Easy To Make Salad Dressing

Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing

Salad Dressing with Mayo and Vinegar / Easy as 1-2-3 Recipe!

This healthy version of a favorite dressing is low in calories and fat: Thick Greek yogurt takes the place of egg yolk, providing the same richness. The dressing is also super quick and easy-just throw all your ingredients together in a blender and puree.

Get the Recipe: Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing

How To Make Caesar Salad Dressing:

After years of whisking Caesar dressing by hand, I figured out a few years ago that it is much easier to make with a traditional blender which is what I always use nowadays. That said, I have included instructions in the recipe box below for how to make Caesar dressing with a traditional blender, a hand blender, or 100% by hand. So choose whatever works for you!

To make this recipe with a traditional blender, simply

Blend base ingredients: Blitz everything but the olive oil in the blender for a few seconds.

Add olive oil. Then while the blender is still running, carefully remove the small cap from the blender lid and gradually stream in the olive oil until the dressing is completely blended and smooth.

Adjust seasonings/consistency. Add in a few tablespoons of water, as needed, until the dressing achieves your desired consistency. Then taste and add extra salt and/or black pepper, if needed.

Serve or store. Serve the dressing immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

Why Make Homemade Salad Dressing From Scratch

Spoiler alert: I dont always make my own salad dressing from scratch. Sometimes it makes sense to make it yourself, sometimes it doesnt. Ill quickly run through the advantages and disadvantages to help you decide when and why it will be beneficial to make your own homemade salad dressing, and when to buy store-bought.

Make These Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings At Home

I hope you’ll give some of these Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings a try at home. They are all so tasty and unique. With this variety, you’ll never have to buy the bottle again.

If you make these recipes, Id love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating below. Make sure to follow me on , , and too!

Its Fun To Do Even More If You Want Here Are Some Ideas For Oil And Vinegar Salad Dressing Add

Balsamic vinaigrette

Use balsamic vinegar. A touch of sweetener granulated sugar, honey, pure maple syrup, or even brown sugar helps mellow out the acidity, while a bit of Dijon mustard helps round it out. I like to use white balsamic vinegar for a lighter balsamic dressing in both flavor and looks.

Herb vinaigrette

Add fresh chopped herbs like dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, mint, or thyme

Ginger vinaigrette

Add finely minced fresh garlic or even some garlic powder in a pinch.

Raspberry vinaigrette

Add fresh or frozen raspberries along with the other salad dressing ingredients to a blender and puree. Also works with strawberries or blueberries! Go with about 1/2 cup berries per 1 cup of dressing. A bit of shallot and a drizzle of honey go nicely too.

Champagne vinaigrette

Use champagne vinegar for a light, elegant touch.

Citrus vinaigrette

Swap out half of the vinegar for lemon, lime, or orange juice. Blood orange is especially pretty! Throw in a little zest for an extra punch.

Spicy vinaigrette

Crushed red pepper flakes, a dab of horseradish, or even a bit of Sriracha add a touch of heat.

Shallot vinaigrette

Add a bit of finely minced shallots to the equation. Shallots add so much flavor! You can also add onion or scallions.

Dijon vinaigrette

Dijon mustard adds flavor and acts as an emulsifier its kind of vinaigrettes best pal. More about emulsifying in a minute. I like to add about a half teaspoon to a teaspoon of Dijon mustard per 1 cup of dressing.

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Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing

You just can’t beat the fresh flavor of a Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing. They are surprisingly simple to make and taste so much better than most bottled salad dressings. Plus you can control the ingredients and make them as healthy, sugar free, low carb, and low calorie as you’d like!

I’ve been making and posting healthy salad dressings on Running in a Skirt for years and wanted to give y’all a place where you could easily find them all in one place. In all, I’ve created 15 healthy salad dressing recipes covering a huge spectrum of tastes and cuisines. There is something for everyone!

I’ve got the basics covered like a Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch, Healthy Greek Salad Dressing, Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing, and Healthy Red Wine Vinaigrette. You’ll also find some unique options like an Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Creamy Thai Peanut Dressing.

In fact, I feel like this is the ultimate resource to making your own healthy homemade salad dressings!

Taste Adjust Seasonings And Serve

Once its mixed, just taste and adjust the seasonings if you like, and youre good to go. Tasting tip: For the most accurate idea of what the dressing will taste like on your salad, dip a leaf into the dressing, shake off the excess, and try.

If youre not serving your vinaigrette right away, you may have to shake it again right before serving. But heres where the bonus of a couple of the add-ins come into play: both Dijon mustard and honey help emulsify the dressing, which keeps it together longer. So consider adding one or both of these if youre entertaining and dont want the embarrassment of a broken-down dressing or if you are just plain tired of shaking.

And thats it!

1/2 – 1teaspoonsugar or honey

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Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

My go-to apple cider vinegar salad dressing recipe. If EBF has a house dressing, this would be it! Get all the health benefits of apple cider vinegar with this delicious dressing! Use it for this Brussels Sprout Chopped Salad or as a .

