Creamy Pink Hibiscus Salad Dressing
Are you ready for this shockingly pink hibiscus salad dressing? It’s creamy, silky, with that slightly floral, cranberry-like flavor that comes from the hibiscus. A little sweet, a little sour, a whole lot of goodness. This dressing is prefect for green salads, pasta salads, grains, to drizzle on your favorite bowl, or to dip vegetables into.
Skip the Post, Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
All About Hibiscus
I’m sure you’ve seen hibiscus flowers before, or at least pictures of hibiscus flowers. They’re most often red (but also come in other colors such as yellow and white), with five petals and a long center stamen. They are flashy, beautiful, and also edible! Across history they have been consumed all over the world, from Africa to China to Mexico and Iran for food and medicinal reasons. One of the most common way to eat hibiscus is actually to drink it- in Mexico, the dark red tea is called Agua de Jamaica. In China, the fresh petals are often lightly steamed and served similarly to how spinach is. It is used as a spice, dye, tea, vegetable, and medicine. Studies show it has good potential at being able to help control high blood pressure. You can pickle it, and make jams, salsas, and more.
Hibiscus is bright, tart, and reminiscent of a cranberry in flavor, with a few floral notes. The tea is a dark red. The petals can also be eaten, although they are somewhat tough after they’ve been dried. You can cook them to soften them- in Mexico the texture is used like a meat alternative once the sour flavor has been extracted for tea. I have never seen fresh hibiscus for sale in my area (although I can’t say I’ve ever looked at a flower shop), but fortunately dried hibiscus is easily available online, and is fairly affordable. If you’re looking to get some, you can find it here.
Looking for Vegan Salad Dressings? Try one of these!
- Next-Level AMAZING Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, No Mayo)
- Hearty Bean Dinner Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Dressing
- Papaya Seed Salsa/Papaya Seed Dressing
How to Make Hibiscus Salad Dressing
This dressing has two basic steps- first, make the hibiscus tea, and second, blend the dressing. Start with your hibiscus flowers. I used dried ones, like the ones you can get here. Rinse them first, to remove any dirt or dust that might be on them, then add them to a pot with enough water to cover all the flowers. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn off the heat and allow the flowers to steep. I let mine steep for about 5 minutes- you can do longer if you like, but I found it long enough to get the job done. Remove the flowers and bring the tea back to a boil, and let it reduce until you have half a cup of tea remaining. Let the tea cool down, and then continue.
The second step is to blend. Use an immersion blender to combine the oil, aquafaba, reduced tea and all the other ingredients. It will take a minute or two, but the oil and aquafaba will cause the mixture to thicken into a great salad dressing texture. And you’ve made it! Store your dressing in the fridge in a jar with a fitted lid. Before using it, give a shake to fix any separation that may occur.
Creamy Pink Hibiscus Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or other neutral flavored oil)
- 3 tbsp. aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp. maple syrup
- ¼ tsp. dried dill
- ¼ tsp. chili powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the hibiscus under cool water, then place it in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover the flowers, and bring it to a boil. Turn off the pot, and let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes. Separate the liquids from the solids (you can use the flowers as a meat alternative as in our hibiscus tostadas, or discard them).
- Return the tea to your saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce, whisking, until you have ½ cup of liquid. Let the tea cool to room temperature before continuing.
- Add the reduced hibiscus tea with all the other ingredients in a jar. Use an immersion blender to blend the dressing for a minute or two, so that the garlic is pureed, the ingredients are well-mixed, and the dressing thickens slightly. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge. Like most homemade dressings, this hibiscus vinaigrette separates a little when it’s stored, so shake well before using.
Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
Like Hibiscus Dressing? Pin it!
1 thought on “Creamy Pink Hibiscus Salad Dressing”