Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (2024)

Here are 6 easy homemade salad dressing recipes you can easily make at home. From a super tasty ranch dressing, to homemade thousand island to a light Italian vinaigrette, these are the best dressings you’ve ever tasted! My husband Mike had to edit to add this after a recent taste test on our show!! These homemade salad dressings are quick and easy to make and cost a lot less than store bought!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (1)

6 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

One of the comments we hear over and over again is about how much money people are saving using the homemade salad dressing recipes from Volume 1 of our Dining on a Dime Cookbook.And you wouldn’t believe how delicious they are if you haven’t tried them! These easy salad dressing recipes are quick and easy and the best part is they are much less than half the cost of dressing from the store!

We get complimented over and over again about our homemade salad dressing recipes from people who say, “My family refuses to even eat store bought salad dressing now and they homemade dressings are so fast to make!”

This post includes some of our favorite homemade salad dressing recipes for you to try!

This homemade ranch dressing recipe is quick and easy to make and is versatile for salads, vegetables and many other foods. It is so delicious and fresh, you’ll wonder why you ever bought store bought! It also makes an easy party dip!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (2)

Ranch Dressing Recipe (Ranch Dip)

1 cup mayonnaise (low-fat may be used)
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. green onions, minced (tops only or chives)
1/4 tsp. onion powder or 1 Tbsp. fresh onions, minced
2 tsp. parsley, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1/2 to 1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine ingredients in a container with a lid and refrigerate before serving. Makes 2 cups. For Ranch Dip, use sour cream or yogurt in place of buttermilk.

This thousand island dressing recipe is an easy homemade version of the classic salad dressing that you can make at home for pennies. It’s good not only on salads and vegetables, but also on sandwiches and hamburgers. It’s similar to the Big Mac sauce at McDonalds and is great on hamburgers. Mike tested this homemade salad dressing a recent taste test on our show and loved it!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (3)

Thousand Island Dressing Recipe

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish or sweet pickle, minced
2 Tbsp. chili sauce or ketchup
2 Tbsp. green bell peppers, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh or 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. onion powder or 2 Tbsp. onion, minced
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1
hard-boiled egg, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl except egg. Mix well. Stir in the egg. Refrigerate. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

This homemade blue cheese dressing recipe makes a thick and chunky blue cheese dressing that is super delicious! It’s super fresh and tastes even better than restaurant quality blue cheese, but for only a fraction of the cost!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (4)

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice

Salad

1 head Iceberg lettuce, rinsed, cut into 6 wedges
6 slices bacon, cookedandcrumbled
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped

Directions:

Mix the first 6 ingredients for the dressing the day before servingand chill.

Put a wedge of lettuce onto each plate. Top with dressingandsprinkle with mixture of bacon, Parmesan and chives (mixed together).

This Italian vinaigrette salad dressing recipe makes a tasty and full flavored vinaigrette dressing that is lighter than the creamy dressings. It is a restaurant quality vinaigrette salad dressing that you can easily make at home for a fraction of the price of the store bought kind!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (5)

Italian Vinaigrette Recipe

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil, or a combination
2 Tbsp. onion, finely chopped, or 1/4 tsp. onion powder
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. parsley, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. dried basil or oregano
1 tsp. sugar

Combine ingredients in a large jar with tight lid. Shake well. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

For Creamy Italian Dressing beat 1/2 cup mayonnaise into Italian Vinaigrette.

For Low-Calorie Vinaigrette substitute apple juice for the oil and reduce vinegar to 1/3 cup.

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (6)

Old Fashioned Salad Dressing Recipe

2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
mayonnaise

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, salt and mustard. Stir in eggs. Gradually stir in vinegar and water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, combine desired amount of dressing base with mayonnaise. Refrigerate leftovers. Tastes great on potato salad, coleslaw or salad greens. Makes 4 cups.

This creamy homemade cucumber buttermilk dressing recipe makes a yummy creamy salad dressing you’re sure to love! The cucumber and buttermilk, along with the dill give it an especially tasty and light flavor. Try it today and you’ll definitely be satisfied!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (7)

Homemade Cucumber Buttermilk Dressing

1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbsp. green onions, white and green parts, or chives, minced
2 tsp. fresh parsley, minced or 1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dill, dried
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid. Shake well. Refrigerate. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

3 Ingredient Salad Dressing Recipe

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss and refrigerate 1 hour.

Crunchy Veggie Salad Recipe

2-3 cups broccoli
2-3 cups cauliflower
1 cup (4 oz.) grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup raisins
3 Ingredient Salad Dressing

Just before serving pour dressing over salad and add:
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Serves 4-6.

Most of these easy homemade salad dressing recipes are from Volume 1 of our cookbook:

You can make EASY and delicious meals at home in less time than eating out! You’ll save a ton of money on food and your family will thank you!

Click here to get our Dining On A Dime Cookbooks 25% Off NOW! They’re filled with tasty recipes and tips to make your life easier!

Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the basic formula for salad dressing? ›

Here's my master salad dressing that I use as a base for every salad! You just need 1 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil and 1/2 tsp mustard. Finish with salt and pepper, or choose from any number of flavourings – garlic, fresh or dried herbs, pinch of spice, touch of honey.

