How To Make Healthy Salad Dressing

Must Try

Healthy Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

How to Make a Healthy Salad Dressing

Here’s another classic salad dressing you need to have in your recipe book. My Healthy Red Wine Vinegar Dressing is a bit heavier on the vinegar to keep the calorie count lower. It gets lots of flavor from lemon and more herbs.

Serve in almost any salad where you’d use a vinegarette. It’s also the perfect addition to my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.

Healthier Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

A healthier version of Americas most popular salad dressing! Usually made with mayonnaise and buttermilk, this healthier Ranch Dressing is made with Greek Yogurt and olive oil, plus a good dose of Ranch Dressing seasonings.

Ranch Dressing is so good, I use it as an all purpose dressing for anything that usually calls for a creamy dressing, from garden salads to pasta salads and corn salad.

But my favourite is to use it for what I call a SouthWest Salad, pictured below. Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn, black beans, red onion, optional chicken and bacon, drizzled with this Yogurt Ranch Dressing. Its so good!!

What Is The Best Vinegar For Vinaigrette

Ahhh, so many lovely varieties of vinegar. Most wine vinegars will yield a lighter vinaigrette. Rice vinegar is also a nice, light choice. Apple cider vinegar lends a nice little bite . Balsamic vinegar is a bolder choice, but lends a wonderful sweet/tart flavor to the mix. Sherry vinegar is also nice, but can be bold, so tread lightly.

Lemon juice is often substituted for vinegar, but I prefer to supplement the vinegar with acidy citrus juices rather than replace the vinegar entirely. Generally Ill swap out half the vinegar for citrus juice if Im going that route.

Don’t Miss: How Many Calories In A Wendy’s Apple Pecan Salad

Honey Mustard Dressing Vs Honey Mustard Sauce

Honestly, I use this recipe both ways, but the big difference is that honey mustard sauce is thicker and usually involves mayo whereas the dressing in thin enough to drizzle and includes oil.

Heres a basic formula for traditional honey mustard dressing and sauce.

  • Honey mustard sauce: equal parts of honey, mustard and mayonnaise.
  • Honey mustard dressing: a blend of oil, vinegar, mustard and honey.

I added a few extra ingredients to bring this recipe to the next level!

Ingredients You’ll Want To Keep On Hand To Whip Up A Variety Of Dressings:

Passionately Raw! : 8 Healthy Easy
  • Oil: Although you can use any light tasting oil, olive oil is a classic salad dressing ingredient. Olive oil contains heart healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. Avocado oil would also be a good choice for a salad dressing, as its mild in taste and also contains heart healthy fats.
  • Vinegar: The type of vinegar you use in your dressing will determine flavor. Apple cider vinegar will provide more tanginess, while balsamic vinegar will lend a sweeter note. Red wine vinegar is a classic for creatingItalianand Greekvinaigrettes.
  • Mustard: Dijon mustard appears in many salad dressing recipes because it acts as an emulsifier. Oil and vinegar do not mix, so the addition of mustard helps them blend together and stay that way.
  • Sweeteners: Sweeteners often appear in salad dressing recipes because they help balance out strong flavors of acidic ingredients and rich oils or creamy bases. You can use honey, maple syrup, or even granulated sugar. Honeyalso serves as an emulsifier to help oil and vinegar dressings blend together.
  • Fresh and dried herbs: When it comes to herbs, there really are no rules except to use whatever you have on hand. If you opt for dried herbs, youll want to make your salad dressing ahead of time to give the flavors a chance to develop.
  • Salt & pepper: If you use no other seasoning, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper will make a world of difference in your homemade salad dressings. Start with just a pinch, taste, and adjust as needed.
  • Julie Andrews

Read Also: Fat Free Salad Dressing Brands

Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing

Why not put pesto in salad dressing? Turns out, this emerald green sauce adds the perfect boost to salads. This spin is a healthy salad dressing that has much less calories than the typical dressing, but is creamy and addicting. Its kind of like a ranch dressing, but with pesto.

