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Bright and flavorful, this creamy curry dressing takes a boring salad to the next level. This salad dressing is made without yogurt and paleo-diet friendly as well, it’s a great way to mix up your salad game!
Creamy Curry Salad Dressing
This recipe was actually inspired by the most amazing kale salad (do people ever say that?!) that I’ll be posting next. I’m not sure if it was the combination of the scenery of Big Sur or just the fact that I was so happy to be done with our IVF treatments, but I ordered this salad every chance I got while on our trip. Can you tell I’m currently dreaming of the days we can all travel agai?
I rarely see curry dressings on menus and it’s actually kind of surprising to me. I think it really livens it up and gives it a great flavor that’s so much more unique than your basic ranch or honey mustard. If you have a bottle of curry in your pantry, give this a try.
This dressing is not heavy like your traditional creamy dressing, but just enough to coat the lettuce or kale in delicious, tangy flavor. And the real benefit is this is curry dressing without yogurt! Yogurt is one of my biggest migraine triggers, and is meant to be an eliminated item on most migraine diets. Now the original salad did contain yogurt at the base, but upon double checking with our waiter, it didn’t have any in the dressing – a win for me! I was easily able to omit it from my order.
Curry Dressing Ingredients
The creaminess from this dressing comes from the added mayonnaise. My favorite brand that’s store-bought is Sir Kensington’s Organic, however you can always make your own with these recipes.
Traditional Mayo
Aquafaba Mayo (Vegan, Egg-less)
The curry powder you want is just the traditional curry powder. It will often just say “Curry Powder” on the bottle. If you can’t find this in the spice aisle, I can always find it in the bulk spice area or on Amazon.
Madras curry powder works as well here. The ingredients are usually migraine-friendly, but always double check.
McCormick Curry Powder
Madras Curry Powder
How to Serve
So what does a curry dressing go well with? Well there are actually quite a few options once I really sat down and though about it. Here are a few of my ideas…I personally can’t wait to test it out with grilled chicken.
Here are some ideas:
- Kale and Cauliflower Salad (coming soon!)
- Spinach salad
- Salmon
- Mixed with rotisserie chicken for chicken salad.
- As a dip for carrots or celery
- As a marinade for grilled chicken breasts
Other Favorite Dressings
Is curry not your thing? That’s totally fine! Don’t forget to check out some of these other options.
Honey Mustard Ranch
Italian Dressing
Traditional Homemade Ranch
Maple Vinaigrette
Ginger Sesame Dressing
Creamy Curry Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the mayo with the curry, vinegar, and honey or maple syrup in a small container. Whisk in the oil slowly (I like to use a mild oil like avocado or sunflower/canola) till well combined. The mixture should be bright yellow and creamy. If it needs to be thinned a little, you can add water, but remember it will thicken in the fridge as it chills.
- Allow the dressing at least 30 minutes to chill and combine flavors.
Notes
- I prefer to use a mild oil like avocado or sunflower/canola, but feel free to use any oil that you have on hand...except sesame.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long would it keep in the fridge? I love this dressing so much I want to make bigger batches ahead!! But I want to make sure I prepare the right amount so none goes to waste 🙂
I keep mine for about a week, but it rarely lasts that long!
This recipe is so simple and delicious! I just made it and put it on a salad with Bibb lettuce, honey crisp apple slices, candy pecans, blue cheese and sliced scallions. It will definitely be my go to recipe for salads.
Thank you for the recipe!!
Wow, thank you, Mary! That sounds amazing.
This is an absolutely simple and delicious dressing recipe! I’ve used it a few times now to dress a salad of mixed spring greens, blueberries, parmesan, and bacon bits, taken to potlucks, and there have never been leftovers. This would be terrific on so many different types of dishes – heck, I bet it would even be good over vanilla ice cream! I prefer to use honey and I triple the amount, otherwise I make this as written. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much, Michael. I agree. I appreciate your kind review!
I used a combination of light sour cream and mayonnaise to lighten the calorie load. I also put in less oil. It tasted amazing. Next time I want to try using low-fat plain Greek yogurt to replace some of the Mayo. I’m sure the original recipe is amazing but if you are trying to cut back on calories this recipe is still great with a few changes.
Love this recipe so much! I use it on my kale salads almost every day, so I make sure to always have a batch made up.
So happy to hear that, Sam! It’s a favorite of mine too!
Easy! We did this with chicken salad – thanks for a great recipe.
So delicious!! I actually use this to dip chicken – grilled and fried. Great recipe