The Best Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

With spring and summer around the corner (and all year long in my house!), a salad is the most delicious way to enjoy the harvest of the season. Homemade salad dressings are so easy to make and taste so much better than bottled.

To make the process of choosing the perfect dressing easier we have gathered some of our best salad dressing recipes for you.

Homemade Dressings are the Best

• Homemade dressings are by far healthier than their store-bought counterpart as they’re made with less sodium and fewer unpronounceable ingredients.
• They are quick and easy to make, most are less than 5 minutes.
• Most of these easy salad dressing recipes call for simple ingredients that you have on hand!

The following dressings are so tasty as a topper for salads, a dip for chicken wings, zucchini fries, or as a marinade for chicken.

Classic Salad Dressing Recipes

There are a few tried and true salad dressing recipes that have remained popular for a reason. Here are just a few of them.

Quick Caesar Salad Dressing is an easier version of the classic caesar salad dressing, but just as delicious and flavorful.

Spinach Salad Dressing is made with a few easy-to-find ingredients like oil and vinegar. A little shake and this dressing’s done.

Easy Coleslaw Dressing is a fabulous way to turn that cabbage into a creamy, tangy, and sweet summer dish.

Homemade Ranch Dressing has a creamy tang that is better than anything bought in a bottle with fresh herbs and lots of dill.

Balsamic Vinaigrette is a classic dressing that suits most greens. Simple, classy, and full of flavor.

Creamy Salad Dressing

There is something so comforting and versatile about a creamy salad dressing. Perfect for adding to greens, or using as a dip for vegetables or appetizers, a creamy salad dressing will always be a hit.

Avocado Ranch Dressing takes a healthy spin on the traditional ranch dressing, with the addition of some avocado.

Thousand Island Dressing is creamy, sweet, and tangy, and all rolled up in one quick and easy-to-make dressing.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is made with fresh herbs (like parsley & dill) and it’s one of my favorite salad dressings. This is also so good as a dip for chicken wings or your favorite veggies!

Blue Cheese Dressing is great for a wedge salad or for using as a dip.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing is great for a basic cold crisp salad of greens or as a dip for some vegetables.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing is a combination of sour cream, mayonnaise, and seasonings. So creamy and tart.

Poppyseed Dressing has bits of delicious poppy seed and is perfect for a spinach salad.

Creamy Italian Dressing is a favorite creamy vinaigrette with lots of flavor and a pinch of Italian seasoning.

Creamy Garlic Dressing is so creamy and punched full of flavor.

Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

A little oil and vinegar with varying added ingredients like herbs, spices, or sugar, these healthy salad dressing recipes will brighten even the simplest bowl of greens!

Strawberry Salad Dressing is a colorful and bright dressing that will perk up any salad with fruit or nuts. Swap out the red wine vinegar for champagne vinegar if you have some.

Cilantro Lime Dressing is bursting with pizzaz and just the right amount of sweetness.

Greek Salad Dressing can be used as a marinade, a dressing, or a glaze. So versatile and delicious.

Sesame Ginger Dressing is as the title suggests, a dressing with a bit of an Asian flair. It’s especially great on chicken salads.

Easy Dijon Vinaigrette is a slightly sweet, and tangy dressing that pairs nicely with almost any green salad and this one is also great on kale salads.

Italian Vinaigrette Dressing is a classic dressing that is great for a salad but also superb for dipping bread.

Lemon Vinaigrette is a fresh and light salad with a little zing to it!

Peanut Dressing is a thick dressing with the perfect amount of nuttiness.

Dressing Tips

• For a vinaigrette that doesn’t separate, whisk all ingredients except the oil. Add the oil in a very slow drizzle while whisking. Do not skip dijon mustard or honey if the recipe calls for them, they help emulsify the dressing (so it doesn’t separate).
• Most dressings can be stored in a mason jar or a jar with a lid for up to 1 week in the fridge (the exception is if the dressing has garlic in oil, this should only be kept for 2 days).

Variations

Oil: I find the best oil for salad dressings is mild in flavor (like light olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil). Use caution with extra virgin olive oil as the flavor can be a bit bitter and strong for dressings depending on the mixture.

Vinegar: In most dressings, the vinegar can be swapped and changed with other types of vinegar or lemon juice. Try any of the following:

• red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, champagne or sherry vinegar

Flavorings: For the most part, flavorings can be altered based on what you have on hand. If using fresh herbs in place of dry, you’ll need 3x more (so instead of ½ teaspoon dry use 1 ½ teaspoons fresh).  Add lemon or orange zest, parmesan cheese, or your favorite spices.

Emulsifiers:  The use of dijon mustard and/or honey are added to emulsify the dressing. This helps keep the oil and vinegar parts of the dressing from separating.

Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite Dressing recipe is!