In our home, we try to eat healthy salads as often as possible. Salads are not only delicious but also an easy way to increase our vegetable intake (and the essential nutrients that come with them).
But let’s be honest — without a thick, creamy dressing, a salad is just a bowl of leaves! The problem is that store-bought dressings aren’t always that thick and creamy. Even homemade dressings can be tricky to get to the right consistency.
When you’re facing a watery dressing situation, here’s how to fix it.
The most common method for thickening salad dressings is to emulsify the oil and acid with mustard. Other emulsifiers like honey, garlic, tahini, or egg yolk work well too. Thickeners such as cornstarch, flaxseed, or unflavored gums can also do the job.
With so many options out there, choosing the best salad-thickening method can feel overwhelming. Let’s explore these techniques to help YOU decide what works best.
Use an Emulsifier to Thicken Salad Dressing
Oil and acid don’t naturally mix. To achieve a stable solution, you need an emulsifier. For a thick and creamy salad dressing that won’t separate within the hour, an emulsifier will bind the oils and acids together.
Mustard is the most commonly used emulsifier in salad dressings. That’s why it appears in so many recipes and on the ingredient lists of most store-bought dressings.
Simply put, mustard is an excellent emulsifier, plus it adds a nice pungent kick to your dressing (and your salad).
If you’re not a fan of mustard, plenty of other emulsifiers will work. Check out this list of common household items that can emulsify your salad dressing:
- Honey, maple syrup, or agave
- Tahini or peanut butter
- Mashed avocado
- Aquafaba (the whipped liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- Miso paste
- Silken tofu
- Mayonnaise
- Garlic
- Egg yolk
Feel free to combine two or more emulsifiers — we encourage experimentation! You don’t need much — generally, one teaspoon of emulsifier for each tablespoon of dressing will do the trick.
Use a Thickening Agent to Thicken Salad Dressing
Using a thickening agent is probably the most versatile method for thickening all kinds of salad dressings. A thickener not only creates a delightfully creamy texture but also helps stabilize an existing emulsion.
Some thickening agents add texture to your dressing, while others contribute nutritional value to your salad.
How to Thicken Salad Dressing With Flax or Chia Seeds
Both flax and chia seeds have a gelling effect when added to liquid, which will instantly thicken any salad dressing.
Here’s how to thicken dressing with flax seeds (which add a mild nutty flavor):
- Mix 1 tablespoon of flax seeds or chia seeds with 4 tablespoons of water or vinegar
- Whisk the mixture thoroughly and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken
- Add the thickened seed mixture to your salad dressing
Ground flax seeds work best, as they won’t drastically change your dressing’s texture. Since the human body can’t digest whole flax seeds, using ground seeds ensures you get their nutritional benefits.
Whole chia seeds make a good substitute for flax. They’re smaller and won’t affect texture as much. Unlike flax seeds’ mild nutty flavor, chia seeds taste neutral.
How to Thicken Salad Dressing With Cornstarch
Cornstarch makes an excellent dressing thickener since it’s tasteless when prepared correctly, and most of us already have it in our pantries.
Cornstarch needs heat to activate its thickening properties. Follow these simple steps:
- Mix equal parts cornstarch and water
- Heat the mixture in a small pot over low heat, stirring until it “blooms” (the water is absorbed)
- Let the paste cool completely before adding it to your dressing
As a general rule, a tablespoon of cornstarch will thicken a cup of liquid. Be careful not to add too much, or you’ll end up with dressing that’s too thick.
How to Thicken Salad Dressing With Gums
Both xanthan and guar gum work well as salad dressing thickeners. These gums are widely used in commercial dressings. They’re not temperature-sensitive and have no taste.
If you want to use them at home, here’s how:
- Weigh your salad dressing with a kitchen scale
- Measure out 0.1% of your total dressing weight in your chosen gum
- Mix the gum into oil (1 part gum to 5 parts oil)
- Place your dressing in a blender and blend on high to create a vortex
- Slowly pour the gum and oil mixture into the vortex
- Blend for another 30 seconds until the dressing has thickened
Gums expand immediately when they contact liquid. Mixing the gum with oil delays this reaction so the gum can be thoroughly incorporated into the dressing. If you don’t want to add oil, you can use sugar instead.
Things to Consider When Thickening Salad Dressing
Blend the dressing instead of shaking or stirring it. Oil and vinegar don’t naturally mix. Shaking creates a temporary emulsion. Blending creates finer particles that bind more easily, especially when an emulsifier is present.
Use the correct ratio of ingredients. Most salad dressings call for 3 parts oil to 1 part acid. Anything far from this ratio can make your emulsion ineffective, resulting in a thin, vinegary dressing.
Add the oil to the vinegar, not the other way around. Salad dressing is essentially tiny oil droplets suspended in vinegar. For a thick emulsion, respect this by adding the oil slowly to the vinegar while blending rapidly.
Conclusion
The easiest way to thicken salad dressing is to emulsify oil and vinegar with mustard — that’s why mustard is such a common ingredient in dressings. You can easily substitute mustard with honey, garlic, tahini, or other pantry staples.
Thickening agents like cornstarch, chia seeds, and gums can thicken dressing without adding much flavor. Remember to maintain the proper ratio of oil to vinegar for a stable emulsion, and always add the oil slowly to the vinegar for a durable suspension.