Calories per tablespoon: 48

Green Olive & Herb Dressing

Serve this flavourful olive dressing with roast or barbecued lamb. It can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge

  • 5 mins
  • A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.15 ratings

    Serve up nutritious greens with fresh garlic and lemon flavours for a healthy and versatile side dish

  • 15 mins
  • A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.4 ratings

    Crisp iceberg lettuce and peppery watercress make a fresh springtime salad

  • 10 mins
  • Recommended Reading: Disposable Salad Dressing Container To Go

    How To Make This Olive Garden Recipe

    STEP ONE: Using a large bowl, layer 3 cups of the chopped lettuce, ½ cup of the black olives, ½ cup of the sliced red onion, ½ of the sliced tomatoes, and ½ cup of the croutons.

    PRO TIP:

    Make sure your red onions are sliced nice and thin. A mandoline would work well to slice them.

    STEP TWO: Layer the remaining lettuce, black olives, red onion slices, tomato slices, and croutons.

    STEP THREE: Lay the pepperoncini peppers on top of the salad.

    STEP FOUR: Evenly sprinkle the grated parmesan on top of the salad. Set the salad aside.

    STEP FIVE: Using either a small mixing bowl and a whisk, or a quart-sized mason jar with a lid, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, mayonnaise, sugar, fresh minced garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. If using the bowl and whisk, whisk until the dressing is well combined. If using the mason jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake until the ingredients are completely incorporated,

    PRO TIP:

    Small mason jars are just the right size to make salad dressing and to store any dressing leftovers in the fridge.

    STEP SIX: Immediately pour the dressing over the top of the salad. Serve immediately.

    PRO TIP:

    This salad is best served right away, otherwise, the croutons will start to soften in the dressing.

    What Goes In Raita

    How to Make a Healthy Salad Dressing

    Here’s what you need to make raita:

    • Greek yogurt For its perfect creaminess and higher protein value. I use the regular kind
    • Cucumber Freshly grated with its liquid. No need to waste any of the deliciousness. Plus, it helps to create the perfect consistency
    • Mint Fresh mint leaves exude incredible freshness and flavour -without the need for an excessive amount of salt
    • Garlic powder and

    Also Check: Arby’s Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich

    How To Make Ranch Dressing

  • Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor .
  • Blitz until creamy . You may need to wipe down the sides and blend again to ensure the ranch dressing ingredients are well-combined.
  • Transfer to a 250 mL mason jar.
  • Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy!
  • *This dressing makes approximately five servings. Adjust servings to suit your individual needs.

    Healthier Creamy Yogurt Salad Dressings

    Five creamy Yogurt Salad Dressings made with NO MAYONNAISE! These healthier creamy salad dressings taste so good, you might ditch that jar of mayo for good.

    Choose from an all purpose Lemon Yogurt Dressing, a No Mayo Potato Salad Dressing, a flavour packed healthier Yogurt Caesar Salad Dressing, Yogurt Ranch Dressing AND a wickedly creamy oil-free Honey Mustard Dressing! Brought to you in partnership with Farmers Union Greek-style Yogurt.

    Today, Im sharing my favourite Yogurt Salad Dressing recipes that I use in place of popular mayo based salad dressings.

    There will always be occasions that call for a grand classic Potato Salad or everyones favourite Coleslaw, in all its mayo-loaded glory! But in these parts, especially with my group of friends, non-mayo salad options are in high demand.

    So over the years, Ive built up an arsenal of creamy yogurt based salad dressings and its high time I shared. Heres my top 5:

    1. Creamy Lemon Yogurt Salad Dressing all purpose beauty!2. Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing I love the little pops of mustard seeds in this.3. Oil Free Honey Mustard Dressing take my favourite Honey Mustard Dressing and switch all the oil with yogurt = same creamy lusciousness with less guilt!4. Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing another all purpose beauty .5. Healthier Yogurt Caesar Dressing this packs a serious flavour punch, just like the classic Caesar Salad Dressing.

