This recipe is for Crystal, who specifically requested a low-calorie salad dressing in a comment on my vacuum-pack giveaway last week. Like her, I also can get in a rut with salad dressing since I eat a jar of salad almost every day.
But making a low-calorie salad dressing more imaginative than a little bit of oil and vinegar/lemon juice is not all that easy.
Most published recipes for homemade dressing are HIGH in calories because they contain lots of oil. YIKES! While some types of oil are healthy in moderation, it’s easy to go overboard. (Speaking for myself here.)
Then I thought about nonfat Greek yogurt. It’s creamy. It’s low-calorie. It’s not as tart as regular yogurt . And I keep it in my refrigerator at all times. (I make my own but it’s certainly not necessary.)
This recipe for Creamy Yogurt Balsamic Dressing (yes, I know, I misspelled the label in the picture above) substitutes nonfat Greek yogurt for some of the oil which makes the calorie count more reasonable. My personal standard is 80 calories or below per serving. Incidentally, a serving is usually 2 tablespoons but always check if you are watching your calorie intake.
Sweet and sour is a good description for the honey/balsamic combination with subtle flavor notes from the soy sauce and Dijon mustard. Yogurt smooths out the flavors. It’s excellent with any kind of lettuce/fruit and/or nut combination. I love it with chicken and sliced oranges, or dried cranberries and almonds or dried blueberries and toasted pecans.
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1½ tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt (may substitute regular nonfat yogurt but finished product will be a little different)
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
- Mix well. Store in refrigerator.
Related Posts:
Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce for Fish
Salad in a Jar
Homemade Greek Yogurt
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Your Creamy Balsamic Dressing sounds great, I have it on my “to try” list. Another option and one with NO prep time required, is to dress a salad with Nakano Seasoned Red Wine Vinegar. No oil is needed as it is delicious as it is, and 1 T contains only 20 calories. Nakano also makes Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar as well as a Balsamic Blend. All of their products that I have tried are quite good.
Um… this looks GOOD! And lo-cal…. that photo is stunning! Would I be kicked out of a Salad Club if I admitted I use those Spritzers (when they’re on sale)? And that I make my own spritzer with dijon mustard and water – shake, spritz and enjoy? It’s a mustardy spritzy kind of thing.
Great post!
This sounds really good….thanks Paula!
sounds like a yummy healthy dressing, romaine! Definitely a good thing to include to live up to your “salad-in-a-jar” name, romaine! Keep these condiments coming!
We are salad eater and this is the perfect cross between creamy and vinaigrette.
Mimi
Stealing this one, thank you!
This sounds great! I always take salad to work for lunch and it can get boring to keep eating the same dressing.
I also make my own yogurt, and use it all the time for dips and dressings—gotta love those probiotics! I used this dressing for a basic salad topped with spicy candied almonds, and my whole family loved it, even the toddler who has had zero interest in salads up until now. Thanks for the recipe!
SO Yummy! Thanks for the post!
this looks yummy. Thinking of making for a Christmas gift. How long will it stay good??
It looks very tasty cannot wait to taste it thanks for giving the method to make it I will surelly try it.Hope you share more
I was Googling homemade low-cal salad dressings and bookmarked this recently – just made this and wanted to let you know that I think it’s DELICIOUS! Tangy, zesty and creamy – all w/o a lot of oil or guilt. Thanks!
So glad you liked it Sarah. If you’re like me and eat a lot of salad, you’re always looking for something new.
I agree with Sarah . . . this dressing is delicious!! Thanks so much:)
I am so happy I found your blog and can’t wait to make this and the greek yogurt.
I like the sound of adding creamy Greek yogurt to a balsamic vinaigrette!
I was looking for salad dressing with greek yogurt and I think this is the one I’m going to try. Great post!
Just curious, how long will these keep in refrigerator?
This looks just like a creamy balsamic dressing from one of my favorite restaurants! Looking forward to being able to make it at home. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!! I just had the dressing right now and it was delicious and healthy
From now on I am no longer buying salad dressing, I will make it myself instead. Thanks again 
This is now my go-to salad dressing! I tried it with garlic and it’s also very good. Thanks for that recipe… and feel free to post more!
Love this dressing so much! Perfect for so many salads. Thanks so much for posting it! I linked to it on my blog as well so that even more people can enjoy.
My husband and I were looking for a low fat greek yogurt dressing and stumbled on this recipe. We think it is very delicious and are using it quite often now. Thank you for this great recipe.
You’re welcome. Enjoy.
This looks delicious & I look forward to trying it!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
This was AMAZING!! I will most likely NOT make olive oil-lemon juice dressing for a very long time!!
Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve already made one batch and I am about to make another right now!
