Why Should I Make Homemade Dressing
Because its super simple, itll save you money, and it allows you to have total control over the ingredients in your dressing! With just a few minutes of your time and a handful of ingredients, you have what it takes to take your salads up a notch.
Trust me youll be able to taste the difference. For more salad dressing recipes, check out my Salad Dressing 101 post. Its loaded with helpful tips and delicious dressings thatll fit any flavoring need!
Looking For More Homemade Salad Dressings
We have a whole collection of salad dressing recipes, including:
Prep Time: Total Time:
Lemon Vinaigrette makes a bright and flavorful dressing that is perfect for drizzling over green salads.
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced OR 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced oregano OR 2 teaspoons dried oregano
Other Types Of Vinegars
If balsamic vinegar isn’t to your liking, there are other you can try, including rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar and champagne vinegar. There are also fruit-flavored vinegars, such as raspberry and blueberry. Like balsamic, other vinegars provide lots of flavor with few calories. Red wine vinegar, for example, has only 3 calories per tablespoon.
No matter what type of oil and vinegar combination you use to dress your salad, watching your dressing portion will help you get to your weight loss goal.
Read Also: Chick Fil A Chicken Salad
How Do I Use This Balsamic Vinaigrette
Oh my goodness, the question really should be, what doesnt this dressing pair well with? Everyone should have a balsamic dressing recipe because it works well with everything! I love it on salads, and its excellent paired with fruit . You can drizzle it on your tomatoes, or it can be used as a quick marinade for all kinds of meat.
Want a simple fruit salad thatll knock your socks off? Combine diced pears with blue cheese, spinach, and walnuts. Then add a little bit of cinnamon to this balsamic vinaigrette and drizzle it on top of your fruit salad. Youre left with a sweet little bowl of yum!
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.
Also Check: Easy To Make Potato Salad
Creamy & Healthy Thai Peanut Dressing
Do you love that peanut sauce at Thai restaurants? This salad dressing tastes JUST like that but in a salad dressing form. My Creamy and Healthy Thai Peanut Dressing is so good you’ll want to drink it out of the bottle! It’s great on any Asian inspired salad, as a dip, and even as a pasta sauce.
Serve it with my Thai Peanut Noodle Salad.
Serve it with my Shrimp Avocado and Lime Salad.
How To Make Healthy Delicious Salad Dressing
Instead of purchasing pre-made salad dressings, you can make your own with a few fresh, nutritious ingredients. Homemade dressings require little effort to create. In fact, all that is required is a little imagination.
You can mix a tasty concoction with as few as three ingredients. Or, you can combine more, depending on your taste preferences. All you need is a healthy fat for a base, and then you can choose vinegar or citrus fruits to give it an acidic punch. Next, you will add herbs, spices, and seasonings.
Aside from creating something delicious and fresh, making your own salad dressing also allows you to control how much salt, sugar, and other ingredients you include in your diet. For instance, salad dressings sold in grocery stores sometimes contain unnatural preservatives or stabilizers.
They also may contain flavors and ingredients that you may be allergic to or want to limit in your diet. Here is what you need to know about creating a healthy, delicious salad dressing.
Recommended Reading: Show Me Chicken Salad Recipes
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.
/ Punch Up The Protein
- Low-fat feta cheese, blue cheese, goat cheese, parmesan or mozzarella .
Full-fat cheeses are high in saturated fat. Trying pairing small amounts of your favorite cheese with other proteins. Avoid processed bacon-bits, which are full of sodium and preservatives. Also, when possible, avoid deli meats, as these tend to contain nitrites.
You May Like: How To Prepare Chicken Salad
The Best Lemon Vinaigrette
Our simple and delicious Lemon Juice Vinaigrette is an easy homemade salad dressing that pairs perfectly with a wide variety of salad combinations. It has just the right balance of acidity from the freshly squeezed lemon juice balanced with a little salt and a touch of honey It is a tart and refreshing addition to your favorite salad.
I published this Lemon Juice Salad Dressing on January 1st, 2016. I have updated the text and photos today to share it with you again. The recipe remains unchanged.
