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Learn How to Make Salad Dressing with these 9 simple recipes perfect for salad lovers! Making homemade salad dressing is quick and easy with these small-batch recipes – each makes just one cup so you can try multiple flavors without waste.
🥗 Love it tangy? Add more vinegar. Prefer it creamy? Increase the oil or add cheese. Making your own means you can adjust every flavor to match your preferences!
My 2 Best Tips For How To Make Salad Dressing
Dried vs Fresh: For herbs, garlic, and ginger, dry and fresh are interchangeable; just season to taste. You will need less of the dried versions than if the recipe calls for fresh.
Use Simple Tools: One of the reasons it’s so quick to make homemade salad dressing is because it can be made with 2 tools — a bowl and a whisk! I like to make it ahead for the week so I will double or even triple the recipes, but just using a whisk and a bowl will have it prepped in no time. (Or you can use a jar with a tight-fitting lid, like a mason jar, and shake it.)
🩷 Melissa
Making healthy salad dressing isn’t hard, and they’re made with very basic ingredients. You can have more variety when you make your own, and you’ll quickly learn what flavors you love together.
Why I Love Making My Own Salad Dressings:
- Almost all ingredients for these dressings are shelf-stable and probably already located in your kitchen.
- Homemade dressings are as simple to make as combining the ingredients in a mason jar and giving it a good mix.
- Fresh salad dressings are so much tastier than anything available at the grocery store. You’ll never go back to buying store-bought dressings.
- Learning how to make your own dressing will help convince you and your family to eat more salads—there’s a salad dressing flavor for every taste!
Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
These simple salad dressing recipes can all be made at any time by keeping these staples on hand! Seriously, you’ll never add the words “salad dressing” to your grocery list again.
Pro Tip: For herbs, garlic, and ginger, dry and fresh are interchangeable; just season to taste. You will need less of the dried versions than if the recipe calls for fresh. A quick and easy way to get a new flavor is to use fresh garlic or fresh herbs!
Herbs & Seasonings
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Parsley
- Chives
- Dill weed
- Italian seasoning
Vinegars & Juices
- Red wine vinegar
- White vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Rice vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
Oils & Emulsions
- Olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Vegetable oil (or other neutral oil
- Peanut butter
- Dijon mustard
Other Flavorings
- Garlic
- Honey
- Poppy seeds
- Ginger
- Soy sauce
- Hot sauce
How to Make Salad Dressing – 9 Easy Recipes
Ingredients
Classic Ranch Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chives
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder
Homemade Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon each sour cream and olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Classic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Roasted Garlic Dressing
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- 2 tablespoons each of honey, Dijon mustard, white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Honey Poppy Seed Dressing
Asian Sesame Dressing
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Peanut-Lime Dressing
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- juice of one lime
- 1 tablespoon each rice or white vinegar, chopped peeled ginger, soy sauce, and honey
Creamy Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup each buttermilk and sour cream
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/2 a lemon
- and salt and hot sauce to taste
Instructions
Classic Ranch Salad Dressing
- Whisk 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chives, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. (You can sub 1 tablespoon each of dried parsley and chives for the fresh.) This is perfect for cobb salads, to dip fries in, over chicken salads, and most any other salads with romaine and other leaf lettuces as the base.
Homemade Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
- Blend 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoon each sour cream and olive oil, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 clove garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a blender. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
Classic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- Whisk 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil.
Roasted Garlic Dressing
- Slice the top off 1 head garlic; drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 400° until tender, about 35 minutes. Cool and then squeeze out the cloves. Blend the roasted garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste in a blender. Make a double batch and use part of it for a marinade for chicken breast. It’s also amazing on roasted vegetables.
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- Whisk 2 tablespoons each of honey, Dijon mustard, and white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil.
Honey Poppy Seed Dressing
- Whisk 2 teaspoon black poppy seeds, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Gradually whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. This is great on salads with berries and other sweet fruits in them; it compliments them nicely.
Asian Sesame Dressing
- Whisk 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or other neutral oil), 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, pepper to taste, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. This dressing is also excellent on Asian-inspired noodle recipes and chicken salads.
Peanut-Lime Dressing
- Blend 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons water, the juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon each rice or white vinegar, chopped peeled ginger, soy sauce, and honey in a blender. This dressing is awesome on “quinoa” bowls (roasted veggies/protein/quinoa), and it’s also excellent on fish.
Creamy Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
- Whisk 1/4 cup each buttermilk and sour cream, 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, and salt and hot sauce to taste. Here’s a little secret: If blue cheese is too strong for you, you can make this with crumbled feta for a more mild dressing that is still wonderfully creamy and cheesy. Dip everything in this including hot wings.
