Zesty and full of flavor, this Tangy Tomato Dressing is fabulous over garden veggies, pasta, or greens. It’s a much healthier vegan salad dressing option than the high-fat, oil-laden store-bought varieties.
This vegan salad dressing recipe came from my husband’s love of another version of it from a local steakhouse in South Carolina. It’s low-fat and oil-free.
We love this oil-free vegan salad dressing because it’s…
- Tangy
- Tomatoey
- Low-fat
- Oil-free
- Easy to make
- Simply delicious

How to make vegan salad dressing
This is such a simple recipe, and it only requires a few ingredients and spices that you are likely to already have on hand.

Combine all ingredients–ketchup, water, sweetener, vinegar, spices– in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking often.
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.
Allow to cool, then refrigerate. it will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tips for making this dressing
- Ketchup- This is a great recipe to use homemade ketchup in. I have a great homemade ketchup recipe to try that only takes a few minutes to make.
- Sweetener- The main reason for cooking this recipe is to dissolve any granular, less refined sugar that you are using. If you are planning to sweeten it with maple syrup, agave, or another liquid natural sweetener, the cooking time can be reduced.
- Adjusting- The amount of sweetener (1/4 c) can be reduced in this recipe. I would suggest also reducing the amount of vinegar (1/4 c) to help offset the tanginess.
- Uses- Another great use for this salad dressing is for french fries. It makes a terrific dipping sauce for crispy Air Fryer French Fries.
- Storing- Keep this salad dressing in the refrigerator for up 7-10 days.

Other oil-free vegan salad dressings
- Cool Ranch Dressing & Dip
- Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
- Oil-Free Vinegar Salad Dressing
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If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!

Tangy Tomato Oil-Free Dressing
Zesty and full of flavor, this Tangy Tomato Dressing is fabulous over garden veggies, pasta, or greens. It's a much healthier vegan salad dressing option than the high-fat, oil-laden store-bought varieties.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup organic ketchup (or homemade)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup agave or other sweetner, (I use sucanat)
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- pinch thyme
- dash salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking often.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool, then refrigerate.
Notes
Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Amount Per Serving: Calories: 18Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 4.3gFiber: .1gProtein: .3g
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.



Mary Tomlinson
Sunday 21st of July 2019
This salad dressing is wonderful!! We have been vegan for 6 years and do not use any oils - up to now I have only found a few that we enjoy using. This recipe is the best. Thank you!
EatPlant-Based.com
Monday 22nd of July 2019
Mary, I am so glad that you like it. My husband loves this tangy tomato version too. Thanks SO much for letting me know!
Jerry Clark
Monday 9th of July 2018
One of my favorites
Diane
Saturday 18th of June 2016
Does this dressing coat the salad leaves or is it runny? I have been using 1 tsp chia seeds to 1 c + 1 tsp of water and blending my dressings in the vita mix to increase the thickness of my no oil dressings. Would that work with this recipe?
EatPlant-Based.com
Saturday 18th of June 2016
It actually coats the leaves quite well. Maybe try it, and if it's not thick enough for you blend in the chia seeds. I think you'll really like it!
Eileen
Thursday 16th of June 2016
I looked again and it is the yellow print you use for the ingredients. The amounts of each ingredient is in black ink and easy to read.
EatPlant-Based.com
Thursday 16th of June 2016
Eileen, so sorry to hear that the ingredients list is difficult to read. I have a recipe plugin that is free and limits what I can change on it. I've been playing with it this morning to see if I can adjust that font color, with no luck. I even messaged the company, and they said I have to purchase their premium plugin to be able to do that. Maybe they will do an update at some point to allow changes. I'll continue to watch for it. Thank you for following my blog!
Eileen
Thursday 16th of June 2016
I have a request please. When I go in to look at the recipe, the only way I can read the ingredients is to hit the print button. The background is not right to read it. It is too light or something. Can you change backgrounds?
cynthia anderson
Sunday 16th of August 2020
Omit the ketchup, make stewed tomato’s as you would for canning, strain the skin and the seeds add rest ingredient it would be all natural