Many Canadians reach for bottled dressings, but homemade versions can be fresher, healthier, and tailored to your taste. The challenge is achieving the creamy consistency that commercial brands deliver. Xanthan gum provides the solution.
A basic dressing might combine olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey or maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, then sprinkle in ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum while blending. Almost instantly, the mixture thickens and emulsifies, creating a velvety texture that clings to greens.
Unlike cream or egg yolks, xanthan gum adds body without altering flavour or requiring refrigeration right away. The dressing won’t separate into oil and vinegar, even after sitting in the fridge for days.
Canadian cooks can personalize their recipe with local ingredients — maple syrup for sweetness, canola oil from the Prairies, or Atlantic sea salt. Xanthan gum keeps everything blended into a uniform consistency, rivaling store-bought bottles.
The result is a pourable, glossy dressing that elevates salads, roasted vegetables, or grain bowls. It’s proof that with a pinch of xanthan gum, your homemade dressing can be as stable and satisfying as anything on grocery shelves, with the bonus of being made fresh in your own kitchen.
Xanthan Gum Thickened Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add oil, vinegar, mustard, syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper to a blender.
- Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Sprinkle in xanthan gum while blending, continue 30 seconds until thickened.
- Transfer to jar, refrigerate up to 1 week. Shake before serving.