8 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes (Paleo + Whole30) (2024)

FAQs

What salad dressing is allowed on Whole30? ›

What salad dressings are Whole30 Approved? Tessemae's, Primal Kitchen, Whole30 Brand, The New Primal, Thrive Market, and Primal Kitchen all make Whole30 friendly salad dressings.

Nearly all forms of vinegar, including white, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, and rice, are allowed during Whole30 program. Added sugar, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, date syrup, stevia, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, etc.

Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word “creamy” will be the unhealthiest. The exception? We like products made with healthy swaps—think Greek yogurt in place of mayo or heavy cream.

Ranch Dressing

The ranch is hands down America's most beloved salad dressings. It is made from a number of ingredients such as buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, onion, chives, salt, and pepper. A creamier and richer version often features sour cream or yogurt for enhanced taste.

Our Applegate Organics® Roast Beef, Applegate Naturals® Prosciutto, and the majority of our carrageenan-free poultry deli meats are Whole30 Approved®.

And at the top of that list? Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.

So the next time you're dressing a salad, reach for the balsamic vinegar–in the long run, not ingesting that extra fat and sugar makes a big difference!

Oil and vinegar.

In general, dressings with fewer ingredients tend to be healthier. And it doesn't get any simpler than oil and vinegar. “This is a great option, because it won't have any added sugar or salt,” says Allers.

So, is vinegar Paleo? The short answer is yes, if it's made from Paleo-friendly ingredients (like apples). So, while apple cider vinegar is okay in moderation, rice wine vinegar and other vinegars from non-Paleo ingredients are the exception.

Are bananas okay on Whole30? ›

Yes, both pickles and bananas are allowed on Whole30. Yet if they are a potential trigger food for you (for instance, the sweetness of bananas sets off a craving for other treats or makes you want to binge on the fruit), then you may consider including them on your “don't eat” list.

​ Balsamic Vinegar is paleo. Balsamic Vinegar is likely suitable for a paleo diet. Use the free Fig app to quickly check if ingredients like balsamic vinegar are paleo.

Add herbs and spices to give your salad bold flavors of the world. Mix in different combinations of fresh and dried herbs and spices to achieve different flavors. Try fresh oregano, basil, and thyme for an Italian-style flavor, or cumin, coriander, and sumac for a Middle Eastern vibe, for example.

Harris-Pincus explains, "Those looking to follow a lower-carb plan or people watching added sugars would do better avoiding sweeter dressings like Honey Mustard, Thousand Island, French or Catalina, and choose oil and vinegar or a balsamic vinaigrette."

But add-ons like tortilla strips, cheese, croutons, candied nuts and bacon bits can negate the whole point of eating a salad for health and weight-loss reasons, Burak says.

Store-bought yellow mustard, hot sauce and vinegar are normally free of all sweeteners and are thus fair game on Whole30. Not all condiments are created equal though, so it's important to continue checking your labels.

Mayonnaise the condiment is definitely allowed, but “standard” mayonnaise like Hellman's is not, since it almost always has sugar, canola oil, soybean oil, etc. This Whole30 mayo is absolutely compliant, but if you need to buy some in a pinch, check out Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo.

Most vinegar (including white, red wine, balsamic, apple cider, and rice) and alcohol-based botanical extracts (like vanilla, lemon, or lavender) are allowed during your Whole30 program. (Just not malt-based vinegar or extracts, which will be clearly labeled as such, as they are presumed to contain gluten.)

Extra virgin olive oil is approved and Whole30 compliant. Regular olive oil (aka pure olive oil) and light tasting oil are also approved by the authors. While on the Whole30 plan, you should avoid most packaged salad dressings and mayonnaise. Most of these products are made with seed oils and are not compliant.