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 163 calories, 18g fat, 1g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein

One of my favorite zesty dressings to use for Mexican themed salads. Try it on my or as a marinade for grilled shrimp.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 87 calories, 9g fat, 2g carbs, 1g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein

Everyone needs a go-to balsamic vinegar dressing and this one is absolutely delicious and works on just about any salad imaginable. Try it on my Detox Salad or for a Salad in a Jar.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 103 calories, 9g fat, 5g carbs, 4g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein

Tips To Make The Perfect Salad Dressings

3 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes | Healthy Easy

Dressings need an acid to emulsify with the oil, you can switch up the white wine vinegar to pure lemon juice as an alternative.
Try adding fresh chopped herbs for a fantastic fresh tasting dressing.
The oil plays a big part in making salad dressings so try and use a good quality olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil or even hazelnut or walnut oil.
Always remember the ratio of liquid is 3 parts oil to one part vinegar for a basic vinaigrette, This should produce a good consistency.
No vinegar? You can still use real red or white wine.
Keep your dressing sealed in a jar and use at room temperature.

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How To Make Homemade Salad Dressing

Homemade salad dressings are super quick and easy to make. Throw the ingredients into a sealed container and shake to combine or blitz the ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy, then transfer to a storage container. Not only are they a cinch to make, homemade salad dressings are often healthier and more affordable than store-bought!

I break salad dressing into two categories: vinaigrettes and creamysaladdressings. Either one can be made healthy or indulgent, but today, were focusing on making healthy dressings.

What’s The Healthiest Salad Dressing

Often a light vinaigrette or olive oil and vinegar-based salad dressing is the healthiest. I have several light vinaigrettes below to chose from if that’s what you are looking for.

But because even my creamy salad dressings are based on greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise, they are all pretty darn healthy!

You can drizzle all of these healthy homemade salad dressings knowing they taste amazing and are good for you!

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Easy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

To DIY or not to DIY, that is the question. Whether you want to make your own homemade salad dressing because its more delicious, cost-effective, or because you have control over the ingredients, having an arsenal of homemade dressing recipes at your fingertips will help. While I dont always make my dressings homemade , knowing how at leasts gives you the option and therefore control. So, that being said, here are 10 homemade salad dressing recipe to keep tucked away in your back pocket to use when you see fit!

Simple And Healthy Salad Dressings

Theres no doubt that salad can be a healthy addition to a balanced diet.

Unfortunately, most store-bought dressings are brimming with added sugar, preservatives, and artificial flavorings that can diminish the potential health benefits of your salad.

Making your own salad dressing at home is an easy and cost-effective alternative to store-bought varieties.

Furthermore, it can give you better control of what youre putting on your plate.

Here are 8 simple and healthy salad dressings that you can make at home.

This simple salad dressing doubles as an easy marinade for meat, poultry, or roasted veggies.

Its also easy to make using ingredients you likely already have on hand.

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Healthy & Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing

This dressing is nothing short of dreamy! My Healthy & Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing features all the flavors of guacamole but in a healthy salad dressing package. If you love avocado, lime, and cilantro… this is for you.

Serve this dressing with any salad or even as a drizzle on top of tacos. It’s also great with my Vegetarian Taco Salad.

Why Make Your Own Salad Dressing

If youve taken the time to make a big healthy salad chock full of fresh veggies, you dont want to ruin it with a salad dressing with questionable ingredients. Making your own is the best way to ensure your salad dressing is fresh and nutritious.

These are just a few of the reasons you should set aside a few minutes to make your own salad dressing:

Store bought salad dressings usually have a lot of refined sugar.
To make salad dressing shelf-stable, manufacturers have to use chemical preservatives.
Salad dressing can be high in bad fats and calories.
When you make your own salad dressing, you know it was made with fresh ingredients.
These homemade dressings taste way better!
Its cheaper to make your own.
You can make salad dressing to fit any eating plan gluten-free, paleo, keto, Whole30 and more!

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Five Classic Salad Dressing Recipes

These five easy salad dressing recipes are made with everyday ingredients and can be used in many different salads or marinades!

I always cringe when I open my fridge and see bottles and bottles of salad dressings, usually all at least half-full. I dont think Ive ever actually finished a whole bottle and even though they last for a while, I never seem to go back to them. Once you realize how few ingredients it takes to make your own fresh salad dressing at home, it doesnt seem worth it to buy them anymore.

These are five easy to-make-salad dressings made with everyday ingredients from the pantry or the fridge. You can make just enough to dress your salad, its fresh and it keeps all of those extra bottles out of the fridge. Dressings can also be used as marinades for most meats and seafood.

Why Use Mason Jars

Simple French Salad Dressing | Gill Meller

Mason jars are perfect for making homemade salad dressings.

