Homemade Italian dressing is easy to make, delicious, and tastes way better than store-bought salad dressing. It's an olive oil and vinegar based dressing that packs on the flavor with lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs. The best part? You can make it in a matter of minutes and drizzle it over your favorite salads, vegetables, and more. What are you waiting for?
Why You’ll Love Italian Salad Dressing
- Real and simple ingredients. For this recipe, you’ll need some simple ingredients including olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs. Shake it all up and you have a delicious Italian dressing that is fresh and zesty made with real ingredients. Unlike its store-bought counterpart which contains additives and sugar.
- It is easy to make. All it takes is combining the ingredients and shaking them together. You can make a big batch and store it in the refrigerator and use it for the next 2 weeks. There really is no reason to buy store-bought dressing when it's this easy to make it at home.
- Pour it over everything. Pour Italian dressing over any salad that would go well with a vinaigrette-style dressing, especially Italian Pasta Salad. You can also use it in pasta, as a marinade for meat and fish, or drizzle it over grilled veggies.
Ingredients
To make this easy and delicious homemade Italian dressing, you will need the following ingredients:
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- lemon juice
- garlic
- parsley - you can also substitute with half the amount of dried parsley.
- Italian seasoning - you can substitute this with just dried oregano.
- salt and pepper
You could also add about ¼ teaspoon of sugar to balance out the acidity in the dressing if you feel that it needs it. I typically don't add sugar because I like the way it tastes without it.
For a spicier kick, add in ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or more!).
How to Make the Best Homemade Italian Dressing
Add all ingredients into a mason jar and seal it with the lid. Shake until well combined. You can also transfer all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until blended.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Shake or stir well before using to prevent separation.
How to Serve Italian Dressing
- Salad. Try it with Italian Pasta Salad or a Mixed Green Salad.
- Meat. Use it as a marinade for chicken, beef, pork, or seafood.
- Vegetables. Drizzle it over grilled vegetables for extra flavour.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Greek Salad with Greek Dressing
- Vegan Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Garlic Dressing
- Lemon Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
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Recipe
Homemade Italian Dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup dressing
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Homemade Italian dressing is easy to make, delicious, and tastes way better than store-bought salad dressing. Make it in a matter of just minutes.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or shredded
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a mason jar and seal it with the lid. Shake until well combined. You can also transfer all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until blended.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Shake or stir well before using to prevent separation.
Notes
How to use Italian dressing: Try it with Italian pasta salad, a mixed green salad, or any salad that would go well with a vinaigrette-style dressing. You can also use it as a marinade for chicken, beef, pork, or seafood, or drizzle it over grilled vegetables for extra flavour.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Shake
- Cuisine: Italian
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