Poppy Seed Dressing

At a glance

What stands out: This creamy poppy seed dressing is sweet, tangy, and it has a standby little crunch from the poppy seeds! We share two ways to make it, a traditional version with mayo and a lighter version with Greek yogurt.

How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: jar or bowl
Servings: 6

Reliable With a Summer Salad!

Our mom frequently made a from-scratch version of poppy seed dressing, especially for one of our favorite lettuce salads that included sliced strawberries, crisp celery, and candied pecans. The sweet and tangy dressing is reliable for this popular salad, and we're sure you’ll love it as much as we do!

What makes ours special:

• Perfectly balanced: Some poppy seed dressings can lean too sweet, but either version you try below has just the right balance of flavors: tangy and lightly sweet to complement both fruit-forward and savory salads.
• Better than store-bought: Not only does from-scratch poppy seed dressing avoid the cloying flavor and weird texture of store-bought, it also avoids the preservatives and fillers. It tastes fresh, and you know exactly what’s going into your dressing.
• Speedy and straightforward: Whether it’s lighter ranch dressing, balsamic vinaigrette or this poppy seed dressing, we always make our own salad dressings at home. It only takes a few minutes and no special equipment is necessary. We like that we don’t have several half-empty bottles of dressing cluttering up our refrigerator!
• Traditional or lighter options: Sometimes we want the richness of mayo—and other times, we're feeling a little more virtuous. Since we make this recipe two ways at home depending on our mood, we thought we'd share both versions with you.

What goes in

• Creamy base: You can use either mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt. If you’re looking for a poppy seed dressing that most closely mimics store-bought, we would recommend the mayonnaise recipe.
• White vinegar: The vinegar provides a bright, tangy balance to the richness and sweetness. Apple cider vinegar is another option.
• Sweetener: Poppy seed dressing leans toward the sweet side which is why it’s so popular on salads that include fruit. We use granulated sugar for the classic version, or honey for the more natural yogurt poppy seed dressing.
• Poppy seeds: The tiny black seeds add a subtle crunch and that signature flavor.
• Kosher salt: A little salt is necessary to balance the flavor. If you only have regular table salt, use less.

Ingredient Tip

Keep your poppy seeds fresh. We store our poppy seeds in the fridge so they don’t go rancid. If you are looking for more ways to use poppy seeds, try orange poppy seed cookies or lemon poppy seed bread.

How it comes together

Combine. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl, measuring cup, or jar.

Mix. Whisk the ingredients until the mayonnaise is completely combined with the other ingredients. We usually use a small whisk or fork. The dressing should be smooth and creamy.

Taste the dressing and, if necessary, tweak it to your preferences. If you’re accustomed to store-bought poppy seed dressing, you may want to add extra sugar because this from-scratch version is not as sweet.

Use or store. Your dressing is ready to use! If you want, refrigerate it to use later.

Ways to Use Poppy Seed Dressing

• Green salads with fruit. Poppy seed dressing is reliable for lettuce or spinach salads with fruit. Try sliced strawberries or another berry, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, or thinly sliced apples. Top the salad with toasted pecans, almonds, or walnuts. Add feta or blue cheese if you like. Crumbled cooked bacon will give you a savory flavor that goes well with the sweet dressing.
• Coleslaw: Mix poppy seed dressing with shredded cabbage (pick up a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw blend) or broccoli slaw to make a straightforward coleslaw. We like to make coleslaw an hour or so ahead of time so the cabbage softens a bit. Stir before serving.
• Fruit salads: Top any assortment of cut-up fresh fruit with a drizzle of poppy seed dressing to take your fruit salad up a notch.
• Grain bowls: The sweet/tangy flavor of poppy seed dressing adds oomph to your meal bowl. Try it with Instant Pot quinoa, chicken, and fruit.

Keeping leftovers

Store poppy seed dressing in a covered container or jar for up to 5 days. Stir or shake well before using if the ingredients separate. We find that the yogurt honey version separates more quickly than the mayonnaise version.

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• Yield: 6 (makes ¾ cup)
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise (see notes for mayo details and a yogurt-based version)
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. The dressing should be smooth and creamy. We use a small whisk but a fork will work, too.
2. Taste the dressing and, if necessary, tweak it to your preferences. If you are accustomed to store-bought dressing, you may want to add more sugar. This recipe isn't as sweet as popular brands which are heavily sweetened. If your dressing has a thinner consistency than you'd like, add another spoonful of mayonnaise (see mayonnaise note below).
3. Use immediately, or store in a small jar with a lid, or a covered container (makes ¾ cup). Whisk again before serving, if the dressing has separated.

Notes

One dressing/two recipes: Both of these poppy seed dressing recipes are excellent. If you’re looking for a poppy seed dressing that most closely mimics store-bought, we would recommend the mayonnaise recipe. If you’re interested in a dressing with more natural ingredients, try the yogurt-based recipe, which is slightly more tangy.

Yogurt-based recipe: ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons poppy seeds, ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk together until well-blended. The yogurt version tends to separate more quickly than the mayonnaise version when refrigerated, so give it a speedy whisk before serving.

Mayonnaise details: We tested this recipe with both generic store-brand mayonnaise and a more prominent name-brand mayo and the generic mayo yielded a much thinner dressing. For this recipe, we recommend a name-brand mayonnaise.

Storing poppy seeds: You can usually find poppy seeds in the baking aisle of the grocery store in the spices section. Because they are a seed with natural oils, they tend to get rancid if stored too long. We always store ours in the refrigerator so they keep longer. If you open the container and it has a chemical smell, they are most likely rancid, and should be discarded. They should smell lightly nutty.