I have a bit of a love affair with salad dressings, and Italian dressing is no exception. In fact before my switch to healthier foods, ranch was about all that got me to eat raw broccoli. Thankfullymy journey to real food brought me to love all kinds of salads even without a lot of dressing.
Nota lot of dressing is needed when it’s freshly homemadeand chock-full of herbs and spices.Asimple homemade dressing takes an ordinary salad to a completely different level.
And it’s worth it from a health perspective too. Most store-bought salad dressings contain dangerous vegetable oils(high in omega-6, which we already get too much of in the American diet) and additives like MSG and carrageenan.
Homemade dressing only takes 2 or 3 minutes to mix up, contains healthy, real ingredients like olive oil, real garlic, and spices, and stores well for weeks at a time. It’s a win win!
Italian Dressingin the Kitchen
This homemade salad dressing is one of my favorites because it not only makes a great addition to almost any salad, but it also serves as a simple marinade for almost any kind of meat. And not just meat… marinate fresh vegetables for an hour or two and then grillthem! The smoky flavors of the grill and the herbal flavors in the dressing combine perfectly for a really complex flavor blend.
I love this dressing tossed on a big salad with some leftover chicken for a quick lunch, or as a ranch alternative for dipping raw veggies. The healthy oils give an energy boost and the flavor is amazing!
Not an Italian dressing fan? You can also check out six more of my favorite DIY alternatives to conventional salad dressings in this post.
How to Make and Store Homemade Italian Dressing
This dressing will last approximately 2 weeks in the fridge, but I highly suggest making it in small amounts as needed as the flavor is definitely the best in the first few days.
For a great shortcut, make up a batch of homemade Italian seasoning mix to replace the thyme, basil, and oregano. Just use 1 ½ teaspoons of the Italian seasoning mix instead of the herbs listed in the recipe. Then it’s easy to make this recipe from memory. You may not even need to measure after a few practice runs!
They make shaker bottles for homemade dressing, but my advice is to stick to a glass mason jar. I love these tops to give any mason jar a pour spout.
Check out below the recipe for some favorite salads with Italian dressing.
Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe
A better-for-you version of Italian dressing without the highly processed vegetable oils!
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Calories 117kcal
Author Katie Wells
Servings
Ingredients
- 3 TBSP white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe
Amount Per Serving (2 TBSP)
Calories 117Calories from Fat 114
% Daily Value*
Fat 12.7g20%
Saturated Fat 1.8g11%
Sodium 322mg14%
Carbohydrates 1.3g0%
Fiber 0.3g1%
Sugar 0.2g0%
Protein 0.2g0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notes
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If refrigerated, the dressing may solidify slightly. This is perfectly okay. It happens when olive oil is chilled. Simply remove from the refrigerator about an hour before you need to use it.
Salad Combinations to Try with Italian Dressing:
- Classic chopped salad – Toss with romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives (and a bit of feta if you’re in the mood!).
- Strawberry spring salad – TryItalian in place of honey mustard dressing on this favorite spring salad concoction with toasted pecans, fresh strawberries, and chicken.
- Simple summer salad – Splash a little Italian dressing overthinly sliced cucumbers and red onion with a few cherry tomatoes thrown in. Top with fresh basil leaves.
- Sweet pepper steak salad – Italian dressing is not only for chicken!
The applications are endless… for other meal ideas usingItalian dressing, try out my favoriteReal Plans meal planning tool!
What is your favorite salad dressing? Have you tried makingyour own? I’d love to hear about your favorite dressings to shake up at home!
FAQs
Distilled Vinegar, Vegetable Oil (Soybean And/Or Canola), Water, Sugar, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Garlic,* Garlic, Red Bell Pepper,* Onion,* Onion, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural Flavor, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Annatto Extract (Color).
What's the difference between zesty Italian and Italian dressing? ›
A: Yes, zesty has a little more garlic and stronger spices.
What are the ingredients in Kraft Italian dressing and marinade? ›
Ingredients : Water, Soybean and/or Canola Oil, Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Contains less than 2% of Garlic (Dried), Garlic, Red Bell Peppers (Dried), Onions (Dried), Xanthan Gum, Spice, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium Edta and Sulfiting Agents As Preservatives, Oleoresin Paprika.
