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Home Recipes Course Lunch & Dinner Salads The BEST Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing
P Paleo GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy Free V Vegan 30 Whole30

The BEST Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing

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Posted:11/17/17
Updated:5/23/22
almond butter dressing in jar on table with almonds and balsamic vinaigrette in background
almond butter dressing in jar on table with almonds and balsamic vinaigrette in background

Have you tried almond butter dressing yet?? If not, you need to get on it. This Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing can be used in SO many ways – it’s a fan-favorite. Just six ingredients, vegan, paleo and can be made Whole30® friendly with one simple sweetener swap. 

This Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing can be used in SO many ways – it's a fan-favorite. Vegan, paleo and can be made Whole30 with one simple sweetener swap. 

So I feel a little bit on the lame side bringing just a salad dressing recipe to you but here me out…

This Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing is da bomb(dot)com. I’ve made this so many times I’ve lost count. What started out as a newfound love for balsamic dressings turned into a delicious concoction of combining one of my favorite nut butters with balsamic.

I’ve made numerous renditions with tiny variations but they’re basically all the same – AWESOME.

white bowl of salad topped with homemade dressing

I am fairly certain the first time I made this almond butter dressing was for this apple walnut salad.

And then I realized it went really well with brussels sprouts.

And then I made it with cashew butter for this kale & romaine salad. Also lovely. I actually made that salad when celebrating Canada’s Thanksgiving a couple of years ago and our friends were obsessed. I’m telling you, if you want people to try (and love) kale in salads, this almond butter dressing is the way to go.

I even got my father-in-law using it as a sauce for his steak one night.

And THEN I added it to this lovely festive side dish last year for Thanksgiving. Which basically brings us to present time. This balsamic almond butter dressing would be the perfect addition to your salad for any table.

The Best Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing

bottle of homemade dress with white bowl of greens in the background

Basic pantry ingredients needed

  • balsamic vinegar
  • pure maple syrup
  • almond butter (yes you can sub cashew butter!)
  • stone ground mustard
  • minced garlic
  • salt & pepper to taste
ingredients in measure cups and spoons - vinegar, almond butter, maple syrup, oil, and mustard

How to Make Almond Butter Balsamic Dressing

Everything gets mixed into a small food processor or blender (I use my NutriBullet).

You could also use garlic powder and whisk everything together in a bowl. Though I will say I prefer the blender route to get things nice and smooth – sometimes the almond butter is thick and harder to whisk/combine by hand.

Some ingredient swaps:

Maple Syrup – You could sub honey but may have to play with the ratio, as I am not sure honey is sweet enough on its own to help balance out the balsamic vinegar.  You can also sub 2 large pitted Medjool dates if looking for a Whole30 swap.

Almond Butter – I love swapping out the almond butter for cashew butter as well. If working with nut allergies, I assume sunflower seed butter would also taste pretty good! I just haven’t tried that myself. Tahini may be too strong for some, but if you like tahini (sesame seed butter) you can also sub that.

TIP: Don’t be afraid to taste test after blending. I like a good strong balsamic flavor but everyone has different taste buds. Feel free to play around a bit with the balsamic and maple syrup ratio and adjust to your liking.

white bowl of salad topped with homemade dressing and almonds

I hope you guys enjoy! Seriously this is one of my go-to recipes for everything from salads, roasted veggies and even as a chicken or steak sauce.

Let me know if you make it by leaving a comment and rating below! Xx Ashley

Print

Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing

This Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing can be used in SO many ways – it's a fan-favorite. Vegan, paleo and can be made Whole30 with one simple sweetener swap. 
Print Recipe
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★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

Have you tried almond butter dressing yet?? If not, you need to get on it. This Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing can be used in SO many ways – it’s a fan-favorite. Just six ingredients, vegan, paleo and can be made Whole30 with one simple sweetener swap.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: About 8oz bottle 1x
  • Category: salads
  • Method: food processor
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 TBS balsamic vinegar*
  • 1.5 TBS extra virgin olive oil**
  • 3 TBS maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup creamy almond butter (or sub cashew butter)
  • 1.5 TBS stoneground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 2–4 TBS water, to thin for desired consistency

Instructions

  1.  Add all ingredients to small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. I typically add 3 tablespoons. Alternatively you could whisk in medium bowl, but using a blender or food processor is best. 
  2. Taste test the dressing to make sure you’re alright with the vinegar-sweetness ratio, adding more sweetener or more balsamic to taste.
  3. Serve with salads, roasted veggies, or even as a chicken or steak sauce.
  4. Store salad dressing in covered jar in refrigerator up to 1 week. Dressing may get thick after sitting in fridge You can add a little bit of water and stir well with spoon before using.

