13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes (2024)

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By Renee N GardnerMarch 23, 202320 comments

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There is nothing I love better in spring than a garden fresh salad topped with a homemade salad dressing. This collection of 13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes has been curated for maximum flavor impact. These recipes come together quickly, don’t require any special equipment, and the ingredients can be found in most grocery stores.

13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes (1)

Why use homemade salad dressings?

If I’m given the option I will choose a homemade salad dressing over store-bought dressing any day. Not only are the flavors fresher, but they can be adapted to suit my flavor palate and the ingredients in my pantry. Without the required preservatives to extend shelf-life, they can be healthier too. Sure you can whip up a simple vinaigrette by combining a little apple cider vinegar and that extra virgin olive oil you refuse to cook with, but this list is designed to inspire you to take it farther by adding herbs, spices, and other ingredients that are probably already lingering in your fridge or pantry.

How “easy” are these easy dressings?

The first requirement for the dressings on this list is that they cannot require any special equipment. They can all be made without dirtying your blender or food processor, with minimal effort on your part. You can use a basic shaker jar, mason jar, or a simple bowl and whisk.

They must come together quickly, meaning that in a pinch you can toss it together and have it on the table in 5 – 10 minutes. However, read the posts! Many homemade dressings taste better if made in advance to give time for the flavors to meld together.

Lastly, the ingredients must be easy to find, whether that is in your pantry or at your local grocery store. No trips to the ends of the earth for specialty ingredients in this list!

How long do homemade dressings last?

This is arguably the one drawback to homemade dressings: they have a shorter shelf-life than their preservative laden store-bought counterparts. While sugars and vinegars do act as preservatives, there aren’t going to be strong enough to keep your dressing from spoiling or the flavor from falling flat.

On the other hand, with salad dressings that are this easy to make you can make just as much as you need and have fresh dressing for every salad you make.

13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes

Here are 13 easy to make homemade salad dressing recipes that are better than store-bought and perfect for your garden fresh salads.

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Category Dressings and Sauces

Creamy Garlic Dressing

Creamy garlic dressing combines spicy garlic and refreshing herbs. Try it as a veggie dip, salad dressing, sandwich spread, or marinade.

13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes (3)

Photo Credit:peasandcrayons.com

Maple Citrus Salad Dressing

Fresh orange and lime juice combine with sweet maple syrup to give you the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. Delicious on leafy greens or a whole grain salad.

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Photo Credit:twocloveskitchen.com

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Light and tangy, this versatile lemon herb vinaigrette is delicious on salads and meats any time of the year.

13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes (5)

Photo Credit:www.healingtomato.com

Mint Vinaigrette with Za'atar

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Photo Credit:iheartvegetables.com

Red Wine Vinegar Dressing

A tangy combination of red wine vinegar and olive oil this vinaigrette shines when paired with a Greek salad.

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Photo Credit:www.lucismorsels.com

Fresh Orange Salad Dressing

Light and bright this Orange Salad Dressing is more on the sweet side making it a perfect match for a veggie filled whole grain salad.

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Photo Credit:cookwhatyoulove.com

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

A pantry staple, this creamy balsamic dressing is tangy with a bit of sweet. Pair it with fresh veggies, leafy greens, or as a meat marinade.

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Photo Credit:honestandtruly.com

Homemade BBQ Sauce Vinaigrette

Sweet and tangy this BBQ Sauce Vinaigrette is made for picky palates! Try it with a southwestern style salad or use it as a marinade.

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Photo Credit:moonandspoonandyum.com

The Best Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe

Creamy tangy deliciousness in a bottle, this dressing is great with a taco salad or as a sandwich spread.

Made without anchovies or mayo, this creamy caesar dressing also works well as a veggie dip or sandwich spread.

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Photo Credit:littlehousebigalaska.com

Jalapepo Ranch Salad Dressing

A spicy twist on the classic ranch dressing, this jalapeno ranch dressing is sure to be a hit.

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Photo Credit:thriftyjinxy.com

Thousand Island Dressing Recipe

If you love thousands island dressing this is a must try! Perfect for salads, sandwiches, or as a dip this version will have you giving up the bottle for good.

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Photo Credit:familyaroundthetable.com

Classic Blue Cheese Dressing

On a salad or as a dip for hot wings, this blue cheese dressing is a classic that will keep you coming back for more.

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About Renee N Gardner

I'm the recipe developer, food photographer, and mastermind behind Renee Nicole's Kitchen, where I help create kitchen confidence to inspire home cooks to become home chefs. No fancy fads here, just high-quality, homemade recipes featuring seasonal ingredients.

More about Renee

20 Comments on “13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes”

  1. Homemade is the best! These all look delicious.

    Reply

    • Thanks Evi! It sure is!

