Blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette

This blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette is fruity, punchy and perfect for summer salads. Easy to make, it's packed with fresh fruity flavours and a little different to citrus based salad dressings.

I often find that sauces without lemon, some vinegars or a lot of additives are hard to come by in the store, which is why I love to come up with new ones to liven up a salad in the summer. As well as my tahini dressing and pumpkin seed dressing, I also recommend to try little blobs of macadamia nut pesto on a salad, it may sound a little odd but the flavour is lovely with fresh cucumber and lettuces.

This blueberry pomegranate dressing is bright and fresh, with quite the zing! Pomegranate has a slightly sharp taste which works so perfectly with the sweet blueberries. So lovely on fresh salads for BBQs and picnics.

Ingredients

This is a 'few ingredients' salad dressing, and aside from the pomegranate uses pantry staples. Some notes on a few of them:

• Pomegranate and blueberries: the main ingredients, use fresh produce without any browning or other discolouration.
• Extra virgin olive oil: use a good olive oil if you can as it gives a much better depth of flavour, and is good for health too.
• Apple cider vinegar: this is optional for those here for low histamine recipes, but gives a nice kick of flavour if you are able to tolerate it.

Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!

Step by step instructions

Salad dressings are the easiest thing to make, and I haven't bought one from the store in years. Usually it's just add ingredients to a jar and give it a good whisk to combine. This vinaigrette recipe does have an extra couple of steps, but I promise you they are worth it!

Step 1

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate (image 1). There are a few ways to do this, but personally I slice it into two halves and then use a small spoon to scoop them out. For the stubborn seeds, place the pomegranate over your hand with your fingers apart. Bash with a wooden spoon and the seeds should fall out!

Step 2

Add all the ingredients to your blender (image 2).

Recipe tip: be sure to wear an apron! Removing pomegranate seeds is a messy job and the juice will ruin any white t-shirt within seconds . . .

Step 3

Blend! Then have a taste and adjust with more vinegar for a sharper flavour, or a little more maple syrup for extra sweetness to preference (image 3).

Step 4

Pour the vinaigrette into a sieve placed over a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to help press the vinaigrette through the sieve. You will be left with the hard seeds, which you can simply discard (image 4).

Recipe tips

• The number one tip is to wear an apron! The very bright pink juice from the pomegranate will definitely ruin your clothes and does like to spray everywhere . . .
• This is a fairly 'thin' salad dressing as we use lots of juice from the fruit. To make it thicker in texture you can add a little more olive oil.
• Give the dressing a good shake before use if it has been in the fridge for any length of time.

More dressings, dips and sauces to enjoy

There are many sauces to try out here, from sweet to savoury. Check out my sauces page for more ideas, but some recent recipes:

I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And please do leave a star rating if you like the recipe!

Recipe

Blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette

Claire

This fruity blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette makes a sweet and tangy dressing for summer salads. This recipe makes approximately a cup of dressing.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Salad, Sauces, Side Dish

Cuisine American, British

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup pomegranate seeds roughly one small pomegranate
• ½ cup blueberries
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar optional, adjust to taste
• pinch salt
• pinch black pepper optional

Instructions

 

• Remove the seeds from a small pomegranate.
• Add the pomegranate seeds and all other ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend well so the dressing is combined.
• Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the dressing into it. Use the back of a spoon to press the liquid through the sieve so you are left with the hard bit of the pomegranate seeds and any remaining pith. Discard this bit.
• Transfer the vinaigrette into a jar or other salad dressing container for use immediately or for your next salad (keep in the fridge). Enjoy!

Notes

• To de-seed a pomegranate I find that removing the seeds with a teaspoon and then holding over a bowl and giving it a bash with a wooden spoon is best. I also make sure to do it in a large bowl sat on an old tea towel in case the juice goes everywhere!
• This is quite a runny salad dressing rather than a thicker 'sauce-type' dressing. If you keep in the fridge, give it a good shake before using to combine the oil and vinegar as they will slightly separate.
• If you are on a low histamine diet, then you may wish to use a lower histamine vinegar such as white distilled vinegar (scores 0 on the SIGHI list) or leave out completely.

 

Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food compatibility for histamine

All ingredients in this recipe for pomegranate vinaigrette / salad dressing score 0 on SIGHI, with the exception of:

• apple cider vinegar, which scores 1. If you prefer, white distilled vinegar scores 0 on the SIGHI list.
• black pepper, which scores 2 although it is stated that small amounts are tolerated. This is optional to preference.

 

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