Inspired by my favoriteee dressing at Sweet Green! The best creamy spicy cashew dressing (paleo and vegan, too)!
If you’ve had the cashew dressing at Sweet Green and are obsessed like I am, this will now be your new favorite recipe. It tastes like the real deal, and it’s easy to make! No soaking of cashew required, as long as you’ve got a high speed blender!
One bite of this and you’ll be hooked!
You just toss everything into a blender, and in a minute or so you’ve got the best ever creamy dressing. The flavor is insane, and it goes so well with so many salads and bowls. Pictures here with some kale and blackened chicken, but you can toss it with any salad, or try it on veggie + rice/quinoa bowls! I love having a batch of this in the fridge at all times. So good!
Homemade dressings are the way to go! It helps to avoid unnecessary additives, weird oils, or any other junk you might find in store bought. This dressing also provides a good source of healthy fat to your meal, making whatever salad or bowl you’re having more filling and satisfying. It’s a flavor win, AND a nutrition win!
I know so many of you have been waiting for me to get this transferred from the old site! Forgive my slowness and thanks for waiting š You guys are the best!
Enjoy! xx
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Spicy Cashew Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
Description
The best spicy cashew dressing!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp raw cashews
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp filtered water
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (can sub white vinegar)
- 2 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos (can sub soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tsp siracha (more for more spice)
- Sea salt, to taste
- Optional: 1 tsp of red pepper flakes (if you like more spice)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- If dressing is too thick, add up to 2 more tbsp water. Taste and adjust salt/spice level to preference.Ā
Jessica
How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Up to 1 week š
Calla
MY NEW FAVORITE DRESSING! Definitely going to be a weekly staple from now on. Thanks for the recipe!!!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Thank you Calla!! So happy you love it xoxoxo
Clarissa
AMAZING! This is just like the Sweetgreens spicy cashew dressing. Thanks for sharing š
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Love hearing this!! Thank you Clarissa š
Julia
Best dressing ever. Itās shockingly easy and tastes amazing!
★★★★★
Jenn
This is a great dressing to make for weekly meal prep!
★★★★★
Molly C
Addicting and good with everything.
★★★★★
Hilary
I literally make this all the time! And every time I do someone asks for the recipe! So yummy. Good as a dip or a dressing š
★★★★★
Heather
Delicious! So many different variations of base salad you can use this dressing for.
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Thank you Heather! xo
Kendall
LOVE LOVE LOVE! This dressing is delicious & so easy to make. Definitely a new go-to!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Yay! Thank you Kendall! xo
Stephanie
Obsessed with this dressing! I looked around for a long time online after trying to find a good, easy to make version of this dressing from Sweetgreen. I was thrilled after trying this, and have now made it so many times since I can’t even keep track. SO good, thanks, Mia!!!
★★★★★
Veronica Lori
Canāt wait to try making this tomorrow! Do you know the calories for this? Also what do you do with 2 tbsp raw cashews or 1/3 cup plus 2tbsp? Thank you!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
I don’t know the calories on this! Also, do you mean the 1/32 cup + 2 tbsp cashes in the ingredient list? They go in the blender as well!
Phaids
You got this right on! Sweetgreens is my favorite and their spicy cashew dressing is what makes me keep coming back for more. I made yours and instantly knew you got the proportions right. I always throw a little more Sriacha for a spicier twist! Thank you!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Sucha compliment!! Thank you so much š The spicier the better!
Tam
Hello! I’ve been searching for the Sweet Green Spicy Cashew dressing for ages and stumbled across your recipe…I just tried it and it tastes EXACTLY like the one used in their Spicy Thai salad. Thank you ever so much š
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Ah I’m so glad you stumbled on this recipe Tam š Such a sweet compliment. Thank you!!
lisa
this is delicious! I did not add siracha to mine. For those of you that a calorie counting, I put it in my app and it came to 51 calories per tablespoon. 1.4g protein, 3.8g fat, 3.1g carbs.
