Sunshine Salad Dressing
This creamy honey-mustard salad dressing recipe is lightened up with Greek yogurt. No mayo here! This homemade dressing is easy to make, too. I love it so much that I nicknamed it "sunshine salad dressing."
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 1, 2024
Let’s rewind to my trip to Costa Rica last month with my grandmother. It was the last day on our group trip, and we arrived at Sibu for our final dinner together. Sibu produces the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted, and they greeted us with rum-spiked, spiced hot chocolate.
I was literally a kid in a candy store all night as they presented a lesson in chocolate history (with wine and chocolate) and moved on to an incredible dinner.
After appetizers, they handed us chopped salads that looked fairly basic at first glance—I remember lettuce, tomato, avocado, feta and dressing. Then I took a bite and forgot about chocolate for a minute. That dressing!
I immediately tracked down the owner of the place to ask about it. He said it was a “honey-Dijon vinaigrette with yogurt base” and I vowed to recreate it at home. Mind you, this dressing is quite different from a classic vinaigrette.
I started with the honey-mustard vinaigrette that I made for my cookbook, which I love as written. I reduced the oil and added plain Greek yogurt until it tasted like the dressing at Sibu.
This dressing is essentially a creamy honey-mustard dressing made with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. It offers a more luxurious texture than any other honey-mustard dressing I’ve tried. I’m usually skeptical of using yogurt in place of mayonnaise or sour cream (mayo and sour cream have their place), but this salad dressing wouldn’t be the same without it.
Healthy Honey-Mustard Dressing
The only problem with this dressing is that “honey-Dijon vinaigrette with yogurt base” doesn’t do it justice. “Healthy honey-mustard dressing” sounds bland, and “creamy honey-mustard dressing” doesn’t quite capture the tangy deliciousness of the yogurt.
I dubbed it “Sunshine Salad Dressing” since it brightens up my salads so well. I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer, so I’m sharing it today for all of your side salad needs. The recipe yields a lot (almost 1 1/2 cups). I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finishing it off. It makes a stellar dip for vegetables, too!
I’ve been keeping a big jar of it in my fridge for the past couple of weeks, and it goes with just about everything. Try this honey-mustard dressing with any of the following:
- Fresh greens of any kind
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Carrots
- Apples
- Bell peppers
- Goat cheese, feta or cheddar cheese
- Sunflower seeds, pecans, or almonds
Don’t miss my sunshine slaw with quinoa or my roasted and raw carrot salad with avocado, which both call for this dressing. I have more salads over here.
Please let me know how you like this honey-mustard dressing in the comments! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Watch How to Make Sunshine Dressing
Sunshine Salad Dressing
This creamy honey-mustard salad dressing recipe is lightened up with Greek yogurt. No mayo here! It’s so easy to whisk this dressing together. Recipe yields almost 1 ½ cups and keeps well for 10 to 14 days.
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (any % fat will do)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 3 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or more lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients as listed. Whisk until blended. Taste, and season with additional pepper if necessary.
- This dressing is intentionally bold, but if it tastes too tart for your liking, whisk in another tablespoon of honey.
- Store leftover salad dressing in the refrigerator, covered, for 10 to 14 days.
Notes
Make it dairy free: If you have a favorite unsweetened dairy-free plain yogurt, it should work well here.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
So good! I had to make with mayo bc no yogurt on-hand. (Blasphemous, I know! ) All four kids loved, and my 4 year old mustard lover kept sneaking his spoon into the bowl. Forget the Brussels sprouts, he preferred just a bowl of the dressing!
Always good recipes from you, Kate!
That’s great your kiddo loved this so much! Thank you for sharing, Erika.
So delicious!! I was looking for a honey mustard that didn’t have mayo and this was perfect!!
Do you think Bulgarian yogurt would be too tart to use instead of the Greek yoghurt?
Made this before having people over for dinner as I don’t like using store dressings. It was amazing! Definitely a hit & will be writing this one down to make again. So helpful to have leftovers of it when I feel like a salad with extra flavour
It is absolutely delicious! Thanks a lot for the recipe!
I can’t remember the last time I commented on a recipe and that very well could mean that I never have. But this dressing is so bright, so perfectly put together that I just had to. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m glad you tried this recipe and let me know your thoughts, Casey!
Can this sauce be used for baked ham?
love it! bring joy in your mouth even in a cold day !
This is my favorite dressing right now! It gives me a great reason to whip up a salad. YUM!
I’m so happy to hear that, Courtney! Thanks for commenting.
Would this dressing work without the mustard? I DESPISE it!!
Hi Laura, sorry you don’t love mustard. You could leave it out, although it’s a big flavor in this dressing. I’m not sure how it would be without it.
S P O T ON.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for recipe. Merry Christmas from Malaysia.
Thank you, Michelle!
I made this dressing last night and it’s delicious! My new favorite. Thanks!
I was searching for a new dressing, and this caught my eye. I don’t usually take time to comment, but WOW! Smooth, creamy, spicy from the garlic and pepper. Simple, yet delicious!
Fantastic this one fit just what you were looking for, Mari! I appreciate your review.
My favorite dressing. Great flavor!
Thank you, Karen!
Could you please give the calorie count per tablespoon?
I just started a diet that counts calories and doing my best to keep track
Hi Jo! The serving and nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe. You need to click to expand and ensure you allow cookies in your browser.
I have always been a Ranch dressing girl…..but in an effort to clean up my diet, I came across this recipe. Oh my goodness! Delicious!! My new favorite.
