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Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Last updated on . Originally published 55 Comments

This homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette salad dressing recipe is the perfect way to dress up your winter salads! It’s packed full of nutrition and flavor…and is ready in less than 5 minutes! Plus it’s paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined-sugar free!

Overhead view of homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette salad dressing recipe in a glass jar

Who else is fully embracing the Christmas season?! 🎄🙋🏻 This is my favorite time of the year and we are just loving it! I have already inundated you with dessert recipes, and the chocolatey, sugary goodness is far from finished. However, today I’m bringing you a healthier holiday recipe that showcases my favorite winter produce item…pomegranates!

To me, salad is a must-have side dish at any and every gathering where a meal is involved. It ensures that no matter what someone’s dietary restrictions may be, there will be something for them to eat. This Pomegranate Vinaigrette is the perfect homemade salad dressing for your winter salads!

It’s packed with fresh pomegranate seeds and a dash of lemon juice, giving it a sweet and tangy flavor! This Pomegranate Vinaigrette is gluten, dairy & refined sugar free! And it’s paleo and vegan,  so it’s perfect for any and every person who will dine at your table this season! Oh, and did I mention that it’s ready in 5 minutes or less!

Front view of homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette being poured from a vitamix container after blending into a glass jar

How to quickly de-seed a pomegranate!

When I say that pomegranates are our favorite winter produce item I am not exaggerating. Recently, we bought 3 cases of poms from Costco…and ate them all within two weeks. I am well aware that the thing that keeps most people from buying pomegranates is how much work they are to deseed {and consequently eat}.

Well this video called The Fastest Way to De-Seed a Pomegranate changed my life. I literally can have 6 giant pomegranates ready to eat in under 10 minutes thanks to this method! Plus, if I’m having a bad day whacking a pomegranate as hard as I can with a wooden spoon is a great way to let out all sorts of emotions! 😉

How to make Homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Use a Vitamix!

This recipe is super straight forward. Just toss everything in your Vitamix {or other high powered blender} and blend away!

Why should you make homemade salad dressing?

Salad dressing is a condiment that I always make at home…because it’s SO easy! Plus, by ditching store-bought varieties you will know exactly what is in your dressings {and be able to pronounce all the ingredients}, which is always a great thing!

This Pomegranate Vinaigrette is packed full of nutrition! Don’t negate the health benefits of a giant bowl of green goodness by loading it with unhealthy dressing! Making your own dressing is a great way to nourish your body before loading it full of Christmas cookies!

jfs_hh_darkFront view of a spoon scooping some homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette salad dressing out of a glass jar

Homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette: Substitutions 

This recipe only has a handful of ingredients, but her are a few possible substitutions!

  • Pomegranate seeds. I guess you could use pomegranate juice to make this recipe, and then there would be no blending required. However I love the nutrients added from using whole seeds!
  • Olive oil. Any neutral oil works well in this recipe. I recommend avocado oil or canola oil if you don’t have olive oil on hand.
  • Maple syrup. I loveeee the taste of maple syrup in this pomegranate vinaigrette recipe, however you can substitute honey with great results as well!
  • White balsamic vinegar. Regular balsamic vinegar tastes great in this recipe too, however the color will not be as pink and pretty if you use a dark balsamic!
  • Dijon mustard. Feel free to sub your favorite mustard, but please don’t leave it out. The mustard acts as an emulsifier and keeps the dressing from separating!

Front view of a spoon drizzling homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette over a bowl full of salad

IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM JOYFOODSUNSHINE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS! DON’T FORGET TO RATE THIS RECIPE AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! ALSO, FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION AND A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE!
5 from 6 votes
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Pomegranate Vinaigrette

This homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette salad dressing recipe is the perfect way to dress up your winter salads! It's packed full of nutrition and flavor...and is ready in less than 5 minutes! Plus it's paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined-sugar free! 

