I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach, gluten-free recipe creator, and home detoxification expert with a focus on gut health. I show burned-out women with digestive issues how to take a proactive, holistic approach to healing by sharing nutrient-dense recipes, and sustainable lifestyle tips that are easy to implement in everyday life.
When you want a healthy salad dressing, this sweet onion dressing is a delicious choice that goes with just about everything. You can enjoy it chunky, or creamy to suit your preference–it’s fantastic both ways.
Regardless of the texture, you’ll have a tasty homemade salad dressing in ten minutes or less.
If you’ve tried my shallot and mustard vinaigrette you know I prefer to sauté alliums before adding them to dressings. Raw onions can be tricky to digest for some people, not to mention they’re awful on your breath.
Quickly sautéing the onions in avocado oil creates a sweet onion vinaigrette that’s subtle enough for various salads. This cooking process also removes excess water from the onions, concentrating their flavors and improving the consistency of the dressing.
Sweet Onion Dressing Ingredients
With these six simple ingredients, you’ll be crafting a delicious, healthy salad dressing in no time.
Sweet Onion – You’ll need half of 1 medium-sized sweet onion. If you’re in the South, Vidalia onions taste the best, but any sweet onion variety will work. Use what’s locally available.
Avocado oil – Avocado oil is best here due to its mild flavor. It’s much healthier and less inflammatory than low-quality vegetable oils like canola/rapeseed, soybean or safflower. You can use extra virgin oil instead, but high-quality EVOOs often have a peppery aftertaste that can overpower the other flavors. This recipe uses ¼ cup.
White wine vinegar – A touch of acidity rounds out this sweet onion vinaigrette. I buy organic white wine vinegar from Thrive Market. It’s high-quality and a great price but use what you have. 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon is the right amount to keep if from getting too acidic.
Salt – Fine mineral salt works best in this recipe, but you can use any variety you like. Here are the best salts for cooking. You only need ¼ teaspoon.
Onion powder – Just 1/8 teaspoon of onion powder punches up the flavor that’s lost during the cooking process without making the dressing too strong. If you don’t have any, you can leave it out.
Natural sweetener – I prefer Pure Liquid Monk Fruit Drops as a non-nutritive sweetener. In recipes it tastes like honey but doesn’t contain any sugar, so it won’t raise your blood sugar. If you prefer raw local honey, that’s another great choice. Sweeten to taste.
If you don’t have a food processor or want to skip extra clean up, this sweet onion salad dressing tastes just as delicious served chunky.
How to Make Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
Sauté the Onions: Begin by sautéing the onion and salt in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over medium-low heat. Cook until the onions become soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. This step enhances the onion’s natural sweetness while taming the sharper notes so they don’t overpower your salad.
Prepare the Vinaigrette Base: Transfer the sautéed onions to a small glass bowl. Add the remaining avocado oil, white wine vinegar, onion powder, and sweetener of choice. Whisk until completely emulsified. For a chunky sweet onion dressing, serve immediately or refrigerate in a glass jar.
For a Creamy Version: If you prefer a creamy sweet onion vinaigrette, pour all the ingredients into a small blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, which should take about 30 seconds. This variation creates a thick sweet onion dressing that coats the other salad ingredients evenly when tossed.
Storage Tips: Refrigerate any leftover vinaigrette in an airtight glass jar for up to 2 weeks. If the dressing solidifies in the fridge, let it rest on the counter while preparing your salad, or place the container in a hot water bath for 1-2 minutes until it’s smooth enough to toss.
Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing
Making salad dressings at home is a simple way to add flavor and beneficial nutrients to your meals with minimal effort. Not only do they taste better than store-bought varieties, but they’re also much healthier (and cheaper in the long run).
You can create delicious homemade salad dressings without preservatives, additives, or inflammatory oils by using fresh, natural ingredients. This one small change will support your gut health and overall well-being.
Take this vinaigrette from chunky to creamy in less than a minute.
Serving Suggestions
The mild, neutral flavor of this sweet onion vinaigrette makes it a versatile choice to dress just about any fresh salad. I love it on my Turkey BLT Salad and my Spinach and Nectarine Salad.
Try this sweet onion dressing recipe today to experience the perfect flavor enhancer for your favorite salads in every bite. Once you see how easy and delicious homemade dressings can be, you’ll never want store-bought options again!
Make your salads more delicious with this easy-to-make sweet onion dressing. Perfectly sautéed onions and healthy avocado oil create a mild, yet flavorful vinaigrette in 10 minutes or less.
Ingredients
Scale
1/2 of 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 cupavocado oil, divided
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoonwhite wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoononion powder
Pure Liquid Monk Fruit Drops to taste (or raw honey)
Instructions
Sauté the Onions: Sauté the onion and salt in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over medium-low heat, until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Prepare the Dressing: Transfer the onions to a small glass bowl. Add the remaining avocado oil, white wine vinegar, onion powder, and sweetener of choice. Whisk until completely emulsified. For a chunky sweet onion dressing, serve immediately or refrigerate in a glass jar.
Creamy Option: Pour all the ingredients into a small blender or food processor. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Storage Tips: Refrigerate any leftover dressing in an airtight glass jar for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
If the salad dressing solidifies in the fridge, let it rest on the counter while preparing your salad, or place the container in a hot water bath for 1-2 minutes until it’s smooth enough to toss.
