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9 Easy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes From Scratch

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Condiment Recipes » 9 Easy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes From Scratch

Salad dressings are also the only way some parents ever succeed in getting kids to eat vegetables. They certainly have their place, but the store-bought ones are loaded with omega-6 oils and preservatives. Healthy salad dressings, on the other hand, can be a great way to get a good serving of healthy fats in.

Favorite Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Salad dressings were my former vice. I would eat ranch on anything. In fact, I will be forever grateful to it for getting me to love broccoli. Now that we eat real foods, I keep a recipe tab specifically for homemade dressings, and have come to love these. I can even whip one up at a restaurant by having them bring me all the ingredients “on the side.”

My current favorite homemade dressings recipes are:

Creamy Homemade Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:

  • One room temperature egg yolk (it’s very important that it is not cold!)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp mustard or ground mustard
  • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire
  • 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese
  • salt, pepper, and spices to taste
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Whisk egg yolk with whisk or blender on low speed.
  2. Once creamy, add the vinegar and all other ingredients except the oil and blend until creamy.
  3. Slowly add the oil, stirring constantly until incorporated.
  4. If it doesn’t incorporate well, your egg might still have been too cold!

Great with: Dark lettuces, chicken dishes, or on asparagus.

Print the recipe here.

Zesty Italian Dressing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously.

Great with: Any salad or as a marinade.

View or print the recipe here.

Tangy Greek Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 TBSP red wine vinegar
  • 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp each of oregano and marjoram
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients in small jar with lid and shake until well mixed.

Great with: Greens, feta cheese, olives, and cucumbers. Also a good marinade for a cucumber and onion salad.

Print this tangy Greek Salad Dressing recipe here.

Sweet Asian Dressing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients in small jar with lid and shake vigorously. You can also mix in blender or small food processor.

Great with: Sesame chicken (as a marinade and dipping sauce), on a spinach salad with cashews, on cauliflower fried rice.

Print this recipe here.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Great with: Salad with feta and cashews, grilled chicken salad, marinade on pork.

Print the recipe here.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in small jar or blender.

Great with: Any type of salad or as a marinade on beef, chicken, or pork.

Print or save the recipe here.

Roasted Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
  2. Pureé until completely smooth.
  3. Refrigerate leftovers.

Print this recipe here.

French Dressing

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Put all ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth.

Great with: Any type of salad (I like it on chef salads), kids like to dip things in this dressing.

Print this recipe here.

Other great things to throw on a salad:

  • nuts: especially pecans, walnuts, and macadamia
  • olives
  • chopped veggies
  • chopped apples
  • sliced strawberries
  • blueberries
  • grilled or baked chicken
  • sliced steak
  • shrimp
  • all of the above!

Green Goddess Dressing

I love throwing just about every herb I have in the garden in this one!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups fresh herbs (packed, such as basil, cilantro, parsley, tarragon, fennel fronds, dill, green onion)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth or use a medium-sized bowl and an immersion blender.
  2. Serve and enjoy!

Print the recipe here.

What is your favorite salad dressing? Do you have a healthy variation? Please share below!

It can be a challenge to find healthy salad dressing. These recipes are delicious and easy to make.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

57 responses to “9 Easy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes From Scratch”

  1. Nadya Avatar

    Thank you for all the recipes!!

    Here is my favorite:

    Caesar dressing (1/2 cup) 5 min
    2 TBL red wine vinegar or cider vinegar (I use first one)
    2 TBL mayonnaise
    1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
    1 tsp soy sauce or worcestershire sauce (I use first one)
    1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (I use fist one)
    1/2 tsp salt
    pinch of black pepper
    1/2 cup olive oil
    whisk all of the ingredients, store in refrigerator for up to a week

    now I also add fresh garlic clove, pressed trough garlic presser

  2. Tracey Avatar

    Wow, what a great list, I can’t wait to try them all. I’m going to start making mason jar salads to bring to work, so these dressings will be a great addition! How many servings do these recipes yield? Also, how long do they last if kept refrigerated? Thank you!

