One of the most commonly used dressings for salad is salad oil. Salad oil is a blanket term for any type of oil that goes on salad but is typically sold in stores as corn, soybean, or sunflower oil. Salad oil can be notoriously high-calorie and unhealthy, so you may be looking into some kinds of salad oil substitutes.
Store-bought salad oil can be substituted with a number of healthier oils, vinaigrettes, and dressings. Extra virgin olive oil, yogurt, and tahini (Find what exactly does tahini taste like?) are among some of the healthiest salad dressings.
There are plenty of alternatives for dressing your salads. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some:
Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is as class a salad dressing as there is. Cold-pressed, non-processed extra virgin not only tastes delicious and goes great on any salad, but it’s also healthy.
It’s loaded with healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. This means extra virgin olive oil is heart-healthy, good for the skin and hair, and can help lower inflammation. All that plus it’s a delicious salad topper!
Tahini
This creamy emulsion made from sesame seeds is a staple in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. And, it should be a staple on your salads.
Tahini can easily be made or found in stores. It packs tons of flavor and is full of healthy fats. Try out this creamy, nutty dressing on your next lunchtime salad.
Despite being another oil, avocado oil is on the list of salad oil substitutes because of how darn healthy it is. Just like olive oil, it’s rich in healthy fats that are good for the heart.
Avocado oil has one of the healthiest fat breakdowns of any oil and is also one of the lesser-processed oils out there. It’s a great multipurpose oil for everything from salads to high-heat cooking.
Crumbled Cheese
While they won’t lightly coat every leaf of spinach in your salad, crumbled cheeses like feta (talking about feta cheese, find what does feta cheese tastes like), goat, and blue make for excellent salad additions.
They pack all of the satisfying and satiating fats into your salad while adding more flavor. It’s also easier to track how much cheese you’re adding to your salad than it is oil.
Yogurt
Regular or greek yogurt can become excellent additions to a salad dressing. Tangy, creamy, and high in healthy fats, yogurt freshens up bland salads with a healthy punch of flavor. There’s also a good chance you have some on hand.
Vinaigrette
The humble vinaigrette is a mixture of oil and an acid like lemon or vinegar. While the store-bought stuff is highly-processed and full of added sugars, olive oil whisked together with lemon, salt, and pepper is an unbeatable, healthy salad dressing.
Conclusion
If you’re fresh out of salad oil and fretting what to top your greens with, don’t worry. Top your salads with healthy oils like olive or avocado, creamy dressings like tahini and yogurt, crumbled cheese, or homemade vinaigrette to liven up any healthy lunchtime meal.
