Easy Date-Sweetened Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing

This vegan honey mustard dressing is naturally sweetened with dates, which makes it a delicious & healthy recipe. You can use it as a salad dressing, but also as a dipping sauce for potato fries or vegan chickn nuggets.

Is mustard vegan?

Mustard is a condiment with a rather sharp, pungent flavor, ranging from sweet to very spicy. It makes a great starting point for creamy vegan salad dressings. With mustard being super creamy, you might be asking yourself: Is mustard vegan? Does mustard contain dairy?

Typically, mustard is vegan. It is made from seeds of the mustard plant, which are either whole or ground, and then mixed with various other ingredients like water, vinegar and salt. Sometimes, other flavorings and spices or wine is added. Mustard does not contain dairy.

There are different types of vinegar used to make mustard. Spirit vinegar (or sometimes called distilled or white vinegar) is commonly used and usually not made with animal products, so it is vegan. However, sometimes mustard is made with wine or wine vinegar. Gelatine can be used to make wine so it may not be vegan.

Of course, you can always look out for a vegan label on the packaging. If there is none, it's a good idea to check the ingredient list (does it say spirit/distilled vinegar or wine vinegar?) or directly ask the manufacturer.

Is honey vegan?

Honey seems to be kind of a grey zone when it comes to what is vegan and what is not. In its essence, veganism is about avoiding (or minimizing) all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty.

Honey is made by bees, and these bees do not make the honey for us to consume. It's made by bees for bees and it's their energy source, providing essential nutrients especially during winter months. When the honey is removed from the bees' hives by humans, it is often replaced with a sugar substitutes. However, this substitute lacks essential micro-nutrients and damages the bees' health.

What is honey mustard dressing typically made of?

Typically, honey mustard dressing is made from honey, mustard (typically Dijon mustard), vinegar and olive oil. Sometimes, other ingredients like greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice or garlic are added.

For this vegan version of honey mustard, we are replacing the honey with a date paste. In many vegan honey mustard recipes, agave or maple syrup is used to replace the honey. Agave syrup is often portrayed as the healthy alternative to sugar which is a bit misleading. Agave syrup is very high in isolated fructose, which is rapidly absorbed by the body. A high intake of isolated fructose is linked to diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver.

What you need to make this date-sweetened vegan honey mustard dressing

For this simple vegan honey mustard dressing, you only need 4 ingredients:

• medjool dates
• mustard
• lemon juice
• salt

How to make this vegan honey mustard dressing from scratch

Step 1

First, remove the pits from the dates. Then, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes until soft. You want them to become really soft so that we can easily mash them with a fork.

Step 2

Drain the dates and mash them with a fork to make a date paste. Make sure that no large pieces remain. Of course, you can also do this in a food processor or blender. However, I find that my blender doesn't work well with just a few dates and also, that would be another dish to clean, so I just use a fork.

Step 3

Add the mustard and lemon juice to the date paste and mix well so that everything is evenly combined. Add in a little bit of water at a time until a smooth consistency is reached. If you want to use it as a salad dressing, use a little more. If you're making honey mustard for dipping, use a little less.

Step 4

Give it a taste and season it with salt to your preferences. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for a couple of days.

Did you make this vegan honey mustard dressing?

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