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe A Spicy Perspective
- aspicyperspective.com
- Summary: 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2-3 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 clove garlic,
- Matching search results: You absolutely can. Use whatever mild flavor oil you prefer , substitute maple syrup for the honey to make it vegan, and its perfectly ok to use other mustards like stone-ground or
Read Also: Salad Spinner Made In Usa
What Is The Best Time To Take Olive Oil
Some will preach the benefits of drinking olive oil first thing in the morning. Others swear by the benefits of taking olive oil at night before bed. The morning advocates claim that taking a shot of extra virgin olive oil on an empty stomach jumpstarts digestion and provides optimal absorption into your system.
How To Make Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
This is pretty much the easiest vinaigrette with the shortest ingredients list ever! You’ll find a detailed recipe card below, but here’s an overview of the steps:
And that’s all there is to it … your homemade Lemon Olive Oil Dressing is ready to enjoy. Pretty simple right? This is one of these recipes that’s so useful and easy to make that you’ll want to keep it in your back pocket!
I recommend making a big batch, then using it on different salads all week. Just keep in mind that the dressing will separate as it sits, so make sure to give it another shake right before using.
Tip: This Lemon Dressing uses a 2:1 ratio, meaning two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice. However, you can play around with these proportions. Use more olive oil for a milder taste, or more lemon for a sharper, tarter flavor.
Also Check: Olive Garden Soup And Salad To Go
Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings Made With Olive Oil
- Summary: · These homemade salad dressing recipes use olive oil as a flavorful base. Whether its a Greek salad dressing or a vinaigrette recipe,
- Matching search results: The traditional French vinaigrette formula calls for 1 tablespoon vinegar for every 3 tablespoons olive oil. Modern vinaigrettes often call for a bit more vinegar than that, but its always up to you. Kale salads can tolerate more zingy dressings,
How Do I Make This Vinaigrette Vegan What About Gluten
This chili lime vinaigrette can easily be made gluten-free and vegan! If youre steering clear of gluten, you want to watch out for the soy sauce in this recipe. Most soy sauces are made by fermenting wheat and soy. Tamari or coconut aminos are good gluten-free substitutes.
Honey is the ingredient youll need to think about when it comes to making this vinaigrette vegan. Some vegans consider honey okay because it comes from insects and not animals. However, for other people, its still an off-limits food. If you want to avoid honey, you can swap it out for maple syrup or agave syrup in a 1:1 ratio.
Recommended Reading: Hidden Valley Ranch Potato Salad Recipe
How To Make Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing:
I have full instructions for each salad dressing recipe in my individual recipes but here’s a basic idea on how to make them.
Ingredients: Add An Allium
Alliums like garlic and shallots play very well with oil and vinegar. Work wonders by integrating a clove of chopped or grated garlic or a spoonful of finely chopped shallot into your dressing blend. If the taste of raw garlic is too intense for you, try poaching a peeled clove in simmering water for three minutes to remove some of its bite. To tame the oniony flavor of shallot, soak it in the vinegar for at least five and up to 15 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients to your dressing.
Read Also: Can You Lose Weight By Just Eating Salad
Healthy Salad Dressings With Tahini
Tahini is one of my favorite ingredients to use in healthy salad dressing recipes. It gives them a lightly creamy texture and a rich, nutty flavor. Plus, its easy to stir together with other ingredients. No blender required!
I could eat this dressing by the spoonful! Nutty and refreshing, its an irresistible topping for salads and bowls.
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!
Don’t Miss: Ken’s Italian Salad Dressing
How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
This apple cider vinegar dressing is such a versatile option for a variety of recipes! Heres how I recommend using it:
- Drizzle on top of your favorite bowl recipe. It would be delicious on this greens and grains bowl.
- Dress your salads. Obviously this vinaigrette is delicious on salad! I love it on this brussels sprout chopped salad.
- Use as a marinade. This dressing is my go-to . You have to try it!
Small Studies Suggest Glucose
Two small studies suggest that the vinegar and oil dressing may have other benefits, as well. They focused on two beloved additions to our meals: bread and potatoes.
