We always had a wide selection of salad dressings in the fridge growing up. I was partial to honey mustard. I loved it for salads, for chicken tenders, as a dip for cooked veggies. My older brother was a Ranch fanatic. It was the only way he would eat a raw green vegetable. And even then, usually only iceberg lettuce. And of course, Italian dressing was a staple. Not only is it good for green lettuce salads, it’s great mixed with pasta salads, grain salads and also works really well as a marinade for chicken and other meats. A few years back, I started to gradually move away from store-bought goods and started creating my own condiments, sauces and dressings. Homemade taco seasoning is a staple in my pantry and wow, do we go through it. My homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade pesto are easy and so delicious, though I definitely buy those at the store on occasion, too. And today, I’m so excited to share this homemade Italian dressing. It’s a regular go-to in our house. It has a great balance of flavor from the mix of vinegars, touch of honey, and the balance of herbs and spices. And it’s so simple to make. You just measure out all the ingredients, whisk them together or shake them up in a jar, and you are ready to go! It’s also way more fresh and tons more healthy than anything you can get at the store with all those strange words in the ingredient list that I can’t possibly pronounce And cheaper, too, to make it yourself at home. So let’s get to mixing! Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make Italian dressing. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Recipe Notes:
Oil and vinegar are not friends. The tricky part about homemade dressing is getting them to combine. The honey here acts as an emulsifier, which helps. You can also add a ½ teaspoon of dried mustard as an extra emulsifier to help the ingredients shake up better. You could also add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I do that sometimes for a tangy version of Italian dressing - it’s delicious! Storing: This dressing will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks. But the oil and vinegar will separate again. Just pull it out and let it sit for a few minutes to come to room temperature and then shake it really well to mix it up again.
I usually make my homemade dressings (like this homemade soy ginger dressing one that I’m addicted to or my creamy cilantro lime dressing) in small batches. Often it’s just enough for that night or to use in a particular recipe. But this is Italian dressing we’re talking about, so I’ve got a nice big batch for you here. It makes about 2 cups worth. You could certainly halve the recipe, but we tend to use this for such a variety of things, so it’s nice to have the extra on hand. That way it’s ready to go.
Ways to use homemade Italian dressing:
- Green veggie salads
- Rice salads or grain bowls (such as this barley salad with tomatoes)
- Pasta salads
- Marinade for grilled or baked chicken (like my easy crunchy baked chicken)
- Marinade for grilled or baked fish (see easy Italian baked fish)
- Marinated bean salads (such as Mississippi caviar, which takes just 10 minutes to throw together!) I bet you can find even more ways to enjoy it! I hope you’ll give this homemade dressing a try. It’s so much more flavorful and healthy than anything you’ll find in the store. (Though I won’t tell if you want to keep a store-bought bottle in the pantry, just in case. ) Enjoy! XO, Kathryn P.S. You might also like this easy lemon vinaigrette. Yield: This yields about 2 cups of Italian dressing. You can halve the recipe if you don’t need that much. Oil and vinegar are not friends. The tricky part about homemade dressing is getting them to combine. The honey here acts as an emulsifier, which helps. You can also add a ½ teaspoon of dried mustard as an extra emulsifier to help the ingredients shake up better. You could also add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I do that sometimes for a tangy version of Italian dressing - it’s delicious! Storing: This dressing will keep in the fridge, in a covered container or sealed jar, for about 2 weeks. But the oil and vinegar will separate again. Just pull it out and let it sit for a few minutes to come to room temperature and then shake it really well to mix it up again. Ways to use: Use for green/lettuce salads, pasta salad, rice salads or grain bowls, marinated bean salads or as a marinade for grilled or baked chicken or fish.
title: “Homemade Italian Dressing” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-23” author: “Elias Lee”
how to make it
You’re going to need fresh lemons (you’ll need 1/4 cup juice, so however many lemons it takes to get you there; sometimes it’s one, sometimes it’s three. Lemons are fickle jerks.), white vinegar (I usually just use regular ol’ white vinegar, but you can use white wine vinegar if you’re feeling fancy), kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, dry mustard, and sugar. Toss all those ingredients into your blender and then add 3-4 cloves of garlic (mine are large, so I’m using 3.) If you’ve got a powerful blender, just peel the garlic; otherwise, you might want to give them at least a smash before adding them to the blender. Get 1 cup of oil ready, but DON’T add it to the blender quite yet. You can use any neutral-flavored oil you want (read: I think coconut oil would be a bad idea for a lot of reasons, but if you want to use it more power to you, just be forewarned that if you come and tell me how gross it was with coconut oil, I will be prepared with a hearty, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”) When I’m using this as a marinade where I’m going to end up tossing a good portion of the dressing, I usually just use a vegetable oil (I usually have peanut oil on hand), but if I’m using it as a dressing, I’ll splurge and go with the extra-virgin olive oil. Blend the vinegar/lemon juice/garlic mixture until smooth. While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream so the oil and the vinegar combine (emulsify) together. Remove the blender jar and add 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated or canned, totally your call.) and 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Use a spoon or a small spatula to blend the cheese and herbs into the dressing–you don’t want to blend them they’ll make the dressing muddy. Transfer to a serving or storage container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
