This 5-minute Salad Dressing for Diabetics is packed with flavor and health benefits. Creamy hemp hearts, tangy miso, and savory capers (rich in quercetin) combine for a nutrient boost. Vinegar helps reduce blood glucose spikes, while lemon juice enhances iron absorption from your greens. Delicious, balanced, and diabetes-conscious!
This Salad Dressing for Diabetics was inspired by my Steamed Kale with Vinegar Dressing, this Cruciferous Veggie Starter Recipe, and my Roasted Cabbage Steaks on this site. For more low-glycemic veggie starter recipes, visit my Vegan Side Dish recipes. See these Healthy Dressing Recipes for more diabetic-friendly and oil-free dressing ideas.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients & Health Benefits
- Dates: Some research indicates that dates can help lower blood glucose levels, reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, and increase beneficial HDL cholesterol. They also appear supportive of a healthy gut microbiome. While date syrup has a relatively low glycemic index and doesn't cause blood sugar to spike as much as other sweeteners, it's still high in carbohydrates, so people with diabetes should consume it in moderation.
- Apple cider vinegar: Consuming vinegar with a meal helps reduce spikes in blood sugar, insulin, and triglycerides, and it seems to be especially effective for individuals who are insulin resistant or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Lemon juice increases the absorption of iron from the kale.
- Capers are rich in anti-aging quercetin, making them great at boosting longevity. Use reduced-sodium capers and rinse them before using.
- Miso is a versatile condiment that adds rich umami depth to any dish without raising blood pressure like traditional salt.
- Garlic increases the absorption of zinc and iron.
- Hemp hearts are protein powerhouses, offering 31.6g of protein per 100 grams—151% more than eggs, which contain 12.6g of protein per 100 grams.
- Whole grain mustard or Dijon increases the production of sulforaphane in cooked kale.
- Nutritional yeast adds a rich, savory, cheese-like flavor and helps thicken dressings. If you're looking to boost your B vitamin intake, opt for fortified nutritional yeast, which often includes B12. (See my brands for fortified and unfortified here.)
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🧄 Substitutions
- Garlic - substitute with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder as needed
- Capers - omit as desired
- Vinegar - substitute with white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- Whole grain mustard - use Dijon mustard instead
- Date syrup - substitute with blackstrap molasses
For more healthy dressings, visit my Healthy Dressings page.
📖 How to Make Salad Dressing for Diabetics
This is an overview. The full recipe is at the bottom of the post.
- Blend: Transfer the hemp hearts, miso, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, capers, garlic, and date syrup to the canister of a blender. Add ¾ cup water. Blend on high until smooth, adding more water until the desired flavor.
- For serving: Serve with steamed greens, salad, or roasted veggies for a flavor booster. Or add to veggie starters to blunt blood sugar spikes.
✔️ Expert Tips
- Date syrup is optional for a hint of sweetness. Research suggests that dates eaten in moderation may help lower blood glucose levels. Blackstrap molasses is another healthy option. Both have relatively low glycemic indices, meaning they don’t spike blood sugar as dramatically as other sweeteners. However, they are still high in carbohydrates, so people with diabetes should enjoy them sparingly.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Monk fruit, like other non-caloric sweeteners such as stevia and aspartame, does not cause an immediate spike in blood sugar when consumed alone. However, studies suggest it may contribute to higher blood sugar spikes at subsequent meals, similar to artificial sweeteners. This effect may offset any initial benefits, resulting in no overall improvement in blood sugar or insulin response compared to sugar. Additionally, replacing sugar with non-caloric sweeteners may lead to increased food intake later, nullifying calorie savings. For diabetics, while monk fruit is generally safe, its potential impact on meal-related blood sugar spikes should be considered.
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📖 Recipe
Salad Dressing for Diabetics
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
- 1 tablespoon mellow miso (white miso)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard or 2 teaspoons Dijon, or 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon capers preferably reduced sodium, and rinsed
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon date syrup or to taste (optional)
- ¾ cup water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Transfer the hemp hearts, miso, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, capers, garlic, and date syrup to the canister of a blender.
- Blend: Add ¾ cup water. Blend on high until smooth, adding more water until the desired flavor.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Mel says
This was super simple to make and tastes great with the kale. I omitted the date syrup since I didn't have it, but it was still yummy. I love having all of the nutrition reasons for the ingredients!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for giving it a try and reading the nutrition explanations. Glad you enjoyed it.