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5 Homemade Salad Dressings – Quick, Easy, and Healthy!
Today, I am sharing 5 Homemade Salad Dressings that are quick and easy to make and healthy too! You’ll never want to purchase store-bought again!
Homemade Salad Dressing Is Best
You can make these dressings with a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry right now. But if not, you can easily find these ingredients from your local grocery store. Since you can make these dressings with all-natural ingredients, they are healthy too.
The five varieties I make in the 5 Homemade Salad Dressings video include:
- French Vinaigrette (with bonus recipes for Italian and Balsamic)
- Ranch
- Thousand Island
- Blue Cheese
- Green Goddess
What’s Wrong With Store-Bought?
Homemade Salad Dressings are so easy to throw together for much less than what you would pay for a store-bought version. That in itself is a plus. But even more important is that when you make salad dressing at home, you control what goes into it. You can choose to use healthy oils, like olive oil, or homemade mayonnaise, and you know for sure that they don’t include any ingredients that you can’t pronounce!
Most Important—The Taste!
But when it comes right down to it, the best reason for making Homemade Salad Dressings is the taste. The fresh taste is outstanding, and a store-bought version can never compete with that! So if you’re trying to encourage your family and friends (or even yourself!) to eat more greens, then freshly-made dressings will most likely do the trick. Trust me; no one will be able to resist any of these dressings, especially Ranch and Green Goddess!! (Be sure to print out the recipes.)
Stocking the Traditional Foods Pantry
Now that you’ve created your own Homemade Dressings for your Traditional Foods Pantry, watch these other pantry videos too! I share how to make the following ingredients that are all perfect to use in their associated dressings:
- 10 Homemade Seasonings Blends
- 1-Minute Homemade Mayonnaise
- 2-Ingredient Homemade Sour Cream
- Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
Plus, for more great ideas for stocking your pantry, I share How to Make 10 Homemade Flavored Extracts, including a “Perpetual” Vanilla Extract.
- How to Make Homemade Extracts  – Flavored Extracts – Baking Basics
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I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
5 Homemade Salad Dressings
Ingredients
French Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar, preferably raw can substitute fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Fine ground sea salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp Shallots, finely chopped can substitute with red or white onion
- 6 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
Thousand Island Dressing
- 1 tsp Fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar, preferably raw can substitute fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Pickle relish, preferably fermented if using sweet pickle relish, omit sugar
- 1/4 cup Ketchup, preferably fermented
- 1/2 cup Sour cream, preferably cultured
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise, preferably homemade
- 1-2 tsp Sugar, optional (if using – preferably "real" such as Sucanat) can substitute with maple sugar, date sugar, or light brown sugar
Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1/2 tsp Fine ground sea salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar, preferably raw can substitute fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Sour cream, preferably cultured
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise, preferably homemade
- 1/4 cup Blue cheese, crumbled an American blue cheese works best
- 1-2 tbsp Milk or buttermilk, optional use to thin dressing to desired consistency, if needed
Ranch Dressing
- 1 tsp Fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Apple cider vinegar, preferably raw can substitute fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dried parsley can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh, fine chop
- 1 tsp Dried chives can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh, fine chop
- 1 tsp Dried dill can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh, fine chop
- 1 clove Fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Sour cream, preferably cultured
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise, preferably homemade
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk, preferably cultured real buttermilk can substitute a store-bought cultured buttermilk product
Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 tsp Fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar, preferably raw
- 1 clove Fresh garlic, crushed
- 1 bunch Fresh parsley, stems removed
- 1 Scallion (green onion), chopped
- 1 tsp Dried tarragon can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh, fine chop
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise, preferably homemade
- 1/2 cup Sour cream, preferably cultured
- 1 tsp Anchovy paste, optional can substitute 1 whole anchovy
Instructions
French Vinaigrette
- Add salt and pepper to a jar or cruet and add the apple cider vinegar. Allow salt to dissolve.
- Add mustard and shallot and mix.
- Slowly add olive oil to allow dressing to emulsify.
- If making the Italian Dressing, omit the mustard and shallot, and in their place, add 1 teaspoon of dried oregano or Italian seasoning and 1 garlic clove finely minced. (Optional, if you wish, you can use red wine vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar.)
- If making the Balsamic Vinaigrette, start with the Italian Dressing but in place of the apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, use balsamic vinegar. If you are using a high-quality aged balsamic vinegar, that should be sufficient. If you are using a lower-end, shorter-aged balsamic vinegar, you may need to add some dried cane juice (Sucanat) or another sweetener, such as maple sugar or light brown sugar. Start with 1 teaspoon. At most, you should need no more than 2 teaspoons of sweetener. You may also wish to omit the oregano if making Balsamic Vinaigrette, so as to not overpower the balsamic flavor.
Thousand Island Dressing
- Add salt and pepper to a jar and add the apple cider vinegar. Allow salt to dissolve.
- Add relish and ketchup to jar and mix.
- Add sour cream, mayonnaise, and sugar (if using), and mix well until all the ingredients are incorporated, and the dressing takes on a light pink hue.
Blue Cheese Dressing
- Add salt and pepper to a jar and add the apple cider vinegar. Allow salt to dissolve.
- Add sour cream, mayonnaise, and blue cheese to jar and mix well.
- If a thinner consistency is desired, add milk or buttermilk to thin, starting with 1 tablespoon.
Ranch Dressing
- Add salt and pepper to a jar and then add the apple cider vinegar. Allow the salt to dissolve.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the jar and mix well.
Green Goddess Dressing
- Add salt, pepper, mustard, and garlic to a food processor or blender and process for a few seconds to chop garlic.
- Add vinegar and process for a few more seconds to help dissolve the salt.
- Add parsley and scallion and process until finely chopped.
- Add tarragon, mayo, sour cream, and anchovy paste (if using) and process for 1 minute until dressing is smooth and turns a light green color.
Video
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Salad Dressing Making Supplies
- Mortal and Pestle
- Food Processor
- Magic Whisk
- Wide Mouth Jars with Lids
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (This is my favorite!)
Recommended Reading
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
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*Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.
**Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, a medical professional, a dietician, or a nutritionist. All content found on the MarysNest.com website, including text, images, videos, eBooks or eGuides, social media, or other formats, were created solely for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or proper nutritional advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have watched in a video or read on this website. Use caution when following the recipe in this video. The creator and publisher of this video and website will not be held responsible for any adverse effects that may arise from the use of this recipe and method or any other recipe and method on this website or corresponding video channel.
Is this going to work if I use olive oil only, and how many ml I should use? Thank you!
Hi Cami, Yes, you can use only olive oil. It will firm up a bit in the fridge. But should mix up ok. As to ml – they are not that different from our measurements – so if the recipe calls for 1 cup, just use about .25 liters. Love, Mary