With them being glass, you dont have to worry about any nasty chemicals leaking into your food from unsafe plastics.

They are easy to wash and reuse. Buy a few and they will last for years! They’re also dishwasher safe.

If you buy the mason jars with a wide mouth, you can even get a utensil down in the jar!

Plus, the ring and lid seal tightly, making you confident about giving the dressing a good shake before serving.

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Sweet & Savory Dressing Recipes

Unlike their store-bought counterparts, these sweet & savory dressings arent laden with excessive added sugar. Instead, I sweeten them naturally with a little bit of honey.

Honey Mustard DressingReaders love this healthy salad dressing recipe, and its not hard to see why. Its sweet, tangy, lightly creamy, and made with 7 basic ingredients. Try it on this Green Bean Salad or as a dipping sauce for French fries.

This sweet and smoky vinaigrette works great as a dressing for a taco salad. I also love it on grilled and roasted sweet potatoes.

Classic Ranch Salad Dressing

Classic Ranch: whisk cup buttermilk, cup mayonnaise , 2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chives, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Once you start making homemade ranch, you’ll never go back to the store-bought dressing again. SO GOOD! This is perfect for cob salads, to dip fries in, over chicken salads, and most any other salads with romaine and other leaf lettuces as the base.

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Homemade Caesar Dressing Ingredients:

We all have Chef Caesar Cardini to thank for the inspiration for this recipe, whose famous salad used to be dramatically prepared table-side for guests at his restaurants back in the 1920s. The original Caesar dressing was said to have been made with Worcestershire sauce, but modern versions have amped up the flavor with the addition of whole anchovies, which I agree are an essential flavor in the more modern Caesar salad that I fell in love with growing up.

Full ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe box below, but here are a few notes on the ingredients you will need:

A double batch of this recipe is pictured here 🙂

Five Tips For The Best Simple Salad Dressing

Use good quality ingredients. Look for cold pressed, unfiltered, extra virgin olive oil. Definitely do not use mass-produced, clear, flavorless light olive oils. Ive been using Old Country Olive Oil, which is from a family farm in Lebanon and sold locally in Houston and through their website. Each bottle is numbered and labeled by hand, and they give a portion of their proceeds to MS Society research. Its delicious.

Dice your shallots very small, and bonus points for letting them soak in vinegar for 10 minutes before you add the other ingredients. The shallots will mellow in flavor after theyve taken a little bath in the acidity.

Use a mason jar to shake up your dressing. Instant emulsification. No more of this slowly drizzling in olive oil while whisking blahblah.

Taste your dressing before you toss your salad. Use a leaf of lettuce to dip into the dressing to get a real taste test. Is it too tart? Add more olive oil. Too flat? Add a generous pinch of sea salt or a little more vinegar. You get the picture.

Please, for the sake of all things delicious, do NOT over dress your salad. Each leaf should be lightly coated in dressing, without any extra pooling in the bottom of your bowl. If you need more dressing after youve tossed it well, you can always add a little more. Better yet, leave the mason jar of delicious dressing sitting by the salad bowl for heavy hitters.

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Sesame Chicken Salad Ingredients:

Alright, a few quick notes about whats in this sesame chicken salad recipe

Coleslaw: To make things easy, just grab a bag of coleslaw mix. Or, you are welcome shred your own cabbage or some sort of lettuce .
Chicken: Diced, shredded, or whatever you happen to have on hand! I used some diced baked chicken breasts that I had in the freezer, but you could also grill chicken or shred a rotisserie.
Cilantro: I seem to add more and more cilantro every time I make this salad, and love the fresh flavor it adds here. That said, if you have an aversion to cilantro, feel free to just leave it out.
Green onions: I thinly-sliced a few green onions for this recipe. But you could also thinly-slice or dice red onions instead.
Sliced or slivered almonds: Which I highly recommend toasting briefly before adding them to the salad, to bring out their best flavor. I just spread mine out on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 5-8 minutes until they are lightly toasted and fragrant.
Shredded carrots: To add some extra color and crunch.
Avocado: To add some extra creaminess.
Sesame seeds: White, black or a blend of both which we will use as a garnish to add some extra sesame flavor and crunch.
Sesame vinaigrette: Made with oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup , toasted sesame oil, ground ginger, garlic and black pepper.

Homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing

There are just those restaurants that you go to for specific reasons, and Olive Garden is one I go to for their endless salad. It is fresh and the perfect combination of flavors that are just divine. But what really makes the salad sing is the dressing. Its zesty, bright, and refreshing! Now you do not have to fight the crowds to enjoy their famous Olive Garden salad dressing with this perfect combination.

Make this Olive Garden salad dressing fresh and within five minutes of sitting down to dinner. Create a healthy, free from additives, preservatives and other things that you just do not need kind of salad with this dressing! Plus when you make it from scratch this olive garden dressing can be customized to your tastes. This copycat dressing is super easy and quick to make and you can have it on your salad in minutes!

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