    Heres a rundown on each of the dressings and what to use them for.

    Recommended Reading: How To Make Veg Salad

    How To Make Salad Dressing:

    Easy! All you really need to do to make this salad dressing recipe is stir or shake all of the ingredients together until combined. You can either accomplish this

    • In a bowl or measuring cup: Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until combined.
    • In a mason jar: Combine all ingredients, cover with a lid, and shake vigorously until combined.
    • In a blender: Combine all ingredients and pulse until combined.

    Heres How This Easy Healthy Caesar Dressing Comes Together:

    10

    Step 1: Gather up your ingredients for your Homemade Caesar Dressing

    One of the many reasons I love making my own dressing is the fact that I usually have all of the ingredients on hand in my refrigerator or pantry. Heres a quick run down of the ingredients youll need for your grocery list, if you dont already have them on hand:

    • Plain Greek yogurt
    • Grated Parmesan cheese
    • Extra-Virgin olive oil
    • Fresh ground pepper

    Step 2: Whisk together the Greek Yogurt Dressing in a bowl no food processor or equipment needed!

    One of the reasons I love this homemade Caesar dressing is the fact that it comes together in about 5 minutes! Yep, you heard that right 5 minutes. Its a matter of just measuring out your ingredients into a mixing bowl, and whisking together. No food processor or blender needed, unless you want to haul out your equipment and mix it that way.

    Once youve given the dressing a good whisking, its ready to go on your salad! Easy, peasy!

    Pro-Tip: Wanna save even more time? Put all of your ingredients into a quart-sized mason jar, stir together and add a tight-fitting lid. Shake the jar well for about 1 minute and your dressing is ready. Better yet, you dont have to wash a mixing bowl and whisk. Winning at life, my friends!

    Step 3: Dress your salad

    Tools that I use and love for this recipe:

    Step 4: Refrigerate any leftover dressing

    Recommended Reading: Jersey Mike’s Chicken Salad

    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

    Healthier Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing

    A fabulously creamy, flavour loaded potato salad dressing made without mayonnaise IS possible! Made with Greek yogurt, a good dose of both Dijon and wholegrain mustard, plus a nice hit of fresh herbs, any potato salad tossed with this Yogurt Potato Salad Dressing is terrific on the day but is even BETTER the next day. Just use this Potato Salad recipe and switch the dressing for this one!

    Recommended Reading: What Kind Of Salad Dressing Is Keto Friendly

    Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes You Should Make At Home

    Whenever I tell someone I love healthy food, the first thing they inevitably ask me is if I eat salad all day. Heres the truth for you: I actually dont really like salad that much. I am definitely not one of those people who grab a mixing bowl from the cabinet, dump in a bunch of greens, and happily go to town. I am not a rabbit, and I dont enjoy eating like one.

    For me, for a salad to be good, it has to be something substantial. It has to have a great mix of flavors, textures, and really good dressing. I love veggies, but lets call a spade a spadeveggies can be boring-tastic if you dont do something to spice them up a little bit. And a good salad dressing goes a looooooong way to making veggies exciting .

    Salad dressings are super easy to make at home, and I think learning how to make your favorite dressing in your own kitchen is a super useful skill to have. Itll save you tons of cash. The markup on bottled salad dressings is CRAZYmost of them you can make for pennies on the dollar.

    You can completely control the ingredients. Have you ever cruised the salad dressing aisle and checked ingredient lists? There are definitely some cleaner options out there, but many of them are packed with artificial colors, flavors, and more sugar and salt than is really necessary.

    Good for: All kinds of salads, dipping veggies, dipping pizza , honestly, dipping anything.

    Good for: Taco salads, marinating shrimp or chicken for tacos, bean salads.

    The Best Copycat Olive Garden Dressing

    How to Make Healthy Salad Dressing Easy

    Simple and delicious, thats the best way to cook! Knowing everything in your dressing is even better. Be prepared to be wowed with this copycat dressing!

