Simple Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing with Ginger

Honey mustard dressing is the easiest thing to make at home! Free of questionable ingredients, this simple homemade salad dressing take just a few minutes to make, and tastes vibrantly flavorful. You will never need (or want!) to buy honey mustard dressing again!

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Salad dressing can make the salad! You may or may not love greens. The other toppings on a salad may be delicious on their own. But the dressing is what pulls those elements together and makes them shine.

Needless to say, salad dressing should taste good. It should also complement the different ingredients in the salad in a way that makes them works together as more than the sum of their parts. The dressing matters!

The flavors of the salad and its dressing aren’t the only box to check in choosing a dressing, though. Most store-bought salad dressings just aren’t that good for us. Even pricier dressings aren’t exactly enhancing our health!

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What is in Salad Dressing?

Well, salad dressing ingredients vary. Let’s leave the vinaigrette dressings, a large and delicious set of options, for another day.

Creamy dressings from the store vary, but they all contain something I don’t really want to eat myself or serve to my family. The salad is supposed to be good for us! If the dressing works against us, then I would prefer a different dressing.

It has been several years since I purchased honey mustard dressing, so I checked a local grocery store where I often shop. Surprisingly, they had only two money mustard dressings. Both had problems.

Here are some of common dressing ingredients I steer clear of:

Colors

This is a no-brainer for me. Unless the color is coming from turmeric or beets or something, I don’t want them. No artificial colors, and certainly nothing with a number in it! These are just not food, however small the quantity.

Artificial colors have been linked to all sorts of problems, including neurological and brain issues, digestive problems, cancers, and more.

They are also totally unnecessary! I am happy to eat real food in its own, natural color. Many real foods are vibrantly colored– with their God-given color– and when they are pale, I eat them pale. For more about artificial colors, check this article.

No, the food industry and the government do not regulate harmful ingredients away– you need to do that yourself. Thankfully, it is easy! Both the honey mustard dressings I looked at contain Yellow 5.

Preservatives

Most dressings from the store include some sort of preservative, often several of them. It makes a certain sense– you open the dressing, have a little, and stick in in the fridge. Have you ever used one a couple of months later? I have, and they tend to be still good.

However, they aren’t good in every way. Those preservatives delay spoiling pretty well, but many preservatives that are considered “safe” are also linked to a long list of diseases– hormone, reproductive, neurological, brain, cancer, and far more. Maybe a little now and then won’t cause too much harm, but it all adds up. Even a small dose is not really a thing I want.

Sugar

In the case of honey mustard dressing, you expect some sugar– in the form of honey. A quality honey offers health benefits along with the sugar, and is not heavily processed. For many people, a good honey is not a health concern.

Neither of the dressings I looked at contained any honey at all. They did contain sugar, though less than I imagined. 6 grams per 2 tablespoons.

Many dressings contain corn syrup or other highly processed sugars that are worse than honey. These 2 did not, though.

Highly processed oils

“Seed oils” are having a moment of infamy, at last. These highly processed oils are the same ones we used to be told– and still are told by some– are better for us! I am talking about canola, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, safflower, and rice bran oils.

“Seed” might not be the best way to describe the oils to avoid– I am not worried, for example, about cold-pressed, unrefined black cumin seed oil. A certain amount of omega-6 oil, such as evening primrose oil, is not a huge concern, either.

Heavily processed oils are the ones that, whatever benefits they have, aren’t a food at all, as I see it. I used to use canola oil; “they” said it was good. I quit using it maybe 10 years ago after learning more about the bleaching, solvents, and more that are needed to make it remotely edible.

For a quick look at how canola oil is made from the rapeseed, read this or watch this 4-minute video. (The questionable part is in the second half. You can also read more about the risks versus benefits of “seed oils” here.

Both the dressings I looked at had soybean oil as one of the top ingredients.

Finally, I checked a bottle of dressing from a brand I consider to be “better-for-you” but have never bought. It costs $8, and I bought it on half price from Sprouts.

It isn’t honey mustard. It is indeed much better– the only ingredient I didn’t like was sunflower oil. Everything else was great, and the sunflower oil, depending on how exactly it was processed, may not be that bad. Definitely not like soybean oil! But, $8 for a 10-oz bottle? Yikes!

Just Make Your Own!

This is my solution for most items. Start with good ingredients you understand, and make simple things that taste good. It sounds time-intensive, and it could be for some things. Not so much for salad dressing, though.

If you go through a lot of dressing, make a big batch! I tend to keep 2-3 dressings on hand. When we run out, I make more, but maybe different ones.

What you need to make honey mustard dressing

• honey— I thought this was obvious, but no– the store ones don’t necessarily even include honey! A good quality, local raw honey is ideal
• mustard— you could make your own, but I can usually find one I feel good about us eating– either yellow mustard or brown mustard– if you like, Dijon mustard
• oil— I use either olive or avocado– olive will thicken the dressing too much in the refrigerator, so I pull it out while I make dinner and in 10-15 minutes it is the right consistency again
• sour cream— home-cultured, raw cream would be the gold standard (and essential on the GAPS diet)– just use the best quality you can manage
• mayonnaise— usually made of low-quality oils, you can buy better versions. I make my own, usually with avocado oil. Using an immersion blender, it takes maybe 2 minutes with this recipe and tastes better than store bought!
• ginger— not a typical ingredient in honey mustard dressing, but so good! Start with 1 tsp if you are unsure, and increase to suit. It adds a bright flavor!
• salt, pepper, and lemon juice

Can I make this honey mustard dressing GAPS compliant?

You can! Use 24-hour cultured cream, homemade mayo, and check your mustard ingredients. You can make the mustard if you can’t find one at the store.

How to Make Honey Mustard Dressing

The making is easy! Peel and chop or grate the ginger. Assemble all the ingredients.

Put everything into a wide mouth jar– I used a pint jar, but you could use a quart jar and double or triple the recipe if you go through a lot.

Whiz it all up with an immersion blender until smooth. (Or use a regular blender or food processor.)

Adjust the seasonings as you like. You may adjust the consistency as well. I don’t like it super thin, but I want to pour it, not spoon it. If I wanted a dip for veggies or chicken fingers, for example, I would make it thicker.

If it is too thick, I usually add a tablespoon of water at a time. More oil or lemon juice could work, too.

If it is too thin, add more sour cream, mayo or some of each.

Since we like to pour our dressings, I use a wide mouth jar to make them, then add this lid with a close-able pour spout and handle. It saves on cleanup and makes the dressing convenient to use and store. I also use these for sauces, like berry sauce for pancakes. Use a dry-erase marker on the lid to identify the contents!

Customize Honey Mustard Dressing

• skip the ginger. I recommend it, but you don’t have to use it.
• try garlic. It is good with a clove of garlic, but not as good as ginger.
• choose your preferred oil. Avocado works the best. I like some good olive oil in our diet and often use it in this recipe– just pull it out and let it come to room temp while you make dinner. It won’t pour well with cold olive oil.
• sub thick yogurt for the sour cream, or use milk kefir, but be aware that the dressing will be thinner.
• dairy free? Use all mayo or try a non-dairy yogurt. A dairy free sour cream substitute also works.
• egg free? Skip the mayo and use only sour cream. It will taste different, but good.
• use apple cider vinegar in place of lemon juice. Use more or less of either according to your preference.
• increase or decrease the honey, the mustard, or both. It just depends on how you like it!

Now you can have your honey mustard dressing in a few minutes, and feel good about the ingredients! Did I mention that homemade honey mustard dressing tastes better than anything in the store! Try it and find out!