Creamy Catalina Dressing - Small Batch - Vegan Recipe

Love a tomato-based, tangy sauce? Try this creamy Catalina dressing. It's a small batch, so no waste, and it's dairy-free and vegan.

I'm always trying out new salad dressings, and it's usually a small batch of dressing, so there's no waste.

My latest dressing is this creamy, tomato-based Catalina dressing.

It's gorgeous stuff and adds so much flavour to lots of dishes, not just salad bowls.

It makes a tasty dipping sauce too.

Jump to:

• 💭 What is Catalina dressing?
• 📋 What you need to make this tangy homemade dressing
• 🥣 Thin salad dressing with water not oil
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Save your jam jars
• 🥗 Storing salad dressing
• 🍔 How to serve Catalina dressing
• 🥛 Related small batch recipes
• ⭐ Save your recipes for free!
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make vegan Catalini dressing
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

💭 What is Catalina dressing?

Catalina dressing is a rich, tangy dressing that was probably first created by the Kraft Company in the United States, but with a nod to the flavours of the Spanish Catalan.

Another suggestion is that the idea actually came from the Catalonia region of Spain and their love of tomato-based sweet and tangy flavours.

Who really knows?

It's usually a shop-bought bottle of salad dressing, but not one we are very familiar with here in the UK, or in Scotland.

However, Kraft Catalina Dressing became popular in the US, in the 1960's.

It's super easy to make at home, although I prefer a creamier version.

📋 What you need to make this tangy homemade dressing

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make a small batch of this Catalina dressing.

It's so much nicer than store-bought dressing.

🥣 Thin salad dressing with water not oil

Traditionally, people thin down salad dressing to a better consistency by adding more oil.

However, it's not particularly healthy to add more oil, and it also makes your dressing more calorific.

You want some oil in your dressing for that nice mouth feel, but not too much.

So instead of adding extra oil to thin a dressing that's too thick, try adding water instead.

Add a spoonful at a time, give it a good mix, and add more if it needs it.

The water won't split the dressing; it will emulsify well. You'll see when you try it yourself.

👩🏻‍🍳 Save your jam jars

Jam jars make the perfect storage for salad dressing.

You can see what's in the jar at a glance, how much is left, and give it a really good shake to mix it, without fear of the lid flying off.

There's no need for a food processor or whisk when you have a jam jar.

They stack well in the fridge too, and recycling is always a good thing for the environment.

🥗 Storing salad dressing

Store your homemade salad dressing in a jam jar or any airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Although this is a small batch dressing which is very moreish, even my teenager (who is a picky eater at times) loves it, so it's likely to be finished well before the week is up.

There's only 3 - 4 servings in the batch.

🍔 How to serve Catalina dressing

This easy homemade Catalina dressing is, of course, good on a salad, but it's much more versatile than that.

🥛 Related small batch recipes

Looking for more small-batch salad dressing recipes like this? Try these:

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make vegan Catalini dressing

These step-by-step photos will show you how to make this delicious creamy salad dressing.

Step 1

• Add all the ingredients to a clean jam jar or another airtight container with a tight lid (full recipe below).
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add water to thin the dressing.

Step 2

• Add the lid tightly and shake like mad to mix all the ingredients well and emulsify the dressing.
• Taste it to check the texture and seasoning.
• Add more seasoning if it needs it, or more water if it's too thick, then shake again to mix well.
• Enjoy!

📖 Recipe