Course condiment, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword healthy homemade salad dressing, pomegranate recipe, pomegranate vinaigrette
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 1/2 cups dressing
Calories 53.7 kcal
Author Laura

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in your Vitamix (or other high-powered blender).
  2. Blend on low speed and gradually increase to high.
  3. Continue blending on high for 30-60 seconds or until your dressing is smooth and all pomegranate seeds have been blended.
Nutrition Facts
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Amount Per Serving (1 TBS)
Calories 53.7 Calories from Fat 42
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.7g 7%
Saturated Fat 0.7g 4%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.3g
Sodium 5.8mg 0%
Potassium 16.6mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 3.5g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 3.3g
Protein 0.1g 0%
Vitamin A 0.1%
Vitamin C 0.7%
Calcium 0.3%
Iron 0.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Front view of a jar of homemade Pomegranate Vinaigrette salad dressing

#Eat Seasonal December

This Pomegranate Vinaigrette recipe comes to you as part of one of my favorite times of the month…our Eat Seasonal recipe group! Every month an amazing group of bloggers joins together to encourage all of our wonderful readers to eat seasonally!

My sweet friend Becky over at The Vintage Mixer posts seasonal produce guides every month to showcase the beautiful fruits and vegetables that are fresh and available to cook and bake with! Check out her December Seasonal Recipe Guide to learn what’s in season {hello pomegranates}!

So here it is…a treasure trove of beautiful recipes that are perfect to make in December from some seriously talented bloggers! Click on the links below for some December cooking inspiration! Join in the fun by tagging your photos with #eatseasonal!

december-seasonal-recipes

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. I make a homemade strawberry dressing in the summer that I adore, so I can only imagine how much I would love this Pom dressing! Not to mention it makes for such a gorgeous color on top of the greens!!

    Reply

  9. This might just bet he prettiest salad dressing I’ve ever seen! That color is just gorgeous! I agree, salad is always a must at the dinner table and I’m pretty sure everyone would happily enjoy it as long as it has this dressing on it 🙂

    Reply

  10. Yes, de-seeding a pomegranate that way is a great stress reliever! haha
    This pomegranate vinaigrette is such a pretty color! Perfect for a holiday side dish salad! Would love this on top of my winter salads too!

    Reply

  13. Love how beautiful this is!! I too can’t buy store bought dressing but I tend to make the same one over and over! This is a great new idea for me 🙂

    Reply

  14. The BEST kind of salad dressings are the homemade ones that have oils and vinegars, and this Pomegranate would just take it to the VERY top; it looks absolutely amazing Laura!

    Reply

  22. Is there anyway to make this oil free? I am oil free vegan and I would love to use this dressing it looks so good. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Hey Carrie….hmmm…I’ve been thinking about this question all day. You could try substituting water for the olive oil…although I fear it could lack some flavor. If you want a creamier dressing you could also try almond or coconut milk, although it could taste more like a smoothie than a salad dressing! LOL! I haven’t tried using anything other than oil, so it would be a total experiment on your behalf if you did! 😉 If you do give it a whirl let me know how it goes!

      Reply

      • I tried it without oil and used water. It was fantastic and didn’t compromise on the consistency. I also made a batch with olive oil and thought it tasted too much like olive oil. I am oil free and suspected it was just my heightened tastebuds so I had a non vegan try both. They loved both and confirmed that the batch with the olive oil didn’t taste too “olive oily” and it was very tasty. Surprisingly comparing the consistency of the two batches proved there wasn’t very much difference between them. So for all oil free plant based eaters or vegan’s; go for this recipe without oil-you will love it and so will your non vegan friends! Thanks for a great recipe!!!

        Reply

  27. Could this dressing be preserved by canning? If so, how? Also, what is the equivalent of Pom juice to the 3/4 cup of seeds? Thanks

    Reply

    • Hey Kelly! I am not familiar with the canning process, as that hasn’t been something I have explored in my culinary adventures yet! 🙂 I would use 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice for the 3/4 cup of seeds!

      Reply

  28. I have 2 pomegranates sitting in my fridge now, will this equal 3/4 cup seeds?? Also, how long will this keep in the fridge? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hey Sonja! That will probably be a little more than 3/4 cup seeds, although that depends on the size of your pomegranates and they vary quite a bit in that department! It should keep for up to a week!

      Reply

  29. I want to keep this color but don’t have white balsamic. Have you tried substituting white vinegar for the white balsamic? Thanks!

    Reply


  31. Excellence recipe. I loosely followed the quantities as I like to follow my instinct and the only substitute was- instead of maple syrup, some almond flavored sugar substitute my wife uses in her coffee, maybe half of tsp. I wish I took a picture of the salad I made but there is nothing left of it. Wild greens, red pepper, mixed cherry tomatoes, feta, a bit of cucumber, almonds and pecans, crushed….
    The beef roast turned out very good and the wild mushroom risotto was as lovely as usual but it was the salad with pomegranate dressing that stole the show.
    From Canada with love!

    Reply

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