I’m Making Drew Barrymore’s 4-Ingredient Salad Dressing From Now On—It’s That Delicious

When I think of Drew Barrymore, I see her as the adorable, blonde six-year-old in E.T. Or I remember her starring roles in 2000s films like 50 First Dates and Charlie’s Angels. In the past few years though, she’s reinvented herself in the lifestyle space. Her daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, debuted in 2020, and a year later, she released her first cookbook, Rebel Homemaker: Food, Family, Life.

While flipping through the pages, one recipe caught my eye: Drew’s Cashew Cream Dressing. It’s a vegan alternative for Caesar and ranch, yet as a non-vegan, I appreciate it as a delicious dressing in its own right. I’d tried store-bought cashew dressings in the past, but I love how minimalist this homemade version is.

Though the thought of turning crunchy cashews into a smooth, flavorful dressing seems intimidating, it’s pretty easy to do with the help of a blender and a few simple ingredients. The sweet, earthy cashews are balanced by vinegar and mustard, making for a fresh-tasting dressing you’ll want to put on almost anything.

How To Make Drew Barrymore’s Creamy Cashew Dressing 

The first step to making this dressing is prepping the cashews so they’re soft enough to blend. Drew recommends letting them sit, covered with water, for one hour. Afterwards, you drain the cashews and add warm water, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, miso, salt, and pepper before blending the mixture until smooth. You can cover and store the dressing in the fridge for up to five days. 

This dressing has a myriad of potential uses. Besides drizzling it on salad, it’s great as a dip for fresh vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers. Or, if you leave it thick, it can be draped over a pasta sauce or roasted potatoes. Drew also uses a version of this dressing in her recipes for squash gratin and lemon pasta.

Tips for Making Drew Barrymore’s Cashew Cream Dressing 

Though Drew’s way of making this dressing works great, there are a few tweaks that make it even easier and more flavorful. 

• Speed Up the Soak: I use a quick-soak method for my cashews. I place them in a small pot, cover them with water, and bring to a boil. Once they’re boiling, I remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then the nuts are soft enough to blend.
• Tweak the Seasoning: I used red wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. Since my regular grocery store doesn’t carry miso, I omitted it and bumped up the mustard and vinegar for more flavor. You can also use a different type of mustard, try lemon juice instead of vinegar, or add maple syrup for a hint of sweetness or red pepper flakes for spice.
• Thin It Out: The dressing is quite thick, so I used double the water than Drew calls for. That helped the cashews blend more smoothly, and it resulted in a dressing that poured more easily.