I didn’t have greek yogurt or honey so I used plain yogurt and stevia and it was wonderful. Can’t wait to make it with the right ingredients. Thanks for a great recipe! I poured it over a grilled chicken breast and it was so tasty!!
I love this recipe and blog…I posted it on my community foodie blog. Hope you can come check it out http://www.facebook.com/thefrenchiefoodie
This is really easy and one of the best salad dressings I have ever eaten! I made a batch and it looked to be thinner than pictured, but that made it really easy to coat my salad without using alot of dressing. I did use spicy brown mustard only because I already had that on hand. Have you tried a Ranch style dressing with the Greek yogurt?
Hi Monica,
Glad you liked it. Think I’ll tackle the Ranch style next. Paula
I LOVE this dressing! I finnaly have a great low fat dressing without all the garbage thats in store bought dressings. Thank you
I just came across this post when googling salad dressings made with yogurt. I’m new at all this, so I was wondering if you could tell me if the 65 Calories is for the whole jar or per serving. Also what is the serving size? I know this probably sounds dumb but I just didn’t know. Thanks!
I’m always looking for low calorie salad dressings. The creamier – the better. Can’t wait to give this a try.
A local restaurant serves a balsamic dressing that I love. I have tried several recipes, but have never been able to replicate at home. I made this for dinner tonight and it is almost jsut like the restaurant. Very delicious. I am so excited to be able to have my favorite salad anytime I want now.
I’ve always loved creamy balsamic dressing and searched for a low-fat version to make tonight. This was fantastic!! I didn’t have any greek yogurt (or any yogurt) at home so I used fat-free sour cream instead. I had to add a little bit more sour cream (maybe another tablespoon?) and I love this dressing! Thanks for posting!
Fat-free sour cream is a great idea!
Just made this dressing for my salad — YUM. I was absolutely surprised by the taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Tried this the other day and its now on my favourites bar – its really good. I had it with tuna bean and avocado salad. Added a hit of chilli and garlic to spice it up – YUM!
I can’t wait to try this! I love balsamic vinaigrettes but I have been searching for something more low calorie. I have a raspberry balsamic vinegar I am full on obsessed with right now and I think this recipe is perfect for it. Yum!
Great dressing.
I add a clove of crushed garlic for a little extra kick
Why, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?! pr
Thank you! I look forward to trying this! I always just use an olive oil with splash of vinegar dressing but I want a little change up! I love the ingredients in this one!
Paula, I’m giving this a try tomorrow! I can’t thank you enough for showing me how to make Greek Yogurt, I make it every few days and I’m totally addicted. And it’s so nice to be addicted to something healthy for a change!
Keep on doing what you’re doing, I’m learning so much from you!
Yummy. I used regular low-fat yogurt and added fresh grated ginger.
Ginger is a fabulous idea. Bet it tastes wonderful! pr
I am in HEAVEN with this dressing, OMG!!!!! I have been looking for a creamy balsamic recipe without all the fat, and this is just the PERFECT combination of ingredients (except I substituted Splenda for the honey because I’m on a low carb diet). I foresee myself eating a lot more veggies now that I have this to dip them in!!
Totally yummy. I always make my own dressing but this beats them all. Just delicious on leaves, feta cheese and nuts and seeds. Bet it would be great on avocado salad too. Thanks for posting. Just what I needed.
Amanda,
You’re welcome. That avocado salad sounds fabulous!
This is a great recipe, and would be really healthy if it wasn’t for the soy sauce – high in sodium and contains sodium benzoate, a nasty preservative. Any ideas for an ingredient to substitute?
Sorry Melissa, I have no ideas or suggestions for a substitute. The soy sauce is not a problem for me, personally, in such small amounts.
you might try braggs liquid aminos. an all natural soy substitute. very good.
Can I make this without the mustard? As much as I wish I liked mustard I really hate it!
Otherwise it looks amazing.
Catherine,
I haven’t tried it but I guess when you make it yourself, you can do what you want.
this is a great dressing for my salad ^_^ but may i know how long can i keep it? thanks ^_^
Just found this when I googled “yogurt salad dressing recipe.” I made it with my homemade yogurt (whole milk so not actually lowfat) and a little less honey and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe! I’ll have to explore your blog now
Fantastic Recipe! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is so wonderful! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking to make, so that I can recreate all my favorite salads from restaurants. Thanks so much!
excellent, gourmet quality! i do not buy dressing anymore and always looking for new natural recipes. only thing is that i put in the whole 6 oz of plain chobani b.c when i crave creamy, i want creamy! make the dressing as is and taste test to see for yourself. i thought it was too runny for a creamy dressing. put all of yogurt in the container to good use. it will cut back the bite of the balsamic which is good for more subtle flavor.
Just made this, LOVE it, so does my husband & daughter!!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Just wanted to say that I made this tonight and it was delicious!!! Thanks so much for sharing.
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