This roasted red pepper dressing is packed with flavor from roasted peppers and a touch of sweetness. It’s the perfect low-calorie way to dress up your salads without sacrificing taste (or that creamy texture you love). Bonus: This creamy dressing is incredibly easy to make and tastes good with almost anything!
Recipe Video
Ingredients
(You can find the exact measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this page.)
The creamy roasted red pepper sauce can be made with the simplest ingredients:
How to make roasted red pepper dressing
Roast red peppers
This is one of my favorite ways to use red peppers. I have used it in many recipes like paprika feta dip with roasted red peppers and red chilli pesto.
Preheat the oven to 392°F/200°C.
Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the red bell peppers and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Peel the charred peppers
Remove roasted red peppers from the oven. Cover them with a large glass bowl.
This will help you peel the skin of the peppers easily.
After 10 minutes, peel the peppers.
Remove the seeds, reserving the juices. Chop the peppers.
Blend
Place the chopped peppers along with the juices in a food processor bowl.
Add finely chopped garlic, fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper and sea salt.
Blend until you get a smooth and creamy sauce.
What to serve with roasted red pepper vinaigrette
- This healthy salad dressing, like healthy sweet onion dressing, tastes great with green salads like lettuce or kale salad.
- Make roasted red pepper pasta salad by adding this sauce to cooked pasta with salad vegetables of your choice.
- Sometimes I replace the balsamic vinaigrette in the Italian pasta salad or the easy quinoa pasta salad with this delicious sauce.
- You can use it as a dipping sauce for chips or veggie sticks.
- This creamy sauce can be a great side for your protein as well.
- Try serving baked thin sliced chicken breasts or pan-seared paprika salmon with roasted red pepper sauce. You’ll realize how it elevates the flavors of anything it is served with.
- Add a few dollops of this red pepper dressing to roasted tomato garlic soup or antioxidant red cabbage soup. It’s a great way to add instant flavor to soups.
Easy Roasted Red Pepper Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
Scroll back to find detailed recipe photos!
Instructions
Roast red peppers
- Preheat the oven to 392°F/200°C.
- Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Place 2 large red bell peppers and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Peel the charred peppers
- Remove roasted red peppers from the oven.
- Cover them with a large glass bowl. This will help you peel the skin of the peppers easily.
- After 10 minutes, peel the peppers. Remove the seeds, reserving the juices.
- Roughly chop the peppers.
Blend
- Place the chopped red peppers (along with the juices) in a food processor or high speed blender.
- Add: 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Blend until you get a smooth and creamy sauce.
Video
Notes
- This dressing has a thick and saucy consistency which is best suited for green leafy salads (or as a dip). If you want a thinner dressing, dilute it with olive oil.
- Chop up 2 or 3 sundried tomatoes and add when you blend the dressing.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cashews (with a large pinch of extra salt and black pepper) to make this a cashew roasted red pepper dip.
- A spoon of orange zest will add a burst of freshness to this creamy dressing.
- If you have fresh basil leaves or parsley, finely chop and add them to the dressing after blending.
- You can use store bought roasted red peppers. This recipe will require a 16-ounce (about 450 grams) jar.
- Make it a vegan roasted red pepper dip by replacing honey with sugar or maple syrup.
- You can substitute apple cider vinegar with balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- This creamy dressing stays fresh in the fridge for a week.
- It can be frozen for a month.
- To thaw it, just immerse the jar of dressing in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes.
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