Here’s a surprise for many people: most salad dressings, mayonnaise, pesto and many dips are mostly oil. A couple of tablespoons of a regular dressing can add more fat than the rest of the meal put together. So when you leave out the oil, dressings and sauces are one of the most important things to swap.
Swapping out fats and oils, a four-part guide:
How to cook without oil
Oil-free baking swaps
Oil-free dressings, sauces and dips (you are here)
Swapping butter, margarine, cheese and spreads
The four-part dressing formula
You don’t need a recipe for every dressing. Once you know the formula, you can make endless variations from what’s in your fridge.
Five oil-free dressings to start with
| Dressing | What’s in it |
|---|---|
| Balsamic mustard | Balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, a little maple syrup and water |
| Creamy lemon herb | White beans, lemon juice, garlic, fresh herbs and water, blended |
| Ginger soy | Rice vinegar, salt-reduced soy sauce, ginger, garlic and a little maple |
| Mango lime | Mango, lime juice, coriander and a pinch of chilli, blended |
| Creamy “ranch” | Silken tofu or white beans, lemon, garlic and onion powder, dill and chives |
Creamy sauces without cream or oil
- “Cheesy” sauce: blend cooked potato and carrot with nutritional yeast, a little Dijon, lemon and garlic. Wonderful on pasta, nachos and steamed broccoli.
- Creamy white sauce: blend steamed cauliflower or white beans with garlic, a little plant milk and nutritional yeast.
- Gravy: thicken low-salt stock with cornflour, then add sautéed onion, mushrooms and a splash of soy sauce.
- Pesto: blend basil, garlic, lemon, nutritional yeast and white beans or a little stock instead of oil and pine nuts.
Dips
- Oil-free hummus: chickpeas, lemon, garlic, cumin and a little of the chickpea liquid (aquafaba) instead of oil. Leave out the tahini in the Elimination phase.
- White bean dip: cannellini beans, lemon, garlic and rosemary.
- Beetroot dip: roasted beetroot, white beans, lemon and cumin.
- Salsa: tomato, onion, coriander, lime and chilli is naturally oil-free.
Mayonnaise swaps
Regular mayonnaise is around 75 to 80% fat. Instead, blend silken tofu or white beans with lemon juice, a little Dijon mustard, garlic and a splash of apple cider vinegar. It’s perfect for potato salad, coleslaw and sandwiches.
Store-bought options
Some supermarkets now stock oil-free or “fat-free” dressings. Check the label: look for no oil in the ingredients, and check the sugar and sodium too. Salsa, mustard, balsamic glaze and sweet chilli sauce (in small amounts) are handy oil-free extras.
Watch and make
Our Cook with Honeycomb videos include oil-free salad dressings, hummus three ways, mayonnaise three ways and game-changing sauces for bowls and potatoes.
Recipes from our library
- Creamy White Bean & Lemon Hummus Dip
- Cumin Mango Dressing
- Creamy Mustard & Thyme Dressing
- Raspberry Dressing
- Cheezy Creamy Pasta
A great dressing is tangy, a little sweet, creamy and full of flavour. Oil was never the part that made it taste good.
References
- Esselstyn CB Jr et al. A way to reverse CAD? Journal of Family Practice. 2014;63(7):356-364b.
How Honeycomb can help
You don’t have to work this out alone
This information is general education and is not a substitute for individual advice. Please speak with your health practitioner before making changes, especially if you take prescribed medication.
Keep going
You’re not doing this alone
This information is general education and is not a substitute for individual advice. Please speak with your health practitioner before making changes, especially if you take prescribed medication.
