Creamy Sunflower Seed Dressing

This sunflower seed dressing is rich and savory and made with lemon, garlic, and miso. You'll love it on everything from salads and raw veggies to potatoes and grains. It's a great dressing for meal prep and pairs well with so many dishes!

Only 6 ingredients (plus water and salt) and about 10 minutes to make a batch. Sunflower dressing is vegan and made without oil, refined sugar or gluten.

This creamy sunflower seed salad dressing is full of classic, savory dressing flavors like lemon and garlic, and it's a great sauce for meal prep because it pairs well with so many foods.

Use it as a dip for raw vegetables, spread for sandwiches, mayo replacement in chickpea salad, and even a topping for baked potatoes.

I actually created this dressing especially for this Creamy Vegan Kale Salad recipe, so be sure to check that out!

Experiment with adding your favorite flavors like smoky chipotle, roasted garlic, curry, or fresh cilantro. The base flavors of lemon and garlic taste great with so many ingredients!

Another thing we love about homemade salad dressings like this is that you can tweak the acidity and salt to your heart's content and really make it your own. I hope you love this sunflower dressing as much as we do!

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• How to Make Sunflower Dressing
• Serving Suggestions
• Variations
• Equipment Needed
• Don't have a high-speed blender?
• More Ways to Use Sunflower Seeds
• Storage
• More oil-free and nut-free dressings:
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredient Notes

• sunflower seeds - look for hulled raw sunflower seeds, often found in the bulk section of the grocery store. These are more mild than roasted sunflower seeds, and don't give the dressing a strong "sunbutter" flavor.
• lemon juice - adds a fresh, brightness to the dressing while still remaining mild in acidity.
• miso - healthy, fermented miso is a great way to add savoriness and salt to the dressing. If you don't have miso, increase salt to taste. Not familiar with miso? See this post: What is miso?
• fresh garlic - I haven't tested the recipe yet with garlic powder as a substitute, but that's always an option.
• maple syrup - or agave nectar.
• crushed red pepper - optional, but we really love the subtle warmth it adds.

See recipe card below for quantities and full recipe.

How to Make Sunflower Dressing

Preparing this pantry-friendly, dairy-free salad dressing is simple and only takes a few minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Pair this creamy sunflower seed dressing with:

• raw veggies and as a dip for a vegetable platter
• baked or roasted potatoes and french fries
• as a dressing for kale salad
• spread for sandwiches and burgers
• sour cream substitute for baked potatoes
• a mayo replacement in chickpea salad
• and as a sauce for bean and grain bowls

Variations

• Mild - omit the red pepper flakes.
• Spicy - increase the red pepper flakes to taste, or add a small squeeze of sriracha or other spicy chile sauce.
• Herb - add a large handful of cilantro or a combination of parsley and dill or cilantro. Delicious!

Need more sauce ideas? Try our Tahini Salad Dressing 5 Ways.

Equipment Needed

A high-speed blender works best for creating ultra smooth sauces and dressings, but if you're working with a standard blender there's always a way....

Don't have a high-speed blender?

Soaking the sunflower seeds in hot water first helps with blending. To do it:

Place raw sunflower seeds in a bowl. Bring some water to boiling, and pour over the seeds, just enough to cover. Let soak 30 minutes to 1 hour, drain and rinse under cold water, and proceed with the recipe.

Another option is to blend only the seeds and water first, then strain through a nut milk bag to remove any unblended bits. Return the sunflower cream back to the blender and combine with the remaining ingredients.

More Ways to Use Sunflower Seeds

• creamy dill dressing
• vegan ranch dressing
• nut-free vegan mac and cheese
• sunflower seed pie crust
• sunflower seed flour
• sunbutter & chickpea non-dairy ice cream

Storage

Store dressing tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Sunflower seed dressing is freezer-friendly. If separation occurs whisk or blend to return to its normal creamy consistency.

More oil-free and nut-free dressings:

Recipe