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Trader Joe’s Best-Tasting, Healthy Salad Dressings

By Tami Weiser
|
January 7, 2021
Photo Credit: Geraldine Campbell

No more bland lettuce and dull veggies! Trader Joe’s has five healthy salad dressings that should be on your shelf or in your fridge right now. These dressings pack a ton of flavor — without the added sugar, sodium, or unhealthy fats you’d normally find in store-bought salad dressings. This roundup is about to change your grocery shopping game for the better.

1. Organic Cucumber Kefir Dressing, $3

Kefir is a thick, dairy drink that’s loaded with probiotics. Add in organic sunflower oil, a splash of organic white and red vinegars, fresh dill, and plenty of organic cucumber purée and you’ve got a creamy dressing that’s surprisingly refreshing. A two tablespoon serving has no saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or added sugar. In total, it has just 2 grams of sugar from the kefir itself, making it a bargain of health and flavor. Pour it on anything you normally use ranch dressing on.

healthy salad dressings

Photo Credit: Mantou Joe

2. Carrot Miso Ginger Dressing, $4

That delicious bright-orange dressing on your salad whenever you get sushi? That’s a carrot-ginger number and it’s always hit thanks to its sweet-and-savory combination. Trader Joe’s has created a fresh grab-and-go version with no added sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, or cholesterol. In short, you’re getting all the flavor from carrots, salty-savory miso, and zingy ginger. It’s ready for drizzling on salads and wraps, as a dip for dumplings or as a chicken marinade.

copycat trader joe's dressing

Photo Credit: My Quiet Kitchen

3. Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing, $4

This dressing is super-creamy and super-filling dressing. It’s built on the backbone of almond butter, which creates a balanced base for the big, bright flavors of fresh finger, garlic, and lemon zest. The turmeric gives it a savory, earthy quality that pairs exceptionally well with hot and spicy foods. With only 1 gram of added sugars and healthy fats from the almond butter, this is a lively, good-for-you option. Try it on some soba noodles, spaghetti squash or oodles of zoodles with a few edamame to crank the protein up.

Get a recipe: Ginger-Turmeric Dressing from The Quiet Kitchen

healthy salad dressings

4. Green Goddess Salad Dressing, $4

Classic green goddess dressing is an old-school, mayo-based favorite with big herby flavor and a sunny, citrusy edge. This version gets even more zip from a dash of apple cider vinegar, garlic, and green onions. And its creamy texture comes from its avocado base. With no added sugars and healthy fats from extra-virgin olive oil and avocado, this low-carb dressing is pretty much the gold standard for store-bought dressings. Drizzle it with abandon! It’s equally terrific on pasta, roasted veggies, and rotisserie chicken as it is on salad.

healthy salad dressings

5. Organic Toasted Sesame Dressing, $3

Last but not least is this sturdy dressing. The toasted sesame flavor is surely the central theme, but it’s rounded out with soy sauce for added depth and umami. It does contain both eggs and wheat, so if you avoid those, this dressing isn’t for you — and a two tablespoon serving contains 13 grams of fat and 3 grams of sugar from brown sugar and molasses. Still, for a soy-sauce rich product, it only has 200 mg of sodium, and we think of it as more of a dipping sauce or something luxurious to drizzle over roasted veggies, rather than a true salad dressing.

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