This Sumac Dressing is a lightly sweet and citrusy vinaigrette that brightens any salad. Try it on grains, on greens, and roasted vegetables!
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Why Make This Recipe
- You can whisk up this easy sumac salad dressing in under 5 minutes!
- No refined sugar, and a low-calorie dressing that still adds tons of flavor. Gluten-free too!
- Great on so many dishes! Try it on this Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad or this Quinoa Chickpea Salad to start. Also would make a great dressing for this crunchy Cucumber Carrot Salad.
🥗 Ingredients
- Champagne Vinegar: Feel free to substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar. You could even try using rice vinegar, for a more delicate flavor.
- Maple Syrup: Honey would be an easy substitute here. You could also replace with a little bit of granulated sugar, but make sure you whisk it until it dissolves before adding the oil.
- Shallots: You could replace the shallots with finely chopped red onions. You could also leave them out entirely.
- Sumac: Sometimes you can find dried whole sumac berries, but this recipe calls for the ground version. Za’atar, which typically includes sumac, could be used as a substitute in this recipe.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Whisk together 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 1.5 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon chopped shallots, ¾ teaspoon dijon mustard, and ¾ teaspoon ground sumac in a small bowl.
Slowly pour in 5 tablespoons olive oil, whisking constantly.
Add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and whisk together.
Refrigerate Sumac Dressing in an airtight container. Will keep for up to a week.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Sumac Dressing
Sumac is a spice made from drying and grinding the red berries from a sumac shrub. Most sumac is grown in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, where it is quite popular as an ingredient. Sumac grows now in many parts of the world including the United States, usually ripening in late August/September. There are poisonous versions of sumac, but all of these have white or yellowish berries rather than the deep red berries of edible (and non-poisonous) sumac. Sumac has a flavor similar to lemons though it is not quite as tart.
You can use sumac to make za’atar seasoning, which traditionally combines sumac with cumin, thyme, and sesame seeds. You can also add sumac to a rub for meat or fish, and use it to season hummus. Use it in a marinade for meat, fish, or vegetables. Think of it as a way to add lemony flavor to a dish without adding liquid.
Sumac is rich in antioxidants, and may help reduce inflammation. Native Americans often used sumac medicinally to treat various illnesses, but more studies are needed to confirm any medicinal applications.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Adding the olive oil after you have whisked the rest of the ingredients together helps you build an emulsion in the dressing. Adding the olive oil slowly, while whisking, will also help.
Control the balance of sweet and tangy by changing the amount of ground sumac and maple syrup in the recipe. Add more maple syrup if you like it sweeter, or more ground sumac for a more intense flavor. You could also replace the maple syrup with pomegranate molasses, for a different variation.
You can often find a sumac salad dressing on the classic Middle Eastern fattoush salad that combines fried bread with lettuce and other vegetables. Try your own version of that, or just take inspiration there, and drizzle this on a veggie-packed salad topped with big crusty breadcrumbs.
You could also use this dressing as a marinade for fish or meat, and you could drizzle it over roasted or grilled vegetables. Also goes extremely well with a grain salad, so try replacing the dressing in these recipes with this sumac dressing: Quinoa Grain Bowl with Tofu, Grain Bowl with Steak and Brown Rice, or Vegan Buddha Bowl.
Other Delicious Salad Dressings
If you love salad as much as I do, you’re going to want to build your stable of delicious salad dressings, like Healthy Ranch Dressing, Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing, and Honey Mustard Dressing. Or these favorites:
If you try this Sumac Dressing recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Sumac Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
- ¾ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon ground sumac
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together vinegar, maple syrup, chopped shallots, dijon mustard, and sumac in a small bowl.
- Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly.
- Add salt and pepper, and whisk together.
Notes
Adding the olive oil after you have whisked the rest of the ingredients together helps you build an emulsion in the dressing. Adding the olive oil slowly, while whisking, will also help. Add more maple syrup if you like it sweeter, or more ground sumac for a more intense flavor.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Sumac Vinaigrette recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
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