Because both foods are high in carbs, they are swiftly absorbed and quickly raise blood sugar. Thats not a good thing when youre prediabetic or diabetic and trying to keep your glucose down.
The first study fed five volunteers simple meals on different days after fasting all night:
- Lettuce dressed with olive oil, both with and without bread.
- Lettuce dressed with olive oil and vinegar, both with and without bread.
- Lettuce dressed with olive oil and vinegar , both with and without bread.
Their blood sugar levels were measured before, and 95 minutes after, each meal.
When participants ate bread with lettuce, olive oil and vinegar, their blood sugar rose 34% less, on average, than when they ate bread alone, says Dr. Todorov.
- Cold-stored potatoes .
- Cold-stored potatoes, dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
Researchers measured blood sugar and insulin levels multiple times in the two hours after each meal.
Those who ate the cold-stored potatoes with olive oil and vinegar dressing had a 43% lower blood sugar response and a 31% lower insulin response than those who ate the freshly boiled potatoes, says Dr. Todorov.
More research is needed to confirm the results of these small studies. But she recommends adding a salad with EVOO and vinegar to meals because of its potential to keep carbs from spiking blood sugar.
Also Check: Chicken Salad Chick Valdosta Ga
Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
- hellolittlehome.com
- Summary: 27 thg 8, 2022 Learn how to make the BEST Lemon Dressing! This delicious Lemon Olive Oil Dressing recipe is a quick, easy vinaigrette thats perfect for
- Matching search results: To prepare this recipe, youll need a jar with a lid or a small bowl. If youre mixing by hand in a bowl, you also need a whisk. I prefer to use a jar , because it allows you to make and store the dressing in the same
When It Comes To Eating Right Not All Salad Dressings Are Created Equal Find The Healthiest Salad Dressing For You With The Roundup Below
We know a fresh salad packed with green vegetables is good for us, but a salad is only as good as the dressing you choose to put on top. In general, salad dressings are either oil-based or cream-based. This distinction is important to know when deciphering whether or not a given product is healthy. Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word creamy will be the unhealthiest.
The exception? We like products made with healthy swapsthink Greek yogurt in place of mayo or heavy cream. Looking carefully at the list of ingredients will help you understand which salad dressings are healthy and unhealthy choices.
Also Check: Honey Baked Ham Potato Salad
Is Olive Oil Dressing Healthy
A very basic dressing is olive oil and vinegar combined with seasoning. While olive oil is a fat, it’s an unsaturated fat that provides many health benefits, including helping to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. … Keep in mind that while olive oil is healthy, it’s still high in calories.
Our Favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe Allrecipes
- Summary: Ingredients ½ cup olive oil ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 shallot, minced 1 clove garlic, minced salt and ground
- Matching search results: White wine vinegar a more mellow vinegar and its especially nice with more delicate flavors like spring greens, cucumber, zucchini and sweet corn. Its lovely on just about every green salad out there. Ive used it recently in my orange orzo salad
Don’t Miss: Briannas Salad Dressing Creamy Balsamic
More Salad Dressing Recipes:
- Kalamata Olive and Basil Vinaigrette, heres one that will liven up even the simplest salads! Try it on cukes and tomatoes! Amazing.
- Maple Sherry Vinaigrette, one of my favorite dressings ever! Do not miss it!
- Another maple one is this creamy Maple Tahini Salad Dressing. It is so good I would drink it. Seriously!
- Our love of ranch is strong over here. Try our Horseradish Ranch or this Maple Ranch Dressing.
- This Mustard Salad Dressing was inspired by the dressings I had in Germany.
- How To Make Lemon Curd from my friend Ally! She knows her stuff!
- Just looking at this Lemony Bucatini Carbonara makes me salivate! It is off the hook delish!
- Do not miss my supremely lemony Chicken Piccata or my Hollandaise made with Greek Yogurt- both are top-notch!
- This lemony Tabbouleh Salad is classic and fresh and a favorite in the summer months.
Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter where I share weeknight meal plans delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on . If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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