How to Make your own salad dressing - salad dressing recipes

ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING 

1 c. olive oil
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium bowl or a container with a lid, whisk (shake) all ingredients. Keep refrigerated.

VINEGAR AND OIL SALAD DRESSING

1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
juice of one lemon
freshly-ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a container with a lid and shake well to combine. Keep refrigerated. Remember to shake each time before using.

 e at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until center springs back when lightly touched.

LOW-FAT HONEY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

1 c. apple cider vinegar 
2 tsp. honey 
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. prepared stone ground mustard (dijon also works) 

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl or a container with a lid. Whisk or shake together until well blended. Keep refrigerated. Makes 1 cup.

RUSSIAN DRESSING

1 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. chili sauce
1-2 tsp. chopped dried chives
2 tsp. diced pimento

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Place in a container with a lid, and refrigerate overnight. Keep refrigerated.

CREAMY HERB SALAD DRESSING

1/2 c. plain yogurt (not light or fat-free)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried dillweed
garlic salt (to taste)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Place in container with a lid, and refrigerate, preferably overnight.


BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

4 oz. crumbled blue (Roquefort) cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. finely-minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients well. Place in a container with a lid, and chill in refrigerator, preferably overnight so flavors will have a chance to blend. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.


CAESAR SALAD DRESSING 

1 egg yolk
1- 1 1/2 T. dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 anchovie (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. olive oil

Place all ingredients except olive oil in a blender or food processor. Pulse a few seconds until blended. Add the olive oil, a little at a time, making sure all ingredients are mixing well. Once blended, store in refrigerator until ready to use. Serve over Romaine lettuce with croutons, and additional shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese. 

WHY MAKE YOUR OWN SALAD DRESSING?

Have you ever looked at the list of ingredients in bottled salad dressings? Here at DinnerPlanner, we decided to take a look at several popular commercial salad dressings. We were shocked at what we saw, but more importantly at what we didn't see. How about natural ingredients? We saw more preservatives, sodium, and other questionable ingredients than we ever imagined!

We then decided to put together some recipes for a variety of homemade salad dressings, without any preservatives, for you to try. Give these a taste and see what you think. They are amazingly simple to prepare.

Do remember, since these do not contain any preservatives, their shelf life is considerably shorter than the bottled varieties, so only make a small amount at a time to avoid spoilage. Keep cream-based dressings refrigerated no more than a week to ten days; oil-based dressings slightly longer. Always use dressings sparingly to start- you can always add more to your salad as you go along, but it's difficult to remove if you added too much to begin with. Enjoy!

RANCH DRESSING

1 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. dried chives
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper*
1 c. buttermilk

Place all ingredients except for the buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for about 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth, about 30 additional seconds.

Scrape sides of bowl, and increase the speed to high. Gradually add the buttermilk, and continue beating until buttermilk is well mixed into the mayonnaise mix and the dressing is smooth, about another 2 minutes.

Place the dressing in a container with a lid, and refrigerate overnight. Stir well before serving. Makes approximately 2 cups.

*You can always use black pepper if you don't have white. The world will not end...

Don't have buttermilk? Make a quick ranch dressing by mixing together:

1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried parsley

 
BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar 
1 Tbsp. soy sauce 
2 Tbsp. honey 
1 tsp. minced garlic in water
1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes 
1/2 c. olive oil 

In a blender or food processor, mix together balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Using a low speed, slowly add olive oil a little at a time, blending until well-mixed. Refrigerate after opening.

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground pepper
1 tsp. prepared mustard (we used dijon)
1 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar

Place the salt, pepper, and mustard in a medium bowl. Add a little bit of oil, and blend with a whisk. Add a few drops of the red wine vinegar and blend well. Add the remaining oil and vinegar gradually, stirring constantly, until all ingredients are blended. Place in a container with a lid and refrigerate. Shake well before using. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.



SESAME SOY SALAD DRESSING

1/3 c. vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
3/4 tsp. sesame seeds
2/3 c. canola oil

In a medium bowl or a container with a lid, combine vinegar, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Whisk or shake until blended, then add the canola oil. Whisk again, or cover and shake until well-blended. Keep refrigerated, and shake well before using.