The Best Poppy Seed Dressing for Your Salads

Ah, poppy seed dressing. The gloppy one. The speckled one. The one that has you asking, “Is this what you put in coleslaw or is that something different?” (Note: That’s something different.) It’s the one you never choose for yourself but don’t actively hate. The one that has the capacity to be sickeningly sweet or tangy to a fault. Let’s just say, poppy seed dressing is an enigma wrapped in a mystery that got lost in the creamy, spotted sauce.

What we looked for in the best poppy seed dressing

While poppy seed dressing itself may be mysterious, it is no mystery what the stuff should taste like. Namely? It should taste good. If you are still in the dark on what exactly poppy seed dressing is, some of the more common ingredients in the ones we tried include sugar, vinegar, onion, sometimes garlic or orange juice, mustard, poppy seeds, and either egg yolks or oil and mayo. It’s basically mustardy, oniony, sweet poppy seed aioli.

The best ones we tried were a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, umami, and salty. We gave extra points for creaminess, but lack of creaminess is not a dealbreaker (something we learned while taste testing ten different poppy seed dressings in one go). Another thing we learned? Poppy seed dressing—especially the best poppy seed dressing—is better than you remember it being and we highly recommend giving it a go on your next snazzy homemade salad.

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Best Fat Free Poppy Seed Dressing

Skinnygirl Fat Free / Sugar Free Poppyseed Dressing

Walmart

This fat free and sugar free poppy seed dressing is like a red wine vinaigrette. It is not bad at all, but not necessarily what you would expect from a poppy seed dressing. But wait, if it isn’t very poppy seed dressing-like, why put it on this list of the best store bought poppy seed dressings? Because, y’all. This stuff is pretty darn good, even if it is atypical.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Best Sweet

Litehouse Poppyseed Dressing & Marinade

Instacart

Litehouse Poppyseed dressing is VERY sweet. The sweetest of the bunch, in fact, with the least amount of bite from acidity or salt. To me, it almost tastes like a strawberry banana smoothie in a way I can’t quite explain, although that would make it the best poppy seed dressing for one of those fancy spinach salads with strawberry slices, walnuts, and gorgonzola. It is also thinner than some of the other options, and poured straight out of the glass bottle without being coaxed with a butter knife.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Dairy Free

Panera Bread Poppy Seed Dressing

Giant

At first glance, Panera’s poppy seed dressing is quite off-putting. It has the texture of aloe vera, or chia water, or that one time they made us isolate the DNA from banana mush in Bio class and everything was slimy. The point is, this stuff looks a little mucus-y, so at first I was not all that sold on it.  But rest assured, this stuff tastes great! It is sweet and sour with some oniony notes to it, and while it isn’t creamy in the egg yolk-y, mayo-y sense, it is thicker than the previous two candidates, and if that calls to you, or if you are dairy-free, this one might be the way to go.

Credit: Merc / Giant

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Sugar Free Poppy Seed Dressing

Briannas Sugar Free Rich Poppyseed Dressing

Ralphs

When I tried this sugar free poppy seed dressing, I immediately thought, “Wow, this would be really good in a salad with candied nuts.” Of course, as soon as I had that thought, it occurred to me that eating candied nuts would defeat the purpose of buying sugar-free salad dressing to begin with. But hey, I’m just callin’ it like I sees it. Briannas sugar free poppy seed dressing is tangier than the full-sugar Briannas offering (which also made our list of the best store bought poppy seed dressing), but it is still thick, rich, slightly savory, and slightly sweet. It is a bit less balanced than the other Briannas dressing, but I’m not one to pit women against each other—both Briannas are winners in my book.

Credit: Merc / Ralphs

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Budget

Great Value Creamy Poppyseed Dressing & Dip

Walmart

Alright, now we are getting into the winners’ circle of the best poppy seed dressings. Walmart really did come through on this one. When I think of what I was expecting from a poppyseed dressing, this one is it. It is tangy, sweet, thick, and well balanced, and of the top three options on this list, this one tastes the most classic. Great Value is not doing anything special or carving out a new gimmick or niche; this is just good ol’ fashioned poppy seed dressing, and if you are looking to save money, then we say go for this one—you will not be sacrificing flavor by doing so.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Tangy

Briannas Rich Poppy Seed Dressing

Target

Okay, I do have one qualm with Briannas dressings, and it has nothing to do with how it tastes. They always slap a random fruit on their labels and claim (in the fine print, mind you) that the dressing does not contain that fruit, it is just pairs well with that fruit. So contrary to what the label suggests, this dressing has no peaches in it. But I digress, and also I cannot stay mad for long, because Brianna really went an made some of the best poppy seed dressing. It is perfectly sweet and creamy, but balanced by a big punch of vinegar and caramelized onions. Truly no notes here, and the decision between this and the number one pick was not easy.  

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Marie’s Poppy Seed Dressing

Instacart

I know I said I wouldn’t pit powerful women against each other, but I am sorry, Brianna—Marie wins this round. This poppy seed dressing from Marie’s is very flavorful and the most savory of the bunch. Don’t get me wrong—it is still sweet, but it also has tons of delicious garlicky and oniony flavor and lacks the orange juice some of these contain (and the fruitiness that can bring), and I must say I don’t miss it. Visually, this one is on the yellower side (likely from the egg yolks in it), and it is one of the creamier ones on the list (likely also due to those egg yolks). I almost put this one second but then it was so addicting, I kept coming back to it, and when you can say that about a salad dressing you are scooping up with baby spinach, you have to give that dressing 10/10 sporks. This stuff is bomb.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

We also tried: Kraft Poppyseed Dressing, G Hughes Sugar Free Poppyseed Dressing, Primal Kitchen Poppy Seed Dressing made with Avocado Oil

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