Posted Nov 14, 2020, Updated Mar 16, 2024 To me, salad is a must-have side dish at any and every food-centered gathering. This Pomegranate Vinaigrette is the perfect homemade salad dressing for your winter salads! It’s packed with fresh pomegranate seeds and a dash of lemon juice, giving it a sweet and tangy flavor! This Pomegranate Vinaigrette is gluten, dairy & refined sugar free! And it’s paleo and vegan, so it’s perfect for any and every person who will dine at your table this season! Oh, and did I mention that it’s ready in 5 minutes or less!
Pomegranate Dressing: Ingredients & Substituions
This recipe only has a handful of ingredients, but here are a few possible substitutions!
Pomegranate seeds. You can use pomegranate juice to make this recipe, and then there would be no blending required. However I love the nutrients added from using whole seeds! Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe. I recommend avocado oil or canola oil if you don’t have olive oil. Maple syrup. The maple flavor really adds to the fall/winer taste of this dressing, however you can substitute honey with great results. White balsamic vinegar. Regular balsamic vinegar tastes great in this recipe too, however the color will change if you use a dark balsamic. Apple cider vinegar also tastes great. Dijon mustard. Substitute your favorite mustard, but please don’t leave it out. The mustard acts as an emulsifier and keeps the dressing from separating!
How to Easily De-Seed a Pomegranate
Pomegranates are our favorite winter produce item, we literally buy cases of them at eat them in days. I am well aware that the thing that keeps most people from buying pomegranates is how much work they are to deseed. Well this video called The Fastest Way to De-Seed a Pomegranate changed my life. I literally can have 6 large pomegranates ready to eat in under 10 minutes thanks to this method!
How to Make Homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette
This pomegranate dressing recipe is very easy to make Just place the ingredients in the container of your Vitamix (or other high powered blender) and blend until smooth. Using a Vitaimx ensures a silky-smooth dressing. NOTE: The only thing to note is that it’s important to add the liquid ingredients first, then the rest for easy blending.
Pour Into a Jar/Serving Container
Once you have finished blending the pomegranate salad dressing, transfer it from the blending container to a glass storage or serving container. I love this salad dressing bottle – I use it all the time. But any glass or ceramic vessel works well
Store
If you don’t plan on using the pomegranate dressing right away, or have leftovers, store it in an airtight container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Serve
Serve this pomegranate vinaigrette on top of your favorite salad! Here are some suggestions:
Try it on this burrata salad. For the perfect winter salad use this pomegranate dressing on this Brussel Sprout Salad. Make your own homemade croutons to dress up whatever salad you make! Also try these cornbread croutons. For another use of pomegranates, this beet and pomegranate smoothie is a nutritional powerhouse.
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