Love it! Thank you for your review, JoDale!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Its mine and husbands favorite dressing at the moment! I have to confess though that I have used a good yellow mustard as I don’t like Dijon. It tastes delicious!!!
I’m glad you loved it, Renata!
Made as directed. ……very lovely dressing Different and refreshing
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Susan!
This was absolutely delicious! I didn’t make any modifications but I will definitely make this again.
Absolutely love this dressing, great flavor!! But I put a little too much garlic in it, how do you get rid of that strong garlic flavor?? S
So yummy!!! Good that you don’t need to buy anything special to make it most things in the pantry. 5
I’m glad you loved it, Carol!
I’m trying different salad dressing as I’m bored with the same old vinegar and oil combinations. Your recipe was good-too much mustard for my taste. Diluted with more yogurt and honey and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been looking for a lighter version of honey mustard dressing (my favorite) and just about every recipe has missed the mark and felt like too much of a compromise on flavor – except this one. I made it exactly as instructed and it’s phenomenal! The nutritional content aligns well with my meal plan and I don’t feel like I’m “eating healthy” with this one. ;) Thank you!
You’re welcome, Erika! Thank you for your review.
Phenomenal!!
Do you think whole grain mustard would be a nice substitute for the Dijon? Thanks! :)
Yes, I believe so!
Thank u for sharing this recipe! It’s so delicious, I’m using it on everything! U really create the best food, Kate, I eat from your recipes almost everyday ❤❤❤
Hi Kate, I made the dressing but it was a little bit lumpy. Did I not blend it long enough? It was delicious and will definitely keep this as a staple! Thank you:)
Hi Jackie! Sounds like it needs more whisking, yes. Sometimes I find that Dijon mustard needs to warm up a bit before it will fully incorporate. So glad you enjoyed it!
I just realized that I commented on the wrong dressing…I meant to ask about the Carrot Ginger dressing…
I have a question regarding this salad dressing. I love everything about it and I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried it with a kale salad. It seems it might be a bit too heavy for the kale but I need your feedback. Thank you so much, I appreciate your time.
Hi Linda! I haven’t tried this dressing over a kale salad, but I don’t think a dressing could be too heavy for kale salad—it can really handle a lot.
I think i could drink this, too with a celery stick.
My favorite dressing make it all the time, love the yogurt base.
Loved it!
Hello, how long will this keep in the fridge? Thanks
Store leftover salad dressing in the refrigerator, covered, for 10 to 14 days.
I don’t have lemons…can I substitute limes?
Sure, you can try it. Slight change in flavor, but should still work.
This is fantastic!! Quick and easy but so delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kristina!
The best salad dressing I have ever tasted. I am always looking for healthy stuff that tastes good.
Kate – I have mayo and sour cream, but no yogurt. Which one would you substitute?
Hey Aimee! Sour cream should be great. It’s very similar to Greek yogurt.
Thank you! I couldn’t wait so I used 1/4 cup of each and it turned out AWESOME!
Literally one of the best dressings I have ever made. I used mayo like some others just because I had no yogurt on hand, and only about a tablespoon of honey.
Fantastic!!!
Delicious!
Great post! I live in Costa Rica (Uvita/Dominical area) and the chocolate is the best! I’m going to try this recipe today. Thanks!
CanI substitute the yogurt for Sour cream? I do not have any yogurt.
Sure, sour cream will work great!
As a Taiwanese, salad is never really part of our cuisine. I started to learn how to make good salads since I started travelling and living abroad. At first I was sceptical about this dressing as I’ve tried lots of mediocre dressings and I dislike mayonnaise (yogurt is life!) but this one is so so good! When I first tasted it, I was like wow! Thank you so much! I’m in love with your website as I’m a vegetarian myself and definitely will keep on following your recipes! :)
Made it. Loved it. Making it again.
I love it, Rindy!
So yummy. I don’t know why it’s hard for me to find the perfect salad dressing. But this is it! So so good.
This is my favorite dressing ever. I use it as a dip as well as dressing. I love almost all of your recipes and have bought your book three times. First for myself and twice as gifts for friends. Thank you for keeping things healthy and so flavorful.
You’re welcome, Jean! Thank you for your review.
Sooo gooood! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Danny!
The sunshine salad dressing is delicious. My husband loves it. He may never let me make a different one.
This is awesome! We love this recipe.
I’ve never left a recipe comment before, but I had to for this one! It is absolutely delicious. Sweet, salty, tangy, light – Love it so much. Thank you! Will be making this often.
Made this tonight as I was looking for something different (instead of bottled dressings that disappoint). It was easy to make and delicious! My only “problem“ is that it made over a cup and since there are only two of us, I’m worried about how long it will keep.
Wow! This is the stuff of salad dressing dreams. Because we’re all practicing safe at home right now, I had to get a little creative. I didn’t have enough oil on hand, so I ended up using 2 TBS oil and added an extra 2 TBS of yogurt. I also used agave instead of honey. The results were amazing, and I could definitely stand to eat more salads (and less chocolate) during this distanced fun we’re all having.
My boyfriend won’t stop talking about how much he liked this lol. i made it without the yoghurt!
saving for sure!
Thank you for sharing, Anna!
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe! Last night I had friends on the way, and I realized I hadn’t made any salad dressing. Thankfully, I had plain yogurt in the fridge and whipped this up right in a mason jar! It was thinner with regular yogurt, and a little less tangy, but we still really liked it (but we’ll go back to Greek next time)! I am now declaring this a staple at our house!
Hooray! This is a great dressing to have as a staple. Thank you for your review, Shelli!
Could this be made with full fat regular yogurt?
Yes! That’ll work well.