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Thanks for the note Lisa! Glad you loved it š
Cassi
This is the best addition to all of my meal prep plans! Easy to make, good enough to eat with a spoon (which I definitely did), and was so great to have on hand for not only salads, but to add to roasted veggie bowls or drizzle on tacos. Iād say itās better than sweetgreenās, and I love knowing exactly whatās in it!
★★★★★
Alexandra
My favorite salad dressing!!! I always make a double (or triple…) batch. So creamy, and I used a little bit less water than called for so this could double as a dip with veggies. Delicious!
★★★★★
David
Hi,
Love the recipe thanks, could you recommend anything else instead of the siracha sauce, for the spice ? trying to get it close to sweetgreens spicy cashew !
Thanks !!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
The sriracha is what I like to use to get it closest to Sweet Green! You could probably try substituting hot sauce, but I havenāt tried it!
Mally
So I used a hot pepper sesame oil and still yummy.
Mia Zarlengo
Yum!! That sounds delish with this!!
Hannah
Hi! Can’t wait to make this! Can I used cashews that have been soaked? I soaked too many for my Cashew Cream!
Thanks!
Mia Zarlengo
Yes you can!
Victoria
I had to make a couple of edits to this recipe due to available ingredients/preferences. I subbed the sriracha for Olek Sambal Chili Paste (and I added a lot because I love spice!) and I left out the Nutritional Yeast because my stomach can’t tolerate it, but this was absolutely delicious and will totally satisfy my Sweetgreen cravings! Finally!! The only problem is I now have a ton of dressing to get through in one week – any idea how well this freezes?
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
I’m so glad you enjoyed this!! I actually have not tried freezing it so I can’t say for sure, but it may be ok!
Mally
I made a homemade vegan version of ‘shroomami salad and added this dressing. Omggg, delicious! And maybe even better than sweetgreen š¤«š! All I had on hand for sesame oil was a hot pepper sesame oil, which for me the spicier the better! Thanks!
Lucy
I don’t understand how this recipe has so many five-star reviews. Unfortunately, this was a serious miss for me. The texture was like watered-down cashew butter, and the flavor of the nutritional yeast was overpowering everything else. Most importantly, the flavor was completely off from what this recipe claims to be a “copycat” of. It was so unpalatable that I threw it away even after multiple attempts to improve.
★★
Mia Zarlengo
I’m sorry you felt that way! I’m not sure what went wrong!
Elisa
So good! Tastes just like the dressing I absolutely love from my favourite restaurant in town! Thank you! š
★★★★★
Victoria
Do you have a good substitute for the nutritional yeast??
Mia Zarlengo
for this recipe there isnāt a great sub, but in a pinch you can leave it out but you will probably need to season it more for better flavor! i havenāt tried it without it!
Kinsley
Soooo good! More sweetgreens dupe recipes please!
★★★★★
sandra dzmura
This dressing is amazing it tastes exactly like the one at Sweetgreen!! I will make this in the future for sure!
Erum
Followed the recipe exactly and it came out great. So good tossed with chickpea pasta and roasted veggies!
★★★★★
Seeta
This really tastes like the Sweetgreen dressing! Love it! Thank you!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Love to hear that! Thank you so much š
Amanda
OMG can’t believe I waited so long to try this. I used Sambal Oelek instead of Sriracha (not a huge sriracha fan) and its amazing!
Maia
absolutely delish, I will be making this again!
★★★★★
Rachel
Love the flavor and it literally goes on everything !
★★★★★
Jillian
I was eating this by the spoonful!! I put it on some roasted winter veggies and omgggg. I also threw some on a salad. I also stirred some into cauliflower fried rice. Amazing!
★★★★★
Samantha
Was looking for a re-creation of the spicy cashew dressing from Sweet Green and this is spot on!! Did add a few tbs of water to thin it out. So good!!
★★★★★
Charlie
Thank you for this recipe! Iāve made it four times this month, and I keep experimenting with different forms of heat as substitute for sriracha. My favorites so far have been 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (for a real kick), and a teaspoon lao gan ma for a more subtle heat and earthy flavor. I look forward to checking out your other recipes!
★★★★★