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. 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.
Homemade Italian Dressing
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.
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Measure all of the ingredients into a large jar or other airtight container. Cover and shake well. That's it!
Notes
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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 159mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
The Hungry Mum
I really need to make my own salad dressing rather than buying the junk stuff. Thanks for a great selection of ideas and combos! Found you via the linkUp.
Kathryn
Happy to provide a little inspiration! Once you get in the habit of it -- and discover how easy and how much better tasting it is -- you'll be hooked! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Alli @ Tornadough Alli
This looks great! I've always been too afraid to make dressings and stuff because I like to mess it up. But this looks to darn tempting to me right now. We love Italian Dressing so this may be happening sooner than I think!
Kathryn
Nah, you got it girl! If you can measure and you can shake, you can make your own dressings. Give it a go, bet you'll be surprised by how easy it is - and how tasty it turns out!
Mariam
I love this!!!! I'm starting to go away from store bought condiments (this is my first venture) and I will be trying the other suggestions.... I must say this one is amazing. My husband is not "yet" into the green movement but even he thought this was great! Thanks so much.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you both loved it Mariam! And good for you on making more of your own condiments! I think whatever baby steps you can take are a great way to start! Once you get in the habit, it's really easy to keep adding more of your own homemade versions of things 🙂
Katie Crenshaw
Kathryn, I am a big salad dressing snob… I only like homemade dressings!! I can't wait to try this one! It looks fabulous!
Kathryn
Haha, you have every right to be a snob about this Katie - it makes ALL the difference when it's homemade 🙂
Gina Misulonas
This is the ONLY Italian I make!!! Love it!!!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you love it Gina! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Alex
I have had this pinned for a bit and when I made a salad yesterday, realized I had no dressing. Well I happened to have all the ingredients for this and whipped it up. Wow!!!! It is so good! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this Alex! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Sandra
Best Italian dressing ever! Thank you.
Kathryn
So happy to hear you loved it!
Sandra Marshall
I found this recipe when searching for spaghetti salad. Love both recipes so much! Spaghetti salad is my go to potluck dish and I make the dressing often. Thank you for sharing!
Kathryn
Yay, I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing Sandra! 😊
Teresa Coons
This was soooo good! I forgot the honey & didn’t miss it.
I just have a hard time getting the vinegar to emulsify with the oil. Even after shaking vigorously the vinegar settles to the bottom before I can even pour it. Any suggestions?
Kathryn
Hi Teresa! So, the honey is an emulsifier that helps the oil and vinegar blend together (or at least, not separate so quickly). Without it, you will have trouble with getting them combined. If you don't want to use honey, you could try another emulsifier, like dry mustard or garlic paste, but that will of course change the flavor. Hope that helps!
Liren | Kitchen Confidante
Homemade dressings like this are so good - who needs storebought?
Kathryn
Completely agree!
Alyssa Brantley
Homemade is always so much better! Looks delish!
Kathryn
Yes it is! 🙂
Toni
Homemade dressing is really hard to beat! This is a must-make!
Kathryn
So easy and so good!
Lindsay Cotter
Love making homemade dressing! This looks so great!
Kathryn
Thanks Lindsay!
Dana
I’ve made your dressing no less than 10 times. My boyfriend thinks this stuff is pure gold! I do you use an immersion blender and when in a pinch, use rice vinegar in place of white wine vinegar. But I just wanted to give you a shout out this for this awesome recipe!
Kathryn
I'm so, so happy to hear you love it Dana!! Love the immersion blender idea to really get it well mixed too! 😊
Maritza
My dressing hardened (everything but the oil) in the fridge. Any reason why? I stirred and shook it but it wouldn’t liquify
Kathryn Doherty
It can harden when it gets really cold; mine does that too sometimes in the refrigerator. If you let it sit out for 10-15 minutes, it will start to come to temperature and thaw back out, then you can shake it up to get it remixed well. You can also add some ground mustard or a bit of regular mustard as an emulsifier if you'd like, so that it stays mixed up a little more. (I do that sometimes with the leftover after I first use it so it doesn't separate out as much.) I hope that helps!
Bonnie
Thank you for the great recipe! 🙂
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you love it! 😊
Janice
This Italian dressing recipe is the best! Used our milk frother (spelling🤷🏻♀️) to mix it which worked great. Thanks so much!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you love it! Thank you so much for sharing! And love the idea of using the milk frother to get it all mixed up - so smart!
Marcia Jones
This is a DELICIOUS Italian Dressing. I’ve been making my dressings for a few years now and this, along with 2 other different types are my absolute favorites. Kudos!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you love it Marcia! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