    • Mix: You can use a simple whisk to mix this or a blender to really emulsify it.
    • Let it rest: Let the flavors meld together by letting it sit in the fridge for an hour at least before serving.
    • Store it: Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to three weeks. Shake well before each use.
    • Fresh: Make sure your Italian dressing mix and olive oil are fresh so the flavors are at their best.

    Read Also: Low Fat Vegan Salad Dressing

    Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

    Oh man, apple cider vinegar is loaded with nutrients. Ive shared a full post about the benefits of apple cider vinegar but here are the cliff notes:

    • Its rich in potassium, a mineral that is key for growth, building muscles, transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity etc.
    • It can help regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.
    • Rich in malic acid which gives ACV its anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
    • ACV helps with weight loss by breaking down fats so that your body can use them rather than store them.
    • A few lab studies have found that ACV may be able to kill cancer cells or slow their growth.

    I swear by apple cider vinegar and try to incorporate it into my diet daily. I have the best apple cider vinegar drinks, but one really tasty way to enjoy apple cider vinegar is with this salad dressing!

    For The Yogurt Dressing

    • Greek Yogurt: Be sure to use the plain-flavored kind.
    • Dijon Mustard: For the lightly spicy tanginess that makes this dressing shine.
    • Honey: This adds a nice hint of sweetness.
    • Apple Cider Vinegar: This fruity vinegar is not only added for flavor, but also for its impressive nutritional profile. Its a win-win!

    Recommended Reading: Avocado Salad From Wendy’s

    Basic Vinaigrette Ratio & Ingredients

    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, while youll want to use less vinegar for mild greens like spring greens.

    Heres what youll need to make vinaigrette:

    • Olive oil for your base
    • Vinegar of choice
    • Dijon mustard for some flavor complexity and creaminess
    • Maple syrup or honey for a little sweetness that balances the vinegar
    • Garlic for oomph
    • Salt and pepper

    Making Your Own Dressing Allows You To Control Fat Sugar And Sodium Content

    8 Homemade Healthy Salad Dressings

    Ditkoffs favorite salad dressing is a balsamic-Dijon dressing that she makes at home in minutes using just a handful of ingredients: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, plus salt and pepper to taste. Not only is it easy to control the quality of ingredients and EVOO used, but it is also so much cheaper to make your own dressing, Ditkoff said.

    As a store-bought alternative, she recommends Stonewall Kitchens olive oil and balsamic dressing. It only contains four ingredients and it tastes great on almost any kind of salad or as a marinade for chicken, she said.

    Also Check: Where Can I Get A Good Chicken Salad Sandwich

    Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

    Making salad dressings and vinaigrette recipes at home is actually so much easier and simpler to do than you might think!

    And while buying packaged bottles may seem like an easy alternative, theyre often loaded with unhealthy ingredients.

    Instead, you can make your own homemade recipes in only 5 minutes and with simple, easy to find ingredients. And in reality, you probably already have most of what you need on hand.

    Acv Vinaigrette Active Ingredients

    You just require a handful of active ingredients to make this healthy and balanced clothing as well as I wager you have them done in your cooking area now.

    • apple cider vinegar this is the celebrity of the program below. When looking for ACV, seek a brand name thats unpasteurized with the mother consisted of. This is where all the nutrients are. I directly advise Braggs apple cider vinegar. Its natural, raw as well as the most effective of the most effective.
    • extra-virgin olive oil the neutral taste of olive oil assists to stabilize the flavor of the apple cider vinegar as well as offers the clothing some healthy and balanced fat.
    • Dijon mustard includes a little enthusiasm to the clothing as well as likewise functions as an emulsifier.
    • fresh garlic fresh garlic includes a lots of tasty garlic taste as well as fragrance to the clothing.
    • sea salt as well as black pepper I such as to make use of fresh ground black pepper for sea salt for the many taste!

    Read Also: Where Can I Buy Olive Garden Salad Dressing

    Popular Articles

    More Recipes Like This