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.
Tried it! It was fantastic!
Wow! Delicious. Consistency was thinner than I expected in a really good way!
I’m glad you loved it, Yvonne! Thank you for your review.
I didn’t think I liked honey mustard, but I was wrong after trying this! Thanks
That’s great!
Great dressing, used whole milk yogurt and only two tsp of honey, delicious, thank you
So delicious, even I had to admit it was good and I never eat honey mustard. Hubby said it was the best dressing he had ever had!
That’s great, Heather!
This dressing is the absolute bomb! Prepared exactly as the recipe directed. It is now our favorite salad as well as seafood dressing. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, David! I’m glad you loved it.
Wow!!!! Insanely good! Made exactly as the recipe states.
I’m happy you loved it, Casey! Thank you for your review.
excellent. i used only cider vinegar this time and also great.
Thank you for sharing, Nancy! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
It was runny because I used coconut milk yogurt (I’m lactose intolerant). I added more honey+garlic and it was perfect for my tasting.
I love the fact that it lasts for more than a week! I recommended it to my friends. Thanks for sharing.
This dressing is my favorite go-to recipe for any veggies!
Congrats on the arrival of Grace, enjoy the sweetness of her new life!
Thank you, Janine! I appreciate your review.
I love it!!! do you think if I omitted olive oil it would be okay? I am on a strict diet low carb, but low fat, not allowed oils, not sure what I could thin it out with or if it would taste good
It’s best with olive oil. Let me know if you try it!
I make greek yogurt dressing all the time and don’t use any oil and they are delish!
Fantastic recipes. I like so much
Sunshine dressing was delicious.
Another night we added basil, it was also delicious.
Nos encanto a todos en casa.
Gracias ☀️
I’m happy you loved it, Imilse!
I know the mustard is like the point of this dressing, but I just do NOT like mustard… I’ve tried and can’t handle it…. Is there anything I could replace it with or another dressing you have that would pair well with this salad?
Hi Beth, I’m sorry you don’t like this dressing. You could try my tahini dressing.
It’s not your dressing at all! Just mustard in general haha …. I will try the tahini dressing! I’m thinking I might make the raw kale and Brussel salad with the maple tahini dressing. Every recipe I’ve ever tried of yours I have loved! They are always crowd pleasers !
I absolutely can not stand mustard either, I mean I despise it, however I love this dressing! I use a honey mustard, (like KENs brand which you can find just about anywhere) it has a far less bitter and pungent flavor profile than a regular mustard!
I’m glad you liked it! Thank you for sharing your recommendation, Aubrey.
Try miso
This dressing is amazing. Exactly as outlined.
I’m glad you loved it, Mallory.
I was the same way (not liking ANYTHING with mustard) until I tried through scarcity of anything – honey mustard dressing. Now I’m hooked! Give it a shot – not that much waste if you can’t handle it.
An absolute firm and regular favourite on our household. Thank you!!
I love to hear that, Christy! Thank you for your review.
Excellent. Loved it!!thanks for sharing
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing, Lupita.
Wow! So delicious and healthy. My new go to dressing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Maureen! Thank you for your review.
Hi Kate, can Dijon mustard be replaced with regular mustard powder? So eagerly waiting to try this.
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but let me know what you think.
This has become our favourite salad dressing. Delicious and so quick and easy to make! Love your recipes. Your granola is a regular at our house too. Thank you so much
You’re welcome, Lyn! This salad is a good favorite to have.
Love this salad dressing! The Greek yogurt makes it so smooth…I added 2 cloves of garlic instead of one and made it a little sweeter with a little more honey. A keeper!
This recipe has been my go to dressing since I came across your recipe 6 months ago. Thanks so much for sharing this.
this was a huge hit!
was especially enjoyed on fresh pears and as a side for roast beef.
My husband and I absolutely love this dressing! The first time we had it, he actually said it was the best salad he’s ever had. I am SO glad I tried it and cannot wait to try others from your website. Note: I made it with Dijon mustard the first time, then ran out and made it with regular mustard another time and both are amazing. :)
That’s great, Christy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious!! I used only two tablespoons of honey and the sweetness was just right. We ate it up with sweet potatoes, salmon, and tomatoes on a kale salad. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Thank you, Laura!
Mind blown! Who needs mayo?? I would never guess it was made with yogurt. I initially forgot to add the honey (duh) and I still thought it tasted darn good! As such, I decided to only add 1.5 tablespoons of honey and it was perfect. Thank you Kate!
I’m glad you love it, Catherine! Thank you for your review.
Tried today for lunch with grilled chicken salad and I loved the dressing so much I am making my hubby a grilled salmon salad for dinner with dressing! My new favorite:) I can’t wait to share with my daughter who must eat a Paleo diet.
Wanting a change to my normal dressing … PERFECT! left out the extra lemon juice, but what a brilliant every-day dressing to have in the fridge! Perfect for our sub-tropical Queensland climate and all summer salads (especially with feta or grilled halloumi on top)
I’m glad it was a hit, Louise! Thank you for your review.
Can I use agave instead of honey?
I prefer honey, but you could try it. Let me know what you think!
Best dressing ever! I love it and could drink it with a straw haha.
Made recipe as stated. Superb! I used 0%: non-fat greek yogurt.
