Making homemade salad dressing lets you skip the scary ingredients so your salad stays healthy. I started making salad dressing from scratch when we decided to cut high-fructose corn syrup and most preservatives from our diet. At first, I stuck with the basic vinaigrette, but over time I found a few recipes and tinkered with them until everyone in my family was pleased. Turns out, homemade salad dressing is an easy thing to whip up while waiting for dinner to cook, and it tastes a lot better, too! So here is how to make homemade Ranch, Thousand Island, Italian and French dressings. Enjoy!
Every time I make dip using this Ranch mix, I have to be eagle-eyed to prevent my family from double-dipping. I finally wised up and started making personal portions by putting a generous dollop of dip in the bottom of wine glasses, then inserting celery and carrot sticks. It’s cute, and it allows everyone to double-dip to their hearts’ content.
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- 1½ cup dried parsley
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup onion powder
- 2 tablespoons dried dill weed
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
- Combine all ingredients in an air-tight container.
- To make Ranch dressing, combine 1 teaspoon of mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and ¼ cup buttermilk. (More if desired.)
- To make Ranch dip: combine 1 tablespoon of mix with 8 ounces of sour cream.
- Chill 1 hour before use.
This recipe for Thousand Island dressing has a bit more zing than the commercial stuff. If you’d like to tone yours down, omit the dry mustard powder. Want more kick? Add a splash of hot sauce. And consider using my chili sauce recipe instead of the bottled stuff!
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- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 minced boiled egg (optional)
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix well.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill one hour before use.
This Italian dressing is not only fantastic on salads — it makes a great marinade for chicken, too. I like to pour it over boneless, skinless chicken breasts before baking, or shake chicken kebab fixings in it an hour or so before grilling. Yum!
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- 1 cup light-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar (or sugar substitute)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 garlic clove, minced finely
- Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Shake madly.
- Let chill 1 hour before use.
You’ll note I call this recipe the “American version” of French salad dressing. That’s because it’s nothing like the salad dressing I ate when I lived in France. Most salads there are dressed with a nice vinaigrette made from good quality vinegar, some oil, crushed garlic, a bit of Dijon mustard and a sprinkle of tarragon. Here in the States, though, people seem to prefer sweeter, heavier dressings. This recipe is very much like the stuff you’d buy in the store… only better!
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- ⅔ cup ketchup
- ½ cup white sugar or honey
- ¼ cup good apple cider vinegar
- ⅔ cup vegetable or light-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ small onion, minced finely
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Shake madly.
- Let chill 1 hour before use.
See, homemade salad dressing isn’t just simple, it can save you a bit of money. Plus, it’s healthier. Just remember to keep it refrigerated, mix well before each use, and toss it after one week if there’s any left.
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Oh, I love homemade salad dressings. They always taste so much better than anything you can buy in a bottle at the store. Thanks for sharing these!
I blog-hopped over from Tuesday’s Treasures. Thank you for these recipes~
These look great. I have never made my own dressings before, but definitely want to try after seeing these. Thanks so much for linking up with “Try a New Recipe Tuesday!” I hope you will be able to join us again this week. Many blessings, Lisa