Why is Italian dressing a good marinade? ›
Bottled Italian dressing has everything a good marinade does: Fat, acid, salt, sugar, and a seasoning. It can be a one-ingredient upgrade to nearly any weeknight protein.
Is zesty italian salad dressing healthy? ›
Italian dressing tends to be lower in calories and fat than cream-based dressings, so if you are working on maintaining or losing weight, it can be a better choice than some alternatives.
Who makes zesty Italian dressing? ›
We didn't name it Ken's Zesty Italian because it was shy about flavor. Robust and blanced, this dressing adds onion, garlic, red pepper, and oregano to it's oil and vinegar base to create a deliciously bright, memorable and crowd-pleasing flavor.
Is zesty Italian dressing good? ›
Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
Italian dressing is a must for making the cold pasta salads that accompany picnics and potlucks. The best dressing for these recipes, according to our Test Kitchen, is Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing. Opening up a bottle, you'll find it's a classic grocery store-style Italian dressing.
What's healthier balsamic or Italian dressing? ›
A few of the unhealthiest salad dressings include creamy Caesar, creamy Italian, ranch, and Russian dressing. For example, two tablespoons of store-bought creamy Caesar dressing contains 190 calories and 20 grams of fat,4 as compared to 90 calories and 9 grams of fat in the same serving of balsamic vinaigrette.
What does zesty Italian dressing taste like? ›
The runner-up is Ken's Steak House Zesty Italian. This local legend is thick, dark and full of savory flavor, loaded with specks of garlic, pepper and spices.
Does Italian dressing tenderize meat? ›
Italian dressing is one of the best steak marinades you can use, and it's a flavorful shortcut to perfectly juicy and flavorful steaks. The combination of oil and vinegar with herbs and spices makes it a delicious and powerful tenderizer. The dressing is especially handy when you're dealing with tough cuts of beef.
8 Simple and Healthy Salad Dressings
- Sesame ginger. This simple salad dressing doubles as an easy marinade for meat, poultry, or roasted veggies. ...
- Balsamic vinaigrette. ...
- Avocado lime. ...
- Lemon vinaigrette. ...
- Honey mustard. ...
- Greek yogurt ranch. ...
- Apple cider vinaigrette. ...
- Ginger turmeric.
Answer. Explanation: MIXING BOWLS- used to mix dressings, marinate ingredients, hold separate elements of a salad before assembling and used to toss and mix all the ingredients together.
What is the secret to a good marinade? ›
Making a mouth-watering homemade marinade isn't rocket science! You simply need to follow this simple formula: an acidic ingredient to tenderize the meat (think vinegar, juice, yogurt, or mustard), fresh herbs and spices for added flavour, and a fatty ingredient, such as oil or butter.
What are the 4 things for a marinade? ›
Ingredients that are frequently combined in marinades include:
- - Acid: Wine, yogurt, citrus juices, vinegar, or vinegar.
- - Oil: Vegetable oil, olive oil, or any other flavored oils.
- - Aromatics: For flavor, use garlic, onions, herbs, and spices.
- - For sweetness, use honey, sugar, or maple syrup.
Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.
Which salad dressing is the healthiest? ›
8 Simple and Healthy Salad Dressings
- Sesame ginger. This simple salad dressing doubles as an easy marinade for meat, poultry, or roasted veggies. ...
- Balsamic vinaigrette. ...
- Avocado lime. ...
- Lemon vinaigrette. ...
- Honey mustard. ...
- Greek yogurt ranch. ...
- Apple cider vinaigrette. ...
- Ginger turmeric.
It really depends. Commercially produced Italian dressing may contain parmesan or Romano cheese, whey, milk solids, as well as oil, vinegar, garlic and herbs. You only need a few basic ingredients to make this easy homemade Italian dressing: Lemon juice and white wine vinegar – They make the dressing zesty and bright.
Can diabetic eat zesty Italian dressing? ›
Generally most bottled or restaurant-style Italian dressings are high in fat and calories, so if you have diabetes, you'd certainly want to avoid them.
