Creamy Cajun Salad Dressing

This ultra flavorful creamy cajun salad dressing is so easy and quick to make. Includes creamy yogurt, mayo and red wine vinegar, plus flavored with garlic and cajun spice blend. Perfect for green salads, roasted vegetables, buddha bowls, potato or pasta salads or simply as a dip. 100% vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.

If you have a jar of cajun spices hidding in your pantry, now is the time to take it out!

I love adding cajun spices in pasta recipes, such as this cajun orzo skillet or this creamy tofu cajun pasta, but cajun spices also make for an amazing way to easily add big flavors to creamy dressings.

A cajun spice blend already is such a perfect combination of herbs and spices! The thyme and oregano meet with the garlic/onion powder, cayenne and paprika in an harmony of flavor. There is an amazing peppery punch with an onion-y little something and just the right amount of zesty flavor. Adding a creole-style flavoring to your meals has never been so easy!

I especially love how this recipe takes 5 minutes to whip up, no fancy ingredients required, plus it is super versatile and can be used in so many ways.

The cajun spice blend is the star of the recipe and will give most of the flavor to the dressing, but also, the sauce is complemented with fresh garlic, green onion and red wine vinegar. It is also a creamy based cajun vinaigrette, made by combining yogurt and mayo, which gives it a cool, silky and rich consistency. So tasty!

Use in green salads, but also pasta or potato salads, to marinate tofu or dress chickpeas and use as a dipping sauce for raw veggies or to garnish buddha bowls. Make it ahead if you love to meal-prep, it stores so well!

I hope you love this recipe! ❤️

Highlights of this recipe

• Easy and quick recipe
• Perfect for meal-prep
• Healthier than store-bought
• Very flavorful with a super creamy texture
• Versatile recipe with many ways to serve this it
• Can adjust flavoring to your liking and you can make it more or less spicy
• You can swap the vegan mayo for more vegan yogurt to keep this dressing free of added oils
• Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and egg-free

Ingredients you will need

• Vegan yogurt: I used the cashew yogurt from the brand forager, but use your favorite brand. Be careful when you pick the yogurt, make sure it is unsweetened and made without any flavoring.
• Vegan mayonnaise: You can use store-bought mayo (like this vegan mayo from the brand Follow your heart) or make a healthier oil-free version with cashew (vegan cashew mayo). Vegan sour cream would work too.
• Red wine vinegar: adds just enough tangy flavor for this dressing. Can also swap for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Garlic: I used one clove of fresh garlic, but feel-free to include more for an extra garlicky flavor.
• Sweetener: helps balance out the tanginess and boost the flavor from the spices. I love maple syrup in dressing, but agave nectar or even sugar would be fine too.
• Cajun spice blend: I love the store bought cajun spice mix from the brand Frontier Coop. It is very flavorful with nice zesty aromas and also not so spicy. You can also easily make your own mix of cajun spices by mixing a few common ingredients you probably already have. Follow this cajun spice blend recipe for inspiration!
• Smoked paprika: optional, but it brings an extra smoky flavor to the dressing.
• Green onion: or 1-2 tablespoon of finely diced sweet or yellow onion.
• Salt: some cajun spice blends also includes some salt, so I recommend to add salt to taste.

How to make cajun salad dressing

This salad dressing takes literally 5 minutes to make! I would still recommend to make it ahead: resting time will boost the overall flavor and also chill the dressing nicely before serving.

Combine

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, mayo, vinegar, sweetener, garlic, spices and salt. Whisk well until smooth.

Adjust flavoring and chill

Taste the dressing and adjust flavoring, especially sweetener and salt. Add more cajun spices as well if you want, each spice blend are different!

Then, cover the dressing and transfer to the fridge for 1 hour or so to help develop the flavors.

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Watch how to make it

Helpful tips

• Making this dressing ahead can really enhance the flavor and cool it down nicely to make it even better. So, try to prepare it 1-2 hour before you need it, or better, the day before.
• Every cajun spice blends are different, which means that you will need to taste and adjust flavoring to your taste, especially the salt.
• I didn’t add any extra oil to the dressing, although there is a little mayonaise from the store that contains some oil. To make this dressing oil-free and even healthier, then I recommend to omit the vegan mayo and use more of the vegan yogurt instead. Or, make your own mayo sauce using cashews!

Serving suggestions

There are so many ways you can serve this creamy dressing! As seen in the pictures, I love using this recipe to dress a raw vegetable and pasta salad. Here, I used brown rice noodles with cucumbers, red peppers, shaved purple cabbage and ribboned carrots (see my carrot and cucumber ribbon salad to see how I ribbon vegetables).

I also used the leftover sauce to make a potato salad, which worked out amazingly! I used cubed and cooked baby potatoes with celery, red pepper, fresh dill, onion and diced cucumber.

This dressing also is perfect for green salads, especially with crunchy romaine lettuce, or to garnish buddha bowls, like this falafel buddha bowl or this Mexican buddha bowl. Also, try using this cajun sauce to coat some chickpeas or to use in any bean salads.

And if you don't feel like a bowl or a salad, then simply use it as a dip for raw veggie sticks (carrot, cucumber, colorful peppers) or also, try using this sauce to marinate tofu before roasting it, yum!

Variations

This easy vegan dressing can be adjusted to your taste so easily! Simply play around with the spices to make it more or less intense in cajun flavors. You can really use this creamy dressing recipe as a base and make it your own!

Also, I like this dressing pretty tangy, but if you are looking for a recipe smoother in taste, then start with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and add more as needed along the way. Same thing for the garlic, add more or none at all depending on your preference.

I think this creamy sauce benefits a lot from a nice onion-y taste, which is why green onions are so great here, plus it adds nice specks of green throughout the creamy sauce. But, feel free to swap for finely chopped yellow or sweet onion (1-2 tablespoons). If you don't have any, then add a dash of onion powder, onion flakes or dried chives.

More ideas include cayenne pepper or tabasco for a spicy sauce, a teaspoon of whole grain mustard, dried herbs such as thyme or oregano or even a small handful of finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or dill.

Storage tips

This cajun vinaigrette stores very well. Simply keep in an air-tight container for up to 4 days and stir well before serving. The flavor will intensify over time, which is even better!

More vegan salad dressings you might like

• Creamy balsamic tahini dressing
• Vegan Italian dressing (oil-free)
• Almond butter dressing
• Vegan buffalo sauce
• Vegan avocado ranch dressing
• Sesame soy dressing
• Thai peanut butter sauce
• Oil-free chili lime dressing
• Vegan chipotle sauce

Other vegan yogurt-based sauces to try

• Vegan tzatziki
• Herb yogurt sauce in this vegan tray bake
• Baba ganoush
• Vegan Waldorf salad dressing
• Red lentil pasta salad dressing
• Vegan avocado yogurt green goddess dressing

I hope you like this cajun salad dressing recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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