Creamy Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

I LOVE blue cheese dressing, my favorite kind is Marie's Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. So, I set out to make a homemade version and it's even BETTER!

I would describe this salad dressing as a cross between a vinaigrette and a creamy blue cheese salad dressing. It's simply fantastic and so easy to make.

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I used the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender, but you can use any high speed blender. You can even make a few changes to the recipe and make a KETO Blue Cheese Dressing and I'll go over exactly how to do that in this article!

Frequently Asked Questions

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are the ingredients I used in this salad dressing, where to find them, and some substitutions you can make:

Avocado Oil

Avocado Oil is easy to find at almost every grocery store and is usually found where the other cooking oils are.

I used avocado oil in this recipe because it is very neutral in flavor, however, you can use any oil you like. I did test the recipe with olive oil and that would be my last choice because it changed the flavor quite a bit. I found it to be a bit bitter with olive oil.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider vinegar was a natural choice, since I am also using an apple in this recipe for volume and a touch of sweetness. Any vinegar should work just fine, except balsamic.

If you didn't want to use apple cider vinegar, my first choice would be a white wine or champagne vinegar, followed by plain white vinegar. Red wine vinegar is fine, but may change the color of the blue cheese dressing a little.

Granny Smith Apple

I used a Granny Smith apple because it's what I had on hand and I thought the tart apple would pair nicely with the other flavors.

You can use any type of apple you like, just taste the dressing before adding sugar because some varieties of apples are much sweeter than others.

Blue Cheese

Any kind of blue cheese will work just fine in this recipe. I suggest getting one that you enjoy eating, since they can vary in flavor quite a bit.

Another choice is a gorgonzola cheese, which is a type of blue cheese made from cow's milk and tends to be a bit milder than some other blue cheese varieties.

Roquefort is another type of blue cheese that is made from sheep's milk and can be quite tangy and strong in flavor.

Picking out the right blue cheese is important because if you pick a variety that is too strong for your liking, you won't enjoy your Blue Cheese Vinaigrette!

If you need more help in choosing the right blue cheese, here is an article that goes over a few of the more popular kinds of blue cheese and even rates them from mild to strong.

Here is the link to the article ⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎

Everything you wanted to know about Blue Cheese

Sugar

Even though the apple does bring in some sweetness, I found the dressing still needed a touch more. You can also use a sugar substitute of your choice.

The sugar is also used to mix with the xanthan gum. If you added the xanthan gum directly to the blue cheese dressing it would clump up and not distribute itself throughout the dressing.

If you want to omit the sugar or sugar substitute, then I would leave out 1 Tbsp of the oil and mix the xanthan gum with the oil and add it at the end to thicken the dressing.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is used as a thickening agent in this recipe for blue cheese vinaigrette. You can certainly skip it if you don't mind a thinner dressing or you can use a different thickening agent if you like.

A little goes a long way! It also thickens more as it sits, so don't add more than the recipe calls for until after you have let the dressing sit for about an hour. If your dressing is a little too thick, simply add a little water and stir until it is the consistency you want.

Xanthan Gum has become very popular and can often be found in regular grocery stores. I live way out in the country and found it at our local Walmart. It can also be found at most health food stores and, of course, you can purchase it online.

Here is a link to Xanthan Gum on Amazon. Please check prices in various places to ensure you are not overpaying. Xanthan gum is pretty inexpensive.

Xanthan Gum on Amazon

The advantages to using xanthan gum as a thickening agent is you don't have to heat it for it to work. I use it in many of my ice cream recipes because it helps to prevent large ice crystals from forming and improves the mouthfeel of the ice cream.

I really recommend getting some to have on hand, especially if you want to make different kinds of salad dressings because it is a great way to thicken up dressings without adding a ton of calories.

Here are a few other substitutions, but many of them require heating to activate and those would not be the best choice for a salad dressing.

9 Substitutions to Xanthan Gum

How to Make Keto Blue Cheese Dressing

You only need to change three ingredients to make this dressing keto-compliant.

Omit the apple and use cucumber instead and use a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar.

The cucumber will cause the dressing to be a bit thinner, so I add ½ tsp of xanthan gum instead of ¼.

Super easy, but there are a few things that I found.

The cucumber does impart a mild cucumber flavor and it also changes the color of the dressing some. I enjoyed the dressing, but did prefer the regular version.

You can also substitute the cucumber for another vegetable of choice. The reason for the apple or cucumber is to provide more volume for the dressing so we aren't using as much oil. This cuts down on those pesky calories quite a bit.

I may have tried an avocado if I had one, but I didn't! Let me know how you make your keto version so I can update this post with tested suggestions!

How to make Blue Cheese Vinaigrette without a Blender

The main reason I used the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender for this recipe is to puree the apple. The extract function is AMAZING! If you have a high speed blender of any kind, I would definitely use that for this recipe.

You can use a whisk to emulsify the oil/water/vinegar, but you will need to be able to puree the apple or use a substitution.

Applesauce is an option, but might change the texture of the dressing some. Let me know if you try it!

Another option is using some apple juice and water. You would need to increase the xanthan gum if you added thin liquid to replace the apple.

You might be able to use a food processor by adding all the ingredients and processing it until it is a creamy mixture. Then add the sugar/xanthan gum and process again until thick.

How to Make Blue Cheese Vinaigrette in the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender makes it super easy to make this dressing and, if you are in the market for a blender that cooks, this one is amazing!

Core the apple and cut it into 4-8 wedges. I don't bother with peeling it. The blender takes care of the skin perfectly, but you can peel it if you prefer.

Add the water oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and apple wedges to the blender. Add about 3.5-4 ounces of the blue cheese. I like to have chunks of blue cheese in my dressing, so I put in about ⅔ of the blue cheese and reserve the rest to add at the end.

If you don't want chunks, add all the blue cheese in now.

Select the extract button and let the blender finish the cycle.

The dressing will be pretty thin at this point, but no worries. Xanthan gum to the rescue! Seriously, it's like magic!

Mix the sugar with the xanthan gum in a small bowl. This is important because the xanthan gum will clump immediately if added without mixing it with the sugar first.

If you wanted to avoid the sugar, you can mix the xanthan gum with a little extra oil before adding.

Add the sugar/xanthan gum mixture to the blender and put the lid on. Pulse blend a few times to combine. The mixture will thicken as it sits and thickens even more in the fridge.

If it's too thick when you go to serve it, add a little water (1 Tbsp at a time) until it is the consistency you like.

Pour into a sealable container and add in the remaining blue cheese crumbled up. Stir.

You can serve it right away or put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Enjoy!