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5 from 2 votes

5 Homemade Salad Dressings

Make these quick, easy, and healthy homemade salad dressings, including French Vinaigrette (with bonus recipes for Italian and Balsamic Dressings), Thousand Island, Ranch, Blue Cheese, and Green Goddess. For the shelf-life of each dressing, see the Notes below.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: Americana
Servings: 20 servings
Author: Mary Bryant Shrader

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

Oil-based salad dressings will stay fresh for two weeks, refrigerated.
Dairy-based dressings will stay fresh for one week, refrigerated.
Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/5-homemade-salad-dressings/
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