What kind of oil is used for oil and vinegar? ›

This oil and vinegar recipe calls for salad oil, which means anything from safflower oil to canola oil to grapeseed oil. You could, of course, use something with a bit more of a distinctive flavor, such as walnut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil.

What are the three most important elements of a salad dressing? ›

“The most important thing about any dressing is to strike a proper balance of salt, fat and acid,” writes Samin Nosrat in her book on the elements of cooking, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.” Individually, those three components are the most basic of seasonings for all food, working to enhance flavor as it hits our tongue and ...

What kind of vinegar is good for salad dressing? ›

White wine vinegar

This vinegar has a much mellower flavor than red wine vinegar and lacks the sharp tang of its sister vinegar. White wine vinegar is best used with more delicate salads and any situation where you want to add a hint of vinegar, but do not want that flavor to overwhelm the dish.

What are the two main ingredients of most standard salad dressings? ›

Regardless of the dressing type, the type of oil and vinegar chosen are key to the resulting flavor. Creamy dressings tend to use bland oil (e.g., canola) and mild vine- gar (e.g., cider). Vinaigrettes often use stronger oil and vinegar (e.g., olive oil and balsamic vinegar).

What primary ingredient is used in most salad dressing? ›

Salad dressings are vegetable-oil-in-water emulsions containing vinegar, sugar, an emulsifier, and flavors. Addition of 0.25% xanthan provides stability to the emulsion for periods up to 1 yr.

What is the right mix of oil and vinegar? ›

Oil and Vinegar are essential in creating an optimal emulsion – where the two ingredients bind together so well that you can't separate them even when shaken vigorously. An optimal emulsion happens when you combine these ingredients in equal parts with a ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar (3:1).

Can you mix olive oil and vinegar together? ›

Vinaigrettes. If you add oil and vinegar to the same container, you'll notice they don't easily mix. However, you can emulsify oil and vinegar with some firm whisking and a bit of patience. This is the definition of a vinaigrette!

What is the best vinegar for dressing? ›

Balsamic vinegar: Makes a bold, slightly sweet dressing that is wonderful on green salads with fruit, such as apples, strawberries or peaches. Red wine vinegar: Packs a punch and works well with other bold flavors and bright veggies, like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, cabbage and more (think Greek salads).

What are the following ingredients you need to make the dressing? ›

Hot-process spoonable salad dressings are typically made by cooking starch, vinegar, salt, sugar and water to a paste, cooling the paste, and adding the remaining ingredients. The oil is added last, typically with egg yolks, whites or another emulsifier.

What is the most common salad dressing? ›

Ranch dressing is the most popular salad dressing in the United States, with 40% of Americans naming it their favorite. Italian dressing is the second most popular salad dressing, preferred by 10% of the US population. 8% of Americans prefer Caesar salad dressing.

What is the key of having successful salad and dressing? ›

Balance. The flavors of a salad dressing should be in balance. A salad dressing will have an acidic component, like vinegar or lemon juice, a fatty component, like oil or mayo, flavor components, like garlic, mustard, herbs or cheese, a salty component like soy sauce or salt and something sweet like sugar or honey.

Which is the healthiest salad dressing? ›

8 Simple and Healthy Salad Dressings
  1. Sesame ginger. This simple salad dressing doubles as an easy marinade for meat, poultry, or roasted veggies. ...
  2. Balsamic vinaigrette. ...
  3. Avocado lime. ...
  4. Lemon vinaigrette. ...
  5. Honey mustard. ...
  6. Greek yogurt ranch. ...
  7. Apple cider vinaigrette. ...
  8. Ginger turmeric.
Jul 27, 2023

Is distilled vinegar the same as white vinegar? ›

White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.

What is the healthiest vinegar for salad? ›

The best way to dress your salad is with a little olive oil (healthy fat!) and lemon juice, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar contains beneficial antioxidants, no fat, and very few calories. (You can read more about its health benefits here.)

What is the most basic formula for making a salad vinaigrette? ›

The Basic Vinaigrette Formula

The most basic ratio for making a salad vinaigrette is: one part vinegar (or other acid) three parts oil.

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 is salad dressing a mixture of chemistry? ›

Salad dressing can be a homogeneous mixture or a heterogeneous mixture based on the type of salad dressing it is. Oil and vinegar are the main ingredients in Italian salad dressing. Since oil and vinegar don't mix Italian salad dressing would be a heterogeneous mixture.

What is salad dressing a mixture of? ›

In Western culture, there are two basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrettes based on a mixture (emulsion) of olive or salad oil and vinegar and variously flavored with herbs, spices, salt, pepper, sugar, and other ingredients such as poppy seeds or ground Parmesan cheese.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Arielle Torp

Last Updated:

Views: 5968

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arielle Torp

Birthday: 1997-09-20

Address: 87313 Erdman Vista, North Dustinborough, WA 37563

Phone: +97216742823598

Job: Central Technology Officer

Hobby: Taekwondo, Macrame, Foreign language learning, Kite flying, Cooking, Skiing, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.