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 Italian dressing 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! (My easy lemon vinaigrette is also super versatile.)
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!
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
- 1/3 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
- 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:
16Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
The Hungry Mum says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Haha, you have every right to be a snob about this Katie – it makes ALL the difference when it’s homemade 🙂
Alex says
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 says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this Alex! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Sandra says
Best Italian dressing ever! Thank you.
Kathryn says
So happy to hear you loved it!
Sandra Marshall says
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 says
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing Sandra! 😊
Teresa Coons says
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 says
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 says
Homemade dressings like this are so good – who needs storebought?
Kathryn says
Completely agree!
Alyssa Brantley says
Homemade is always so much better! Looks delish!
Kathryn says
Yes it is! 🙂
Toni says
Homemade dressing is really hard to beat! This is a must-make!
Kathryn says
So easy and so good!
Lindsay Cotter says
Love making homemade dressing! This looks so great!
Kathryn says
Thanks Lindsay!
Dana says
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 says
I’m so, so happy to hear you love it Dana!! Love the immersion blender idea to really get it well mixed too! 😊
Maritza says
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 says
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!