  3. Angela Avatar

    Lemon vinegrette: juice of one lemon, tablespoon of dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove, olive oil and s&p to taste, delish!

  4. Bridgette Avatar
    Bridgette

    Is soy sauce okay? (in the Asian Dressing) I use to use a real fermented soybean sauce which i havent been using (but missing!) since going healthy because i thought soy beans were no good?

  5. Kathy Luce McCarty Avatar
    Kathy Luce McCarty

    Just found your site and am thrilled with finding your homemade dressing recipes.. they all look wonderful and I’ll start today, making them. Thank you so much for sharing!

  6. Kathy Luce McCarty Avatar
    Kathy Luce McCarty

    Just found your site and am thrilled with finding your homemade dressing recipes.. they all look wonderful and I’ll start today, making them. Thank you so much for sharing!

  7. Jessica Rainey Avatar
    Jessica Rainey

    how long do each of these salad dressings last in the fridge, especially the caeser with egg yolk in it. thanks, jess

  8. Kirsten Cleigh Avatar
    Kirsten Cleigh

    The Caesar dressing recipe looks exactly like I make mine, only instead of worchestershire sauce, I use a squeeze of anchovy paste. It’s just not Caesar without anchovy to me 😀

  9. hoborecipes Avatar
    hoborecipes

    Wow. This list of dressing recipes looks great! I’ll probably try the Caesar first.

  10. Lina Avatar

    Would you recommend not eating the Ceasar when you’re pregnant because of the raw egg? 

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      That’s a call I think each person has to make. I personally eat raw eggs during pregnancy, but we either get them from our own chickens or from a farmer I trust… i wouldn’t eat store bought eggs raw.

    2. Patricia Neumann Avatar
      Patricia Neumann

      Our Favorite dressing
      Boil 2/3 c. Cider vinegar and 1 c. Sugar
      Add: 1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp celery seed, 1 whole onion minced, and 2 cups of your favorite salad oil. Blend in a blender until emulsified. Makes at least two bottles, so don’t let the amount of sugar scare you. You can always use less!

  11. Maryalice Avatar
    Maryalice

    I saw all your recipes in the meal planner so forget I asked about ranch but do you have one for the thousand island dressing?  Next to ranch that’s my favorite.

    Maryalice

    1. Mary Avatar

      Thousand island is just ketchup, sweet Relish, mayo, and garlic 🙂

  12. Leanna Avatar

    I just tried something new for the first time yesterday… And it was delicious! Instead of “dressing” I put some pesto on my salad- I ended up adding a splash of balsamic vinegar for the bite, but very yummy. My greens were some spring mix & spinach with strawberries, red onion, mushroom, and boiled egg

  13. Marie Avatar

    I always love getting good salad dressings.  Thanks.
    Here are two ways I often dress my salad.

    Coat the salad with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Add about an equal amount of lemon juice, sprinkle salt and pepper and toss.  I usually add tomatoes after the dressing.

    Greek Dressing:
    1/4 c vinegar
    1/4 c olive oil
    1Tbsp oregano
    1/2 t salt
    1/4 t pepper

    Shake together in a covered jar.

  14. Rebekah Wilhelm Avatar
    Rebekah Wilhelm

    I just made the Greek dressing with some alterations– it is absolutely delicious. Doubled the oregano and marjoram, used whole-grain mustard rather than Dijon, added 1 1/2 teaspoon raw honey and 2 tablespoons yogurt.

  15. Tarah Locke Avatar
    Tarah Locke

    Whats the ingredients you ask for at a restaurant to whip up your own dressing?

  16. Lindsey Avatar

    Just tried your Zesty Italian dressing & LOVED it!!! Can’t wait to try your other recipes 🙂 Thank you dearly…

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