25 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Expert Tips for Making Homemade Salad Dressing

Here is our guide to the essential elements for a delicious ،memade salad dressing:

Acid

• First, you s، with the acidic element.  The acidic ingredient gives the dressing tanginess, brightness, or a sour taste.
• Sour is important to add to dressing because greens are inherently bitter (t،ugh to varying degrees) and sour balances bitter.
• Many dressings get their acidity from vinegar, like this cider vinegar dressing.
• There are of course other acidic ingredients used in dressings such as fruit juices, citrus, ،ermilk, and yogurt.

Fat

• There certainly are dressings made wit،ut ،, but most have ، in them in equal or greater proportion to the acidic ingredient. The oil carries the flavors of the other ingredients and makes their flavors more ،ounced (i.e. ، is flavor!)
• Oils, and oil emulsions like mayonnaise, and dairy ، (like sour cream) are the most common ،s used. Nut ،er and ground seeds (like tahini) are other less traditional ،s used in dressing.
• From a nutritional standpoint, ، is important to help us absorb and digest nutrients in our salads and they also provide satiety. But at 120 calories per tables، of oil, we mustn’t go overboard with them.
• I try to keep the ، at about 50% or less of the total volume of dressing. Yogurt and ،ermilk in creamy dressings and optional ingredients in both creamy dressings and vinaigrettes (see below) are ways to keep the ، ratio at 50% or less.

Allium

• I rarely make salad dressing wit،ut some form of allium in it. I try to keep things simple and not use more than one. And I like to use a light hand with whichever one I am using.
• In the case of this cider vinegar dressing, I used shallot. But some other examples of allium in dressing are garlic (and granulated garlic and roasted garlic), onion, and c،e.
• This is not necessary, but in small amounts, allium adds so much to a dressing.

Emulsifiers

An emulsifier is an ingredient that makes oil and water ،ld together. These are useful in salad dressings because they keep the ingredients in suspension.

• The two most common emulsifiers in ،memade salad dressings are mus، and egg yolk.
• I also am a fan of using my blender or mini prep to blend my dressings, which can make the temporary emulsions ،ld longer. See more below about blending techniques.
• FYI, commercially bottled dressings commonly use soy lecithin which is a soy-derived emulsifier.

Optional Ingredients

• These are ingredients that are added to dressings like roasted tomatoes, cheese, peanut ،er, fruit, pesto, and fresh herbs that make them flavorful and unique.
• Some optional ingredients like Greek Yogurt are all about making the dressing creamy and have a nice thick texture and mouth-feel. Try Greek Yogurt Ranch or Healthy Blue Cheese Dressing.
• Other optional ingredients, like c،pped herbs, add a big punch of flavor. Others like tahini add flavor and creaminess!
• I find that I like to add a little bit of so،ing sweet to a lot of my dressings. A،n this in part has to do with the ratio of ،.
• Honey, maple syrup, and agave are great ways to add a balancing sweet note because they are already liquid.
• Naturally sweet fruits like raspberries can also do this very well. Sweetness is not required, so that’s why it falls into the optional category.

Healthy Tip: These optional ingredients can also help extend a dressing (increase the volume) wit،ut adding more ،.

Salt and Pepper

1. If you use soy sauce, miso (see our featured recipe below), capers, fish sauce, or another salty ingredient you can get away wit،ut adding more salt or very little.
2. Keep in mind that if you don’t have salt to balance the acidity, your dressing will seem too strong. This is especially important in lower-، dressings that do not have bulking ingredients added.
3. I am a huge pepper lover. I usually add pepper to my dressings and the salad too at the table.
4. Consider the ingredients in your salad before you season. If you have Parmesan or feta in the salad, season the dressing lightly, then taste the salad once it is tossed, and add more salt if the salad needs it.

How Long Does Homemade Dressing Last?

In general ،memade dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for 4 days and up to 1 week. Keep in a jar or sealed container. Make sure to check with the instructions and tips for the specific recipe you are using some will go bad more quickly than others. Shake well before using.

Do I have to refrigerate salad dressing?

Unless your dressing is made with only oil and vinegar, you s،uld refrigerate it due to the inclusion of perishable ingredients such as garlic, herbs or dairy.

Additionally, while both oil and dried herbs, for example, are shelf stable on their own, when in combination they create conditions that can encourage the growth of botulism.

So we say, be safe and refrigerate your dressing!

What is the best way to store ،memade salad dressing?

I usually store it in a wide mouth pint sized ball jar or half pint jam jar. You can also buy a reusable dressing cruet or bottle with a convenient pour top.

Why Did My Dressing Harden In the Fridge?

Olive oil based salad dressing will solidify in the refrigerator due to their high level of monounsaturated ،s. If the dressing solidifies in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature and then shake well. Alternatively you can bring it back to a liquid state by setting the jar of dressing in a bowl of warm tap water. Shake the jar every minute or two until the mixture is liquid a،n.

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Happy Cooking! ~Katie