Video
Notes
- As you get comfortable with making basic salad dressings, you can start being creative with different types of vinegar or dairy products and new herbs for bold flavors. Try anything that sounds good to your taste buds!
- Have a bit left in a jam jar that you don’t want to waste? Mix your DIY dressing in the jar for a new flavor!
👉 Get all 9 of these salad dressing recipes sent to your email with this FREE 1-page cheatsheet!
Nutrition
👉 Get all 9 of these salad dressing recipes sent to your email with this FREE 1-page cheatsheet!
How to Make Salad Dressing
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a jar, bowl, or container for a blending device.
Step 2: Shake, whisk, or press the button to blend until well combined.
For dressings containing cheese, you can decide how smooth you’d like the final dressing consistency. Blend with the cheese in the mixture until it’s as thin as you’d like. For thicker, chunkier cheese dressings, blend all other ingredients together and then add the cheese; finish blending just a bit until it’s the consistency you like.
Recipe FAQs
Store any extra dressing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Sometimes, the oil will firm up in the fridge. If this happens, just let it rest at room temperature for a few hours before serving (or give it a quick zap in the microwave). Always shake or whisk the dressing again before serving.
The Dijon mustard in these is a must because it acts as an emulsifier between the vinegar and the oils. Whisk up the mustard/vinegar/whatever else and then slowly add the oil while you are whisking. This will help the oil to not separate out of the dressing.
The dressings store well in wide-mouth half-pint mason jars. These lids are also really nice to have on hand! Each recipe only makes about a cup, which is a great size to keep for a week. (I always make at least 2 kinds during my meal prep sessions over the weekend!)
Other Easy DIY Condiments To Try
Condiments, Marinades & Spreads
Easy Tartar Sauce Recipe
Seasoning Mixes
Garlic Parmesan Seasoning – Perfect for Breadsticks
Dip Recipes
Lemon Garlic Hummus Recipe Without Tahini
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Cannot wait to try these! Thank you for sharing!
These dressings look soo good but I would have to substitute the salt for the Himalayan salt and olive oil for coconut oil.
And that is your choice.
I’m trying to eat gluten and refined sugar free. These recipes fit both those requirements! So glad I found these, thanks for sharing!
How does someone print your recipes with all the pages and pages of what’s on the screen? I’m fairly new to Pinterest and can’t find a print button.
I didn’t plug them into a recipe thing so they won’t print with just a button (I’ll look into fixing that!), I would just copy and paste the recipes into a word processor and print from there! Hope that helps, enjoy!
Just an FYI… Pinterest doesn’t allow copying from an iPad. But up at the top I found a box with a diagonal arrow. If you click that you can open this link in Safari (it’s browser). From the browser you can copy…which I did. Thank you for your recipes.
Great to know! Thanks! I had been wondering about that, too.
About how long do they keep?
Depends on the dressing. The creamy ones about a week and the ones that are oil and vinegar based will last a couple of weeks in the fridge.
This post is a keeper!! Thanks for taking the time to put it together!!
These look great- I will give some of them a try. How long will they stay good in the fridge for? Also, when you say dijon is it the old fashioned kind?
Hmmm… I have no idea? It’s not the stone ground or deli or spicy or brown, all of those are different but I’ve never heard of an old fashioned kind. One of the more popular name brand Dijon mustards is called Grey Poupon if that helps!
Pinning! I can’t wait to try these 😀
Thanks girl!!!
Have you tried to make the salad dressing recipes more calorie friendly by using light mayo, sour cream, buttermilk etc?
Nope, but you’re free to give those a try!
I make a ranch dressing with reduced fat (1.5%) buttermilk and lower calorie mayonnaise and it’s fine. But only if you use Hellmans Light Mayo. Trust me, over the decades I’ve tried every reduced calorie mayonnaise ever invented and this was the first I found that’s almost identical to the original.
Homemade dressings are the best! When I buy a store bought bottle, we never use it all before it expires. I think it’s because we like so many different flavors so we have to many big bottles at once. I like the portion sizes you give because it’s just enough! These will get used up before they go bad! Pinning!
Agree! And if you are having a party, double the batch… easy!
I just want to say that I am so happy that these dressings only make about a cup!!! I hate making a quart of dressing that just sits in the fridge and then goes bad before I can use it all up, especially for more ‘special’ dressings like a vinaigrette or asian one (we always use up all the ranch, haha). I know I could do the math and scale it back…but thanks for doing it for me!
I made all these the same day and had a salad with some pasta for dinner. The kids and Boyfriend plowed through the ranch and then were miffed when I didn’t have any more. I had EIGHT OTHER KINDS!!! LOL it was funny and ridiculous. Long live Ranch!