Low-Calorie Salad Dressing with Balsamic and Yogurt: Quick To Mix
Sneak Preview: This low-calorie salad dressing with balsamic and yogurt is quick, easy, and low-calorie! Made with yogurt, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, Dijon, honey, and olive oil—it’s a must-try!
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Do you ever get stuck in a rut with salad dressing? If so, I feel your pain. I eat a huge salad almost every day. Variety is key to sustaining the habit and keeping it interesting.
Sweet-and-sour honey and balsamic flavors shine, with subtle umami notes from soy sauce and Dijon mustard. Creamy Greek yogurt ties it all together, delivering complex flavors in this simple, easy recipe.
Six Reasons To Keep This Dressing Recipe On Hand
- Fresh taste
- Common, year-round ingredients
- No blender or food processor needed
- Customizable to your taste
- Cheaper than store-bought
- Easy to portion for office salads
Happy Cooks Speak Up
“This recipe is so wonderful! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking to make, so that I can recreate all my favorite salads from restaurants. Thanks so much! “—ANNE
I wanted something easy, filling, and always on hand when creating this recipe. That’s when I turned to my favorite food group—yogurt.
Why Add Greek yogurt to a Salad Dressing?
- Creamy texture
- Low-calorie option
- Milder than regular yogurt
- High in protein
- Greek yogurt is widely available
- Always in my fridge (homemade, optional)
Substituting nonfat Greek yogurt for some of the oil makes the calorie count more reasonable. My personal standard for salad dressing is 80 calories or below per serving. This recipe comes in at 53 calories per serving (2 tablespoons).
Ingredients and Substitutions
- BALSAMIC VINEGAR:
- Substitute white vinegar, apple vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
- Cheaper balsamic vinegar is sufficient. Save the expensive stuff for the spotlight*
- LIGHT SOY SAUCE:
- Use coconut aminos or regular soy sauce
- Skip added salt with regular soy sauce.
- DIJON MUSTARD:
- Mustard adds umami
- Substitute your favorite mustard
- HONEY:
- Substitute suggestion: maple syrup
- GREEK YOGURT:
- Fat-free for the lowest calories
- Regular yogurt works but with a thinner consistency
- OLIVE OIL:
- Extra-virgin preferred
- Any fresh vegetable oil is acceptable
- SALT:
- Taste before adding due to soy sauce saltiness
FAQ
QUESTION: What makes one balsamic vinegar more expensive than another?
ANSWER: How long the vinegar has aged makes a big difference–the longer, the better. If the vinegar is thick and syrupy, it’s more likely to be expensive. Cheaper balsamic vinegar contains a lot of red wine and caramel coloring.
QUESTION: What foods go best with this dressing?
ANSWER: Try this Balsamic and Yogurt Salad Dressing with a lettuce, fruit, and nut combo. It pairs perfectly with chicken and sliced oranges, dried cranberries and almonds, dried blueberries, and toasted pecans. It’s also great with romaine, teriyaki chicken, and pineapple. For a twist, serve it as a dip on a relish plate instead of Ranch dressing.
Incidentally, a serving of salad dressing is usually two tablespoons. Going overboard is easy. Whenever I’m being obsessive and measuring it out, two tablespoons is rarely enough. Just sayin’.
Parting Thoughts: If you enjoy making salad dressings, check out my Creamy Strawberry Yogurt Salad Dressing. Or, if you want to make mayonnaise that lasts longer than most homemade mayonnaise, try this mayonnaise made with a small amount of yogurt whey.
One of my favorite homemade dressings comes from Sally at Real Mom Nutrition for White Balsamic Viniagrette. Her recipe calls for white balsamic vinegar and other herbs. If you can find the vinegar, it’s a breeze to put together.
Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
Low-Calorie Salad Dressing Recipe with Balsamic and Yogurt
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (57 g) balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons (23 g) Dijon mustard
- 1½ tablespoons (32 g) honey
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or avocado or canola oil)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Whisk ¼ cup (57 g) balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons (23 g) Dijon mustard, 1½ tablespoons (32 g) honey, 3 tablespoons (42 g) nonfat Greek yogurt, ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon table salt together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Store in the fridge in a Mason jar.
Notes
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
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Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.