Dairy-Free Dill Sauce for Salmon made with a handful of simple ingredients for the ultimate way to step up your salmon game! Requiring few ingredients and less than 15 minutes to make, you can transform a weeknight meal into a fancy event.
If you’ve been a long-time follower, you know salmon is a huge staple in my life.
I make My Go-To Crispy Salmon Recipe or my Crispy Skillet Salmon at least once a week.
While I’m all about keeping it simple with a sprinkle of garlic powder and sea salt, I also like to make a fancy salmon dinner from time to time.
Similar to my Crispy Salmon with Lemon Caper Dill Sauce I posted years ago, this dairy-free dill sauce turns already delicious salmon into a restaurant-quality meal.
Plus, this easy recipe is well worth the effort and is a delicious way to enjoy a lovely evening in.
Classic dill sauce recipes call for heavy cream, sour cream, or mayonnaise, which all sound magnificent. For those of us who don’t eat dairy for one reason or another, I figured I would share a dairy-free dill sauce recipe for salmon so that we can join in on the fun.
So the next time you’re on the prowl for easy dinners, this is one of those quick ways of getting in some healthy omega-3 fats and protein for a nutritious meal.
Let’s chat about the ingredients for this dill sauce for salmon.
Dill Sauce Ingredients:
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Taking the place of heavy cream or sour cream in traditional dill sauce, we use full-fat canned coconut milk. It is important to use full-fat canned coconut milk here or the sauce will turn out tasting bland rather than rice. It’s the fat content of the coconut milk that really makes the sauce rich.
I’ve noticed there is a huge amount of variation in the quality of different brands of canned coconut milk, so after trying countless brands, I can vouch for Native Forest Coconut Milk. This is the brand I use in every recipe I make calling for coconut milk.
Fresh Garlic: A few cloves of fresh garlic bump up the flavor and deliciousness of this sauce, giving it restaurant-quality vibes. Scale the garlic up or down according to how much you like.
Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest: Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest not only brings that yummy citrus flair we all love so much with salmon, but they add a slight acidic tang to bring life and flavor to the lemon dill sauce. Consider serving the salmon with lemon wedges or lemon slices for those who really love citrus.
Dill: The reason we’re all here! Salmon and dill get along famously and using fresh dill in a creamy sauce for salmon is the ultimate way to celebrate this lovely pairing. If you can only get your hands on dried dill, it will work too.
Salt: Add sea salt to your personal taste to bring out all of the flavors of the sauce.
Tapioca Flour: In order to make the sauce nice and thick, you can add tapioca flour although it isn’t mandatory.
There are two ways to make the sauce thick: add a thickening agent like flour or boil the coconut milk until much of the liquid burns off and the sauce thickens naturally.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour, regular all-purpose flour, and arrowroot flour all work as replacements.
Salmon Fillets: You will also need your choice of fresh salmon (or favorite fish), olive oil, any seasonings or dry rub you love for cooking it, and a baking sheet.
Choose your favorite recipe, or click on one of the links I’ve provided in this post to follow a simple salmon recipe. You can use salmon steaks, salmon patties, or any salmon filets you typically use.
You can change up the ingredients you add to the sauce to your heart’s delight! Here are some options.
Optional Additions:
- Add ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes or finely chopped kalamata olives.
- If you love capers, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of capers.
- Finely chop some spinach and add it in for a Vitamin infusion.
- Stir in ¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes or 1 tablespoon of sriracha for some heat.
- Add black pepper to your personal taste.
- Feel free to add more fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, or oregano if you have them on hand.
Now that we’re familiar with the fresh ingredients for dill sauce, let’s make epic salmon with creamy dill sauce!
Prepare the Salmon:
Bake salmon by following the step-by-step instructions for any recipe that looks good to you (I’ve linked several to my two favorites above) or use your preferred cooking method.
Try this dairy-free dill sauce for salmon using one of these salmon recipes.
- Baked Garlic Butter Salmon
- Crispy Air Fryer Salmon
- Chili Lime Baked Cod
- Grilled Salmon
- Sheet Pan Salmon and Vegetables
For my fellow crispy salmon lovers, I like to cook salmon in a skillet over high heat for 6 minutes per side, starting with the flesh side down to get crispy skin both on the top and bottom.
For best results, let salmon cool for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Salmon is considered fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the salmon is cooking, prepare the sauce. You can also make the sauce ahead of time and enjoy it the next day. Simply store it in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap and reheat it when you’re ready to serve.
How to Make Dairy-Free Dill Sauce For Salmon:
Heat the coconut milk, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and sea salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a full boil, then stir in the tapioca flour (optional). Whisk well until all of the clumps are out.
Continue cooking at a full but controlled boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes (or about 15 to 20 minutes if you aren’t adding tapioca flour).
Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the fresh dill. Taste the sauce for flavor and add more lemon juice or salt to taste.
Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and use the dill sauce immediately on fresh baked or grilled salmon, or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Sauce stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Serve the dill salmon with your choice of healthy side dishes for a complete meal.
If you’re looking to have extra sauce, feel free to double the recipe so that you can have this creamy dill sauce recipe on hand on demand.
And that’s it! An easy salmon recipe full of creamy, zesty, herby flavors for a classic dish to make you swoon.
Now go forth and bring dill to all your salmon recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
- ¼ tsp sea salt, to taste
- 2 tsp tapioca flour*, optional
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the salmon using your cooking method of choice (see blog post above for several preparation options).
- Heat the coconut milk, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and sea salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a full boil, then stir in the tapioca flour (optional). Whisk well until all of the clumps are out.
- Continue cooking at a full but controlled boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes (or about 15 to 20 minutes if you aren’t adding tapioca flour).
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the fresh dill. Taste the sauce for flavor and add more lemon juice or salt to taste. Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and use the dill sauce immediately on fresh baked or grilled salmon, or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Sauce stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Serve the dill salmon with your choice of healthy side dishes for a complete meal.
Nutrition
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