An all-purpose dressing, this Poppy Seed Salad Dressing recipe is light and bright, perfect for summer salads!
Poppy Seed Dressing
This homemade salad dressing is actually a vinaigrette meaning that it is an emulsification of oil and an acid, in this case vinegar.
What is an emulsification? An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible- like oil and water based solutions. In order to mix, you need to mix them slowly and steadily at high agitation.
Most vinaigrette dressings will mix for a short time, but need to be re-shaken or stirred before using.
Why You’ll Love This Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
A tart and tangy salad dressing that tastes great on almost anything- what’s not to love?
- Versatile – While this is obviously delicious on a salad, this dressing can be used for other things too! Dip grilled chicken in it or use it to top fresh salmon.
- Easy to make – From start to finish, you will have this dressing ready in only 5 minutes and 3 simple steps.
- Loved by all – With simple flavors and the ability to change it up to personal preference, this is a dressing the whole family will love.
Ingredients
With simple ingredients, you can have this creamy poppyseed dressing ready to top all of your favorite tasty salads!
- White vinegar – I always have a bottle of white vinegar in the pantry. However, you could use white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar is you prefer any of those.
- Brown sugar – Instead of using a white sugar to bring sweetness to this homemade poppy seed dressing recipe, I use brown sugar. I like the flavor it brings.
- Kosher salt – When making homemade dressing, I like to use Kosher salt. You can use the measurement provided, or add to taste to your liking.
- Dry ground mustard – Instead of using something like dijon mustard, I just use dry mustard. It’s always in my spice cabinet, therefor, always accessible.
- White onion – Just to add a little texture and flavor to this poppyseed salad dressing, I like to freshly grate a little onion into the mix. Red onions are a little too bold for my liking.
- Olive oil – So what makes this a creamy dressing? Something called emulsification. Olive oil is key to that, but you could also use vegetable oil or canola oil too if needed.
- Poppy seeds – The star of the show- poppy seeds! If you’re worried about failing a drug test, check the section below for all kinds of poppy seed info.
How to Make Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
You are going to love how easy it is to make one of your favorite salad dressings in your own kitchen!
- Combine ingredients. In a blender or food processor, combine white vinegar, brown sugar, Kosher salt, dry mustard and white onion. Blend well.
- Emulsify with olive oil. Add olive oil and blend until emulsified.
- Add poppy seeds. Stir in poppy seeds by hand and serve.
How to Use Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
Poppy Seed salad dressing is an excellent choice for so many summer salads. You can use it on top of green salads or even my avocado crab or kale salad.
Any type of salad would taste great with this simple salad dressing, but my favorite salad to serve this on is strawberry spinach salad. It is so simple to make.
And you don’t have to stick to a vegetable salad or leafy greens. If you want to get crazy, you could even use it to top fresh fruit in a fruit salad.
Poppy Seeds
What are poppy seeds? They are tiny black balls that are the dried seeds from the opium poppy.
Of course the next question is… will they make me test positive for opiates?
And the answer is NO. Not unless you eat a ton of them and everyday or a long time. In fact, I used to work at a drug treatment program and we tested this out on ourselves using poppy seed bagels. It took over a week of eating heavily poppy seeded bagels every morning before we got even a faint positive.
So don’t worry, you won’t fail a drug test.
Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing
Make ahead: You can can this dressing ahead of time, but like most oil and vinegar blends, it will separate and need to be shaken well before serving.
Storage: Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Freezing: Technically you can freeze it, but the consistency won’t be the same. You can freeze for up to four months.
Frequently Asked Questions
While all recipes will vary slightly, this poppy seed dressing is made from vinegar, brown sugar, salt, ground mustard, onion, olive oil and, of course, poppy seeds.
I am not a doctor, and I will never claim to give medical advice. However, poppy seed dressing does have a lit of vitamin K which is good for you.
Poppyseed dressing does not contain any known or specific GERD triggers. always consult your doctor for medical advice.
More homemade salad dressings:
- Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing
- Creamy Balsamic Dressing
- Dirty Martini Salad Dressing
Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe
Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe
Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons white onion , grated
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- In a blend or food processor, combine white vinegar, brown sugar, Kosher salt, dry mustard and white onion. Blend well.
- Add olive oil and blend until emulsified.
- Stir in poppy seeds by hand and serve.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the ratings or comments.
I enjoyed making this poppy seed dressing! I made sure to make a lot so I can use it anytime I want. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yummy yummy, so delicious and creamy. Made a double batch so it would last.
The dry mustard in this is so good! I also used this as a marinade for grilled chicken and it was SO good.
Oh! I love that idea! It does really make it pop.
I’ve never thought to use poppy seeds in a dressing before but am so happy I found this recipe – it tastes delicious and now it’s my go-to dressing.
Great recipe – my entire family loved it. I made it exactly as instructed and it is definitely a new family favorite. I served it over spinach salad this evening but can’t wait to try other recipes on your site to serve it with next time! Yum!
This recipe is fantastic! I had to sub stone ground and spicy brown mustard because it was what I had on hand, but I got the correct equivalents. I also used red onion in mine and refrigerated it overnight before serving. This is perfect for a mixed greens salad with some chicken and fruit!
Thank so much for coming back to let us know!
Love it! Would you say that one serving is 2 Tablespoons, like bottled dressing usually is? I’d like to try & stay within the calories, etc., which are posted.
Yes 🙂
I was in a pinch and needed a salad dressing to go with a Indian Cuisine menu…I didn’t have mangos but because it’s spring, I had greens, some extra cabbage, carrots and spring onions. Anyway, I saw this poppy seed dressing recipe and gave it a try. I didn’t have any dry mustard, but Joy of Cooking told me how to substitute wet prepared mustard for dry and all else was in place. It was a wonderful, light and fresh tasting dressing. Just a bit of tang really brought out the flavor of the greens. I agree the toasted pecans were a wonderful touch! Thanks
Love that you loved it! Thanks for stopping by to let us know!
This was GREAT! Simple & goes well on so many things. Way better than purchased
Thank you, Deb!
Wow! This was wonderful. I did cook the onion in some of the oil and about 1 t. of brown sugar before adding it to the blender. I turned out the best ever! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for coming back to let us know! One of our favorites as well.
Poppyseed salad dressing on a bed of spinach with strawberries is my favorite summer side dish! Love this dressing recipe… perfection!
I’ve recently started making more of my own salad dressings, but haven’t tried poppy seed yet! I can’t wait to try this on a fresh strawberry salad – yum!
This sounds like the perfect dressing for summer salads!
Now I know what to do with this unused bag of poppy seeds that I have in the pantry
I just tried this poppy seed dressing and simply loved it! Thanks for sharing.