Homemade Italian dressing is so easy to make — just measure out the ingredients and shake it all up! This dressing has such great flavor and is delicious for salads and as a marinade.

We always had a wide selection of salad dressings in the fridge growing up.

I was partial to honey mustard as a kid. The really sweet kind. 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. More often than not, that was iceberg lettuce with cucumbers, so we’re not even talking much in the way of nutrients. 😂

My parents I’m sure were more adventurous and they were probably the reason we had a variety of vinaigrettes around.

And of course, Italian dressing was a staple. Not only is it good for green 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.

I still buy ketchup and though I make my own spaghetti sauce, you’ll usually find a jar of marinara in my pantry, just in case.

Same goes for pesto – I love making it homemade but I buy it too.

But I cannot bring myself to buy salad dressings and marinades in the store these days.

I try.

I will say to myself that I’m going to take this shortcut and skip the homemade version.

But then I’ll get to the grocery store aisle and I’ll pick up a bottle and I can’t help but turn it over to see the ingredients.

I’ll go through bottle after bottle. All kinds of crazy words I cannot pronounce and don’t know what they are.

And then I’ll catch sight of the price tag and give up.

I can make it myself at home. I can make it better, I can make it cheaper and I can make it with real ingredients. Oh, and it’s WAY more delicious!

And that includes this one here, a regular go-to in our house. It’s so simple to make and has a great balance of vinegars and all the flavor from the herbs and spices in here.

Notes on easy homemade Italian dressing:

• 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 1/2 teaspoon of dried mustard 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!
• 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.

You could certainly halve it, but we tend to use this for such a variety of things, it’s nice to have the extra on hand.

Other ways to use homemade Italian dressing:

– Green veggie salads

– Rice salads or grain bowls

– Marinade for grilled or baked chicken (like my easy crunchy baked chicken.)

– Barley salad with tomatoes (great for a light, fresh side dish)

– It’s also what I use in my Mississippi caviar, a great appetizer that 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!

Yield: 2 cups

Homemade Italian dressing

Print

Homemade Italian dressing is so easy to make -- just measure out the ingredients and shake it all up! This dressing is delicious for salads and as a marinade.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

1. Measure all of the ingredients into a large jar or other airtight container. Cover and shake well. That's it!

Notes

This yields about 2 cups of Italian dressing. You can halve it 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 1/2 teaspoon of dried mustard 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!

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.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

2 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124 Total Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0mg Carbohydrates: 1g Sugar: 0g Protein: 0g

Interested in making more of your own salad dressings? Check out this cool graphic from Health Perch and Ghergich (shared with permission) for more ideas:

“Shake & Pour” on Health Perch