisk, or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, dried mustard, poppy seeds, and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon).
- Shake or stir to combine. If you’re making a salad right away, keep the dressing out at room temperature to let the flavors mingle while preparing the salad. Or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Olive oil: Choose a light olive oil which has a more neutral flavor. Or substitute avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
- Red wine vinegar: I like red wine vinegar for the color it lends to the dressing, but you can substitute white vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even lemon juice.
- Sugar: Add sugar or your favorite sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup, to taste. Using different sweeteners changes the flavor, but the dressing still tastes great. Or, omit the sugar entirely.
- Dried mustard: Ground mustard powder balances out the sweetness and adds another layer of flavor. If you don’t have it, use an equal amount of Dijon mustard (the flavor will change).
- Yield: This poppy seed dressing recipe makes about 1 cup dressing, enough for 8 servings, 2 tablespoons each.
- Storage: Store the dressing covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 2 tbspCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 1mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
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Could I use Safflower oil in place of vegetable oil? If so, is it equal parts? Thanks!
Hi Traci, yes! Equal parts! It’s all pretty much the same, a light flavorless oil. 🙂 Thank you!
Could I use Stevia in place of sugar in the poppyseed dressing?
When do I cook it for the 1 minute?
Hi Renata, sorry for the confusion on this. “Cook time” just refers to how long it takes to make the recipe. There is prep time (the time it takes to get the ingredients ready to go) and “cook time” which is the time it takes to complete the instructions. In this case, there is no cooking. It is literally just the time it takes to mix everything together. Does that make sense? I hope so. Sorry for that. Cook time = how long it takes to follow the directions.
I had mustard seed so I put that in my Ninja first, used rice vinegar and a tablespoon of red wine. Turned out awesome! Used it on spinach, walnut strawberry salad. Added cranberries and get a as well to my salad. My husband asked me to remember this recipe since I cook a lot with no recipe
How long would this be good for?
I generally go by the guidelines from the CDC, the National Restaurant Assocation, and Cook’s Illustrated. In this case, they unanimously say 4 days. However, I can’t point to anything specifically that would go bad in a week, or 2 weeks, or even 3 weeks. These are all shelf-stable, pantry ingredients that on their own would last months. So if you combine them, why would it drop to 4 days? I have no idea. Maybe it doesn’t. But I don’t want anyone to get sick so I always follow the guidelines!
How many servings would this have? The calorie and sodium seem very high or am I missing something?
Yes, the nutrition info is all wrong, sorry about that! That was the info for the total recipe. It should be 8 servings (2 tablespoons each) and I’m fixing the label right now to show the right calorie count. Sorry about that!
Mine came out a bit oily. I added a dash more vinegar and put in the Nutribullet. Perfect!
Hey KeyKey! Sorry about that. Things like the amount of oil are probably a personal preference, but I’m so happy you knew how to fix it up for yourself. The Nutribullet is a brilliant idea! Thanks so much for your feedback on the recipe.
This dressings so delicious! I used an extra tablespoon of white vinegar and used dijon mustard instead of dried ( I didn’t have any). This was absolutely delicious and so light! Thank you!
Thank you, Leslie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Good call on the dijon, I am going to try that!
Has a salad dressing ever looked so pretty? Noooo it hasn’t. This looks gorge and it’s so simple. Yummmmay!
This dressing came out to be such a beautiful ombre! It looks like a sunset 🙂