      Reply

  2. I love homemade salad dressings. I love when I can control the ingredients myself. This roundup is just what I need!

    Reply

    • So glad to have helped!

      Reply

  3. What a great roundup. I’m bookmarking this for sure!

    Reply

    • Thanks Karen!

      Reply

  4. Most of the time, I just see recipes for homemade ranch and vinaigrettes… Thanks for finding some really fun recipes!

    Reply

    • You are welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  5. Wonderful round-up. Thank you. Bookmarking for future use as it will come super handy.

    Reply

    • Thank you Agata!

      Reply

  6. A great salad dressing MAKES a salad — love all of these!

    Reply

    • Thanks Sue!

      Reply

  7. So happy to see this post as I am SO “anti-store-bought-dressings”! They are full of unhealthy oils, unnecessary ingredients and even chemicals. I only use evoo, vinegar and salt myself, but these are great options for those who want to change it up! Great post!!

    Reply

    • Thanks Christina! I much prefer to make things from scratch so that I know exactly what I’m eating, but that certainly doesn’t mean it has to be boring!

      Reply

  8. What an amazing round up Renee! I’m so inspired to try them all! Thanks so much for including mine ?

    Reply

    • You are welcome Mahy! It was so hard to narrow the list to 12!

      Reply

  9. Great roundup. I just love summer salads topped with homemade salad dressings. I’m always looking for new inspiration so thank you for sharing all these beautiful recipes.

    Reply

    • You are welcome Natalie! Thanks for letting me include your’s too! I never knew so much about mustard!

      Reply

  10. Thanks for including my recipe Renee! Love this tasty round-up of dressings! <3

    Reply

    • You’re welcome Jenn! Your photos are gorgeous!

      Reply

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13 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the simplest form of dressing? ›

Lets start with a vinaigrette. These are the lightest of all dressings. On the simplest level they're merely any kind of acid (think lemon, lime, vinegar etc.) whisked together with oil salt and pepper.

What can I use if I don't have salad dressing? ›

  • The Top 9 Healthy Salad Dressing Alternatives. Oil and Vinegar. Green Goddess Dressing. Caesar Salad Dressing. Sesame Ginger Dressing. Creamy Avocado Dressing. Tahini Dressing. Stilton Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette. Ranch Dressing.
  • The Bottom Line.
Dec 31, 2022

What are the 3 basic types of salad dressings? ›

In Western culture, there are three basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrette; Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), buttermilk; Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, but are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and ...

What is the number 1 salad dressing? ›

Ranch Dressing

The ranch is hands down America's most beloved salad dressings. It is made from a number of ingredients such as buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, onion, chives, salt, and pepper. A creamier and richer version often features sour cream or yogurt for enhanced taste.

What is the unhealthiest salad dressing? ›

Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.

What is the oldest salad dressing? ›

French dressing is the oldest one on our list, but vinegar and oil dressing goes back nearly two-thousand years to ancient Babylonia.

What are the 4 basic types of salad dressings? ›

The four main salad dressings are vinaigrette, emulsified vinaigrette, mayonnaise-based, and mayonnaise. An emulsion is the permanent blending of unlike ingredients, such as oil and vinegar. Vinaigrettes are lighter dressings used on more delicate ingredients, like salad greens.

What is the healthiest salad? ›

10 Nutrient-Dense Salad Recipes
  • Un-Cobb Salad.
  • Arugula Salad with Tomatoes, Corn, and Burrata.
  • Low-Carb Asian Chopped Salad.
  • Spicy Shrimp, Avocado, and Arugula Salad.
  • Tofu and Kale Salad.
  • Pear, Grape, and Feta Salad.
  • Mediterranean Chicken Salad.
  • Blood Orange and Quinoa Kale Salad.
Jul 20, 2021

Does homemade salad dressing keep? ›

Homemade salad dressing usually is supposed to be kept only a very few days, unlike commercial salad dressing, which keeps refrigerated for weeks.

What is zesty Italian dressing made of? ›

Distilled Vinegar, Vegetable Oil (Soybean And/Or Canola), Water, Sugar, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Garlic,* Garlic, Red Bell Pepper,* Onion,* Onion, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural Flavor, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Annatto Extract (Color).

What is a casual way of dressing? ›

T-shirts, jeans and sneakers: The "casual" dress code does not impose a ban on these elements. As a general rule, only clean clothing should be selected, without frayed or obviously damaged areas. Flip-flops, shorts or baggy items of clothing such as jogging bottoms or hoodies are less or not at all desirable.

What is the basic dressing material? ›

Gauze, lint, plasters, bandages (natural or synthetic), and cotton wool are common dry items used as primary or secondary dressings for wounds to prevent contamination.

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