Healthy, Satisfying, Goes-With-Everything Honey-Mustard Dressing
Stone-ground mustard, honey and rice vinegar bring bright acidity, sweetness and mild heat, while a good pour of olive oil makes the dressing creamy—no mayo needed!
We love to whip up a big batch of this healthy, satisfying, goes-with-everything honey-mustard dressing and keep it in a big jar the fridge. The mustard-vinegar-oil emulsion might separate a bit in the cold fridge, but that’s not really a problem—just give the jar a good shake when you’re ready to use it.
How To Make Honey-Mustard Dressing
The secret to making creamy vinaigrettes like this one, without the use of any dairy or mayo, is knowing how to make a good emulsion. An emulsion is simply a mixture of liquids that are normally unmixable—in the case of vinaigrettes like our honey-mustard dressing, those two liquids are vinegar and oil. Mustard also helps to make this dairy-free honey-mustard creamy. Here’s how crazy-easy it is to make honey-mustard dressing at home:
- Whisk together the honey, stone-ground mustard, minced shallot and rice vinegar until well-mixed.
- Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, to create a creamy, well-emulsified dressing.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour into a jar and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it! Up to two weeks.
Is Honey-Mustard Healthy?
It really is! Not only is this honey-mustard dressing recipe low carb and gluten-free, it is a super healthy way to dress up simple salads and various veggies to make them more appealing to picky eaters. The light sweetness of honey means that this dressing is irresistible to little eaters—offer a small bowl of honey-mustard dressing for dipping, and you just might find that your toddler can’t get enough steamed broccoli (or grilled zucchini, or whatever other vegetable that would normally end up on the floor).
What Is Stone-Ground Mustard?
Stone-ground mustard—also known as whole-grain mustard—is a mustard where the mustard seeds are ground less-finely than they are in Dijon or yellow mustard. We love the slightly grainy texture and richer flavor of stone-ground mustard. This brand is our go-to. However, if all you have on-hand is Dijon, you can sub that for the stone-ground mustard that our honey-mustard dressing recipe calls for. Yellow mustard is not a good substitute for stone-ground, though—it’s a little too vinegar-y and won’t result in a lusciously creamy dressing.
Healthy Honey-Mustard Dressing: Drizzle, Marinate, Drench.
As we’ve already mentioned, we usually mix this dressing up by the jar-full. Double or triple this recipe and keep it in the fridge—boom, you’ve got a healthy dressing or marinade ready to go at all times. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use it:
- When blackberries are in season, we eat this Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad at least once a week.
- Baked Salmon with Grapefruit Salad sings with the flavors of sunny days, but is easy to prepare any time of the year. Hearty and healthy never tasted so good.
- Toss this dressing with roasted or grilled veggies—especially summertime favorites like zucchini, asparagus, or green beans—and serve as a simple, healthy side dish for just about any meal.
Tools You’ll Need:
This recipe is really flexible. Here’s a few tools that will help you make it:
- A mason jar.
- A small whisk.
- A mixing bowl.
All Dressed Up
Snap a photo of your sweet, tangy dressing and whatever you decide to put it one—maybe even share a video of the beautiful people you share it with! Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
