15 Deliciously Creamy Yet Super Healthy Plant-Based Salads

A good, imaginative salad can be hefty enough to be the main part of your meal. It certainly does not need to be a limp bit of lettuce and an anemic tomato with a bit of salt sprinkled onto it!

While a balsamic dressing or other oil-based dressing is quite delicious, sometimes you want something on your salad to give it a bit of weight, and you can’t go wrong with a delicious creamy dressing.

Be it vegan mayo, hummus, or tahini, there are lots of ways to conjure up a creamy dressing for your fabulous salad. Here are 15 OGP recipes for creamy salads.

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy!

1. Healthy Greek Broccoli Salad With Creamy Cashew Dressing

Source: Healthy Greek Broccoli Salad With Creamy Cashew Dressing

Want to add a bit of variety to your salads? Try this Healthy Greek Broccoli Salad With Creamy Cashew Dressing by Taylor Kiser. This recipe combines crunchy broccoli, crisp cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes and tosses everything in a creamy cashew dressing that is super healthy. Lunch just got a little more interesting.

2. Garden Picnic Pasta Salad with Veggies, Herbs, and Orange-Miso Tahini Dressing

Source: Garden Picnic Pasta Salad with Veggies, Herbs, and Orange-Miso Tahini Dressing

This Garden Picnic Pasta Salad with Veggies, Herbs, and Orange-Miso Tahini Dressing by John Mackey is a creamy umami bomb of earthy deliciousness that’s perfect for dinner or lunch, and for leftovers the next day! Pasta is tossed with shredded kale, blanched broccoli and zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and plenty of fresh herbs, then topped with a simple, healthy, and citrusy dressing. It’s easy to prepare and can be done the day before so it’s ready to go when you want.

3. Pasta Salad With Chili Lemon Sauce

Source: Pasta Salad With Chili Lemon Sauce

Pasta salads are one of the best dishes to bring or make for a party or event! They are not only easy to make but they are great to travel and make in advance foods too! There is something about chili and lemon together that is just so flavorful! The slight bit of heat from the chili mixed with the fresh kick of lemon is the perfect match in this Pasta Salad With Chili Lemon Sauce by Michele Elizabeth!

4. Barbecue Chickpea Ranch Salad

Source: Barbecue Chickpea Ranch Salad

Meet the perfect salad for your outdoor shindigs with this Barbecue Chickpea Ranch Salad by Meredith Youngson. There is something seriously magic about the moment the sticky barbecue chickpeas meet the creamy ranch and become one big, smoky, sweet, and tangy dressing. It’s crunchy, creamy, and incredibly satisfying.

5. Yogi Bowl With Ginger Miso Tahini Dressing

Source: Yogi Bowl With Ginger Miso Tahini Dressing

Ayurveda explains that certain foods affect the qualities of the mind in different ways. This recipe for Yogi Bowl With Ginger Miso Tahini Dressing by Claire Ragozzino uses a balance of the six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter – to create a simple and satiating meal, body and mind.

6. Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

Source: Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados

This Chickpea Salad Stuffed Avocados by Kat Condon uses the flavors of a classic potato salad (like dill, celery, and onions) but instead of mayo, the recipe employs the texture deliciousness of avocados to give the dish a creamy texture. The only way to improve on an already stellar chickpea salad would be to make the bowl and avocado – and so here we are!

7. Sweet Potato Caesar Salad

Source: Sweet Potato Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is one of the simplest salads out there, but that is its strength. In this recipe for Sweet Potato Caesar Salad by Florian Nouh, the classic is recreated for fall with hearty sweet potatoes, creamy vegan Parmesan dressing, and a sprinkling of cheesy breadcrumbs. It’s filling thanks to the sweet potatoes, full of flavor, satisfying, drool-worthy, and it offers so much more satisfaction than any salad you’ll order in a restaurant.

8. Berry and Fennel Salad With Coconut Yogurt

Source: Berry and Fennel Salad With Coconut Yogurt

This Berry and Fennel Salad With Coconut Yogurt by Kimberly Espinel embraces in-season produce to create a dish so colorful and fresh that you might hesitate to take the first bite because you don’t want to disturb its beauty. Puffed quinoa adds a crunch to the smooth coconut yogurt. Enjoy the fresh and fruity flavors of cherries, red currants, and sprigs of refreshing baby fennel.

9. Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad

Source: Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad

You have to try this Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad by Taylor Kiser. The tender chunks of sweet potato are covered in roasted pistachios, chopped cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, and a pinch of fresh mint, and then finished with a creamy cashew dressing that has the lemony perfume of Moroccan spices which makes this salad truly unique.

10. Beetroot Falafel Rainbow Salad

Source: Beetroot Falafel Rainbow Salad

The falafels for this Beetroot Falafel Rainbow Salad by Dani Venn store well in the fridge so you can pull them out when in need of a quick lunch or easy dinner, and they freeze well too. Serve with cashew mayo or a pesto for more of a kick!

11. Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Chickpeas, Kale, Sprouts, and Seeds

Source: Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Chickpeas, Kale, Sprouts, and Seeds

This Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Chickpeas, Kale, Sprouts, and Seeds by One Green Planet will provide you with plenty of energy and all the nutrients required for healthy brain function. As it turns out, this recipe is also excellent for a calcium-rich diet. Purple sprouting broccoli is in season and a perfect addition to a winter vegetable plate. The vegetable provides many benefits, including vitamins A and C, iron, fiber, and calcium. If you can’t find purple sprouting broccoli, no problem, replace it with regular broccoli. Whatever you decide, you have to try this superfood salad––it’s healthy and delicious!

12. Avocado Kale Chili Salad

Source: Avocado Kale Chili Salad

Getting tired of the same old kale salad? Mix it up by adding this creamy avocado dressing on top of even more avocado to make this delicious Avocado Kale Chili Salad by Rachael Campbell. Because who are we kidding? Avocado never gets old. Massaging with avocado also makes the kale less bitter! Spicy freshly-sliced chilis and the added crunch of slivered almonds take this avocado kale salad to the next level. It’s everything you could ever want in a salad!

13. Smoked Tofu Noodle Bowl With Spicy Avocado Cream Sauce

Source: Smoked Tofu Noodle Bowl With Spicy Avocado Cream Sauce

This Smoked Tofu Noodle Bowl With Spicy Avocado Cream Sauce by Plant Tribe is a quick and easy healthy meal that can be made in under 15 minutes! A perfect, comforting salad for warm days or when you’re craving something healthy and satisfying.

14. Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing

Source: Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing

This Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing by Rachael Hutchings is creamy, full of flavor, and oil-free (bonus!). This recipe makes quite a bit of dressing, about 2 and 3/4 cups (22 ounces). But, you could always cut the amounts in half if you want to make less. This recipe replaces cane sugar with Medjool dates and salt with white miso paste to include even more nutrition.

15. Apple Broccoli Salad with Creamy “Honey” Dressing

Source: Apple Broccoli Salad with Creamy “Honey” Dressing

This Apple Broccoli Salad with Creamy “Honey” Dressing by Katia Martin is deliciously dressed with this vegan sweet Creamy “Honey” Dressing. It is a light yet filling meal salad enough to satisfy any hunger and is just so finger-licking delicious. I would also highly recommend trying it with some vegan “bacon bits” which complements this yummy salad perfectly. Enjoy!

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!