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Creamy poppyseed dressing is creamy, sweet, and a little tangy. With just 5 simple ingredients, it’s perfect on top of a fresh green salad and is a must-have in your recipe book!

This dressing is such a simple thing to whip up, you literally just whisk all the ingredients together! And freshly made salad dressing is so good, you’ll be hooked. You’ll definitely want to try this Greek Salad Dressing, this easy Caesar Dressing, and this delicious Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing.

Creamy poppyseed dressing in a glass jar.

Creamy Poppyseed Salad Dressing

You are going to love having this fresh creamy poppyseed dressing in your refrigerator! Just give it a shake before you go to use it. It is perfect over the top of a fruit salad or this cranberry apple pecan salad. The poppyseeds are nutty and burst with flavor in your mouth. I love eating them in lemon poppyseed muffins and I thought I definitely needed to come up with a creamy poppy seed dressing recipe for the blog. And I’m so glad I did, because wow this one is a winner!

There is nothing better than reaching into the fridge and having a fresh salad dressing in a mason jar. The taste is so much better than store bought and you can also switch up the flavors however you like. Homemade dressing won’t last as long as the store bought version because it doesn’t have any preservatives. One little trick I’ve learned over the years is if you wipe the lid after each use, the dressing will stay better longer.

Ingredients

Just a few simple ingredients come together to make this delicious homemade poppy seed dressing. It’s perfect in a chicken salad! You are going to love this fresh and unique flavor that is great with any protein. You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.

  • Mayonnaise: Mayo is the perfect base for the creamy poppyseed dressing because it is already nice and creamy. You could use plain greek yogurt instead.
  • Milk: You can use any kind of milk. I used 2 percent here.
  • Sugar: I like to add a little sugar to balance out the tangy vinegar.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider is what gives this recipe it’s tangy flavor.
  • Poppy Seeds: This of course is the key ingredient!
Process photos showing how to mix up all the ingredients.

Creamy Poppyseed Dressing Recipe

It doesn’t get easier than this poppy seed salad dressing! You literally just put everything in a bowl and whisk it together. Because this isn’t an oil based dressing you don’t have to worry about doing anything special. It is so quick and easy you will have an amazing dressing ready in minutes.

  1. Whisk: In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Serve with salad.

Switch Things Up!

Here are a few tips for making your creamy poppyseed dressing new and interesting. You can really add a lot of different ingredients to make it taste exactly the way you want it.

  • Alternatives to Mayo: You could use sour cream or plain greek yogurt as a substitute for mayo. It is really great either way!
  • Make It Dairy Free: Choose a dairy free mayo and use plant based milk to make this recipe dairy free.
  • Add Flavors: You can add to this recipe! It’s great with mustard and fresh herbs like dried thyme. You can also switch up the flavor by using white wine vinegar instead of apple cider. Get creative with how you use this recipe.
Creamy poppyseed dressing being poured over the top of a fresh salad.

Storing Leftovers

Homemade creamy poppyseed dressing doesn’t last as long as the kind from the store because it doesn’t have any preservatives in it. Here are some tips for storing your leftovers.

  • In the Refrigerator: You can store your dressing in a glass jar or airtight container for up to 5 days.

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Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

5 from 1 vote
By: Alyssa Rivers
Creamy poppyseed dressing is creamy, sweet, and a little tangy. With just 5 simple ingredients, it's perfect on top of a fresh green salad and is a must-have in your recipe book!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 10 Servings

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Serve with salad.

Notes

Updated February 17, 2023
Originally Posted July 28, 2012

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 50mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 6IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dressing
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This poppy seed dressing is superb! Thank you!

    It is exactly what a poppy seed dressing should taste like. Thickness of the dressing is excellent for coverage and clinging to salad vegetables. It’s economical to make. The recipe is sized for a practical amount of dressing for two people. I also appreciate that it is made with kitchen staples (plus poppy seeds). I made it exactly as directed. It can be made just before serving it, with only a few minutes of resting time to hydrate the poppy seeds. Initially, I thought that the quantity of poppy seeds would be too much, but it’s actually perfect, and visually appealing too.

    It’s a real pleasure to find a recipe that I don’t have to struggle with.

  2. This recipe literally (and figuratively) saved my bacon! I was making a salad for a large gathering and my other salad dressing that I tried making totally flopped. BUT luckily I found your easy and delicious recipe and my salad was a hit!

  3. I made a few changes to this – 1/3 cup of buttermilk, 1/4 cup of Miracle Whip and used Splenda rather than sugar – about 2 TBSP of the Splenda as it is very sweet – cuts down on the calories. This is soooo good.

    1. Had me at buttermilk, lost me at miracle whip. Made this with Dukeโ€™s mayo and it was amazing. Plan to try it with buttermilk and yogurt. Maybe will switch out sugar for honey or agave.

  4. OMG! BEST DRESSING EVER!! HAVE FOUND SO MANY USES FOR THIS CREAMY DRESSING…SANDWICHES, SALADS, BURGERS, STEAK, CHICKEN, FISH…I COULD GO ON & ON!!
    THANKS FOR THE RECIPE AS IT’S A “KEEPER”!!

  5. Tried it…LOVED it! I have been looking for a poppy seed dressing since our honeymoon, this is better. Thanks for sharing. I have made some other of your recipes as well and I have yet to be dissapointed. Please continue to share.