I was pleasantly surprised that my dressing did not separate the next day like normal vinaigrettes (and have honey stuck at the bottom). The thick greek yogurt helped the ingredients stay blended.
Thanks for another fantastic recipe :)
I’m glad you enjoyed it, CeeCee!
Made it! It’s amazing, easy to make and so delicious! Even my picky kids loved it. Thank you so very much for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Seda!
AMAZING! I used 2% Fage greek yogurt, a little more than 3 tablespoons of honey, and the 4 total tablespoons of lemon juice since I didn’t have apple cider vinegar.
Had it on a salad with salmon, couscous, feta, & tomato but will absolutely be making again just as a dip/to have with other meals.
So delicious highly recommend!!
I have been making sunshine dressing for two years at least. We love it. I make your muffens, ultimate fries,. And oh the best brownies. I trust your recipes to be healthy as can bee and good. You seem to use common ingredients that isn’t expensive and easy to find in a regular store.
I love to hear that, Linda! Thank you for your review.
I, and my husband, loved this dressing. I don’t use Greek yogurt, but whole milk Stony Farm is very creamy.
So I wanted to print the recipe, and got a big black ink sucking rectangle and no recipe.
I’m sure its not your fault…finally found recipe again, and copied it by hand.
It’s worth the hassle. But are all the recipes hard to print?
Hi Knitter, I’m sorry to hear that. It seems to be working for me. Did you try it again?
Delicious dressing! I’ve made it twice now!
Great to hear, Soso!
This was beyond the best salad dressing I’ve ever tried! Thank you so much I’m so happy with it!
Great to hear, Ryla!
Love this recipe, it’s not as creamy as I would hope but the yogurt makes up for it. I didn’t have lemon so I used lime and it was delicious. Thank you for all your great recipes from Pembroke Pines, FL
This dressing is out-of-this-world! It definitely lived up to its sunny title. The addition of Greek yogurt is inspired. I used 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, which was more than acidic enough for me when coupled with the fresh lemon juice. I also added 1 tbsp dry white wine to thin. Remarkable on spinach salad and grilled chicken. This would work on pita pockets, tuna salad, anything! A new favourite, for sure.
I’m glad you think so, Roni! I appreciate your review.
A friend made it. It was great in consistency and flavor!
Thank you for your review, Eli!
Truly “sunshine”—tangy and creamy with the right touch of sweetness. That it is on the healthier side of dressings is amazing considering the taste! It’s lovely on any kind of salad—I especially love it with arugula and romaine bases. The best part is that it’s made with ingredients that I ALWAYS have on hand so I can whip up a batch whenever I need to, and it keeps well. So glad you shared your secret!
Arugula and romaine are great salad options! Thank you for your review, Denise.
FAB recipe, very flavorful, tasty, unique=Thanks so much for sharing
You’re welcome, Sharon! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I do not usually leave comments BUT I love using FF greek yogurt when possible, love to make my own dressings and this one was outstanding. My salad was better than any restaurant salad. Thank you for sharing!
Had fresh container of Butter Lettuce & a leftover brined Pork Chop, Plum Tomato’s, Roasted Sunflower Seeds and some shave Reggiano Parmigiano. Thought an impromptu Salad would be refreshing so I Googled best Honey Mustard Salad Dressing. Usually not a Greek Yogurt fan, but I’m glad I tried it. Easy to make & everyone asked me to share the recipe….KUDOS!
I just made this with non-fat greek yogurt, decreased honey by 2 tbsp and decreased olive oil by 2 tbsp. It was a little tart with the vinegar so I added in 2 tsp sugar. Next time I would leave out the vinegar. My calories calculate to 55 calories per 2 Tbsp.
Great wholesome recipe, pre made salad dressings have so many preservatives. Great as is,I did use the 4 tablespoon of honey because I thought it was a little too vinegary tasting with only three. Next time I think I will only use one tablespoon of vinegar instead of two.
Thank you for sharing, Ria!
Tangy with a bit of sweetness. Satisfies my cravings! Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed this dressing, Kathy! I appreciate your review.
What is your thought on storing this for so long with the Lemon Juice in it? Any other recipes say 5 to 7 days.
Hi Tammy, I recommend it as stated but use your best judgement. I hope you love it!
This dressing is so delicious!!! My salads were getting boring and this definitely livened it up! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Jen! I appreciate your review.
So delicious!
So good! This will be my go to honey mustard from now on. We have bees, so we have PLENTY of honey, and it showcases it nicely. Thank you!
Great to hear, Nancy! Thank you for your review.
I made this salad dressing for Easter, it was so good and I got a request to share the recipe! I love that it is yogurt base, I made it with nonfat Greek yogurt). It is definately a keeper.
This was a wonderful dressing. It really complimented the salad beautifully.
I’m happy to hear that, Britt! Thank you for your review.
I subbed buttermilk for the oil to make it healthier and only used 2 tablespoons of honey. My kids love it! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Emily!
This is my picky eaters’ (3yo and 6yo) favorite dressing! We make it almost every week in the summertime. Just made our first batch of the season and everyone is excited for dinner tonight!!
That’s great, Allison! Thank you for sharing.
This is so fresh and delicious! It’s a great recipe!
Thank you, Jen! I appreciate your review.