Notes

*Adjust according to taste. I like a good balsamic vinegar taste but if you’d like you can use less, or even a touch more if you prefer strong. You can also balance out with more or less maple syrup.

**Could sub avocado, almond oil, or even pumpkin seed oil.  

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8th
  • Calories: 100
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Sodium: 181mg
  • Fat: 7g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 8g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 2g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: Balsamic Almond Butter Dressing, healthy salad dressing, balsamic dressing

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @fitmittenkitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #fitmittenkitchen

This post contains some affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase through said links, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support in helping keep Fit Mitten Kitchen up and running. 

About Ashley

"Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy."

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Steph says

    11/21/2017 at 8:35 pm

    I just noticed minced garlic is listed in the pantry ingredients but it’s not in the recipe. If the garlic is to be added I’d love to know how much. Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      11/21/2017 at 9:13 pm

      Ah so sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know. It’s just 1/2 tsp 🙂 I will update!

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    1/12/2019 at 11:17 pm

    This was so great! Wanted something that was hearty but would pair well with some Italian sausage we were grilling. No one could put their finger on the secret ingredient – so delish! I only used about 1.5 TB maple syrup and it was fabulous. Thanks for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      1/13/2019 at 4:45 pm

      Awesome! Glad it was enjoyed 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment and review, Sarah!

      Reply
  3. Lynne says

    3/21/2019 at 11:50 am

    Hi. I’ve just been diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver disease and this recipe has all the ingredients that I’m allowed by the looks of it? Thank you! I simply cannot eat salad without dressing!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      3/22/2019 at 1:15 pm

      So sorry to hear about your diagnosis! I’m sure you’ll find the silver lining in it – sounds like you’ll be finding some new recipes to try 🙂 Hope you enjoy this dressing! <3

      Reply
  4. Kacie-Jo says

    5/22/2019 at 9:16 pm

    I really tweaked this recipe a lot. It’s hard for me to follow a recipe. But, it turned out wonderful. I did a massaged (with lemon and a bit of salt) kale salad with sunflower seeds and red onion. For the dressing, I did not use any oil. I did not add any water. I did not blend it. ? I used agave instead of maple syrup. I used a dash of soy sauce instead of salt. That may be it… But, my non-vegan husband said it tasted like Chick-fil-A sauce. He’s a fan. ? This is going to be a regular thing around this house. Also, garlic and/or red chiles would be amazing… ?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      5/22/2019 at 10:41 pm

      lol Love it! Glad you still found something you liked! My FIL loves this blend too as a steak sauce!

      Reply
  5. Heidi says

    9/3/2019 at 2:15 pm

    Help! Trying to make this right now. I don’t know what stone ground mustard is?? If I don’t have it, is there a substitute I can use?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      9/3/2019 at 2:20 pm

      Hi Heidi! Stone ground mustard is just a type of mustard that’s less processed / more coarse. You can omit or if you have it, use dijon or spicy brown 🙂

      Reply
  6. Jennifer says

    5/5/2020 at 12:12 pm

    The recipe is great! I used avocado oil, dates and added a splash of rice vinegar. I thought it added just a little more to the goodness! Can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  7. Morgyn says

    5/27/2020 at 8:53 pm

    I love this recipe. It’s my go to recipe with a strong taste and limited ingredients

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. SP says

    1/26/2021 at 6:56 pm

    Maple syrup not required. Excellent recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      2/1/2021 at 11:22 am

      So glad you liked! Thanks for sharing and taking the time to comment with a review 😀

      Reply
  9. Sharon mccarthy says

    3/4/2021 at 11:58 am

    Yes, love it!

    Reply
  10. Lydia says

    1/13/2022 at 10:34 pm

    This is great! No changes made. One question – I had to add 1-2 Tbsp water after the 4 I added originally and I had to keep nuking in microwave and shake shake shake to get it to drip drip drip into my salad. Afraid if i leave it on the counter during the day only, day after day, it will go bad. Tips?? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      1/17/2022 at 11:00 am

      Adding water as needed to get the right consistency is normal, especially because different almond butters (and other nut butters) have different consistencies and some are thicker than others. The dressing is best kept/stored refrigerated, but it is fine to set out while you’re making your salad. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.

      Reply
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