Homemade Italian Dressing

Fresh homemade dressings taste so much better than bottled ones and are fast to make!

This Italian dressing recipe is a simple blend of oil and vinegar with just the right touch of savory seasonings. It’s great for salads or even as a marinade for grilled chicken!

Keep this magical dressing on hand at all times to drizzle on cucumbers or even use as a bread dip!

Delicious Italian Dressing

A great homemade Italian salad dressing recipe is a must-have for every home cook, especially one that comes together as fast and easy as this one! So good on practically everything from salads to pasta, veggies, chicken, and fish, Italian dressing is as easy to make as it is versatile!Preservative, sugar-free, and absolutely delicious, this homemade dressing has the perfect blend of oil, vinegar, and savory spices.

Ingredients in Italian Dressing

Oil and vinegar make the base of any vinaigrette and this one is seasoned with a great blend of ingredients. This dressing is perfect over an Italian salad or simple greens.

Oil – When making salad dressing, vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil, or a light-tasting olive oil are great. Extra virgin olive oil can have a strong flavor so we opt for a lighter tasting oil in this recipe.

Vinegar – Red wine vinegar is our preferred vinegar in this recipe. Other options include white balsamic or white wine vinegar.

Other Additions – This recipe adds a dash of Dijon mustard for a zesty flavor while honey (or sugar) balances the vinegar. Both honey and dijon help to emulsify the base which means that the oil and vinegar will not separate.

Seasoning – I use a pinch of Italian seasoning as it has our favorite dried herbs including basil, oregano, parsley, and onion powder.

How to Make Italian Dressing

Homemade salad dressing surpasses any store-bought dressing because it’s made with fresh ingredients that can be adjusted to your preferences.

Whisk all ingredients (per the recipe below) except the oil.Very slowly drizzle the oil while whisking until it is incorporated.Season and use as desired.

Storing Leftover Dressing

Keep Italian dressing in the refrigerator and shake it thoroughly before using it (it will separate after sitting in the fridge). The flavor will intensify as it ages, but try to use it within 3 days for best results.

How to Keep the Dressing from Separating

When mixing oil and vinegar, they will separate into layers. If the dressing is emulisfied the oil and vinegar should stay mixed together for a while.

The addition of Dijon and honey are added to help emulsify the dressing. For a dressing that holds together well, use a very simple technique when mixing the ingredients.

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl except for the oil. While whisking, drizzle the oil in very slowly. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated.

The dressing can be shaken in a mason jar with a lid to mix, be sure to give it a really good shake for a couple of minutes if you don’t want it to separate.

Freeze Italian dressing in ice cube trays and store them in a freezer bag. Pop one or two out to use in place of oil or butter in stir-fries; it’s already seasoned, too!

Did you make this Italian Dressing? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!