Over the years, I’ve played around with making my own salad dressings. We would often slip back into the convenience of getting ready to go salad kits from the grocery store. I mean everything is already chopped with the toppings and the dressing included!
But after reading Deep Nutrition by Dr. Catherine Shanahan for my March year of health book pick, I’m recommitted to making healthy homemade salad dressings. We’re cutting back on unhealthy oils, fats, chemical additives, and sneaky sweeteners. All of which are ingredients in most store bought dressings.
While it may seem a bit odd at first or take a little bit of extra planning to decide what flavors you’d like to enjoy for the week, most dressing recipes come together in just a few minutes. I like to mix mine up in a mason jar which cuts down on dishes. The mason jar acts as as storage container and with an airtight lid it’s also perfect for shaking to combine.
From scratch dressings can usually be stored in the fridge for up to a week so they’re easily made ahead of time. I pick one of two kinds to make for the week so we have them on hand for easy lunches or no cook dinner options.
We have a weekly vegetable subscription this year with a local farm and we have more greens on hand than we’re used too. I love that I can easily throw together a meal with the spring mix or the rotation of bibb lettuce, romaine, pea shoots, arugula, swiss chard, spinach, or kale we have in the fridge.
Homemade dressing can separate in the fridge so you might need to pull them out 10 minutes before a meal to warm the oil and shake to mix the ingredients back up.
3 Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings:
Caesar Dressing
This is my husband’s favorite salad dressing so whenever we get romaine in our vegetable box, I’m sure to make it. I use a pint size jar so there’s plenty for him. It uses beneficial healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt and fresh garlic.
Plus it’s so easy to pull the fixings together. We top with croutons, Parmesan cheese, and fresh ground pepper. I personally love adding avocado to my salad too and if we have any leftover chicken in the fridge it’s an easy and filling dinner.
What You Will Need:
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped or pressed
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp anchovy paste
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp milk
How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing:
This recipe makes just under a pint of dressing so it is easy to combine and store in a pint size mason jar.
I always begin with chopping my garlic cloves and adding them to the mason jar.
Next add the olive oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and anchovy paste and mix them together.
Sprinkle in the salt and black pepper to the mix. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Add the Parmesan cheese and Greek yogurt. Mix these ingredients in thoroughly with the spices and oils at the bottom of the jar.
Carefully add the milk a tbsp at a time stirring in between until the dressing is your desired consistency. Less milk will give you a thicker dressing and more milk will thin it.
Store in the fridge with an airtight lid. Shake the jar before using to remix.
We eat our Caesar dressing within 5 to 7 days.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
This recipe is the perfect basic dressing to go with nearly any salad combination. It’s tasty with healthy fats and no added sugar. I make this in a pint size mason jar.
What You Will Need:
- 1 large clove of garlic chopped or minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2/3 cup olive oil (or avocado oil)
How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette:
I always begin with chopping my clove of garlic and adding it to the bottom of my mason jar.
Add the Dijon mustard and sprinkle in the salt and pepper.
Pour in 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar and top with the 2/3 cup of olive oil.
Screw on an airtight lid and shake for 60 seconds to combine.
Store in the fridge. With this dressing you may want to get it out 10 minutes before consuming so the oil can warm up a little bit making it easier to mix again. Shake before using to recombine.
We eat our balsamic vinaigrette within a week of making it.
Variation:
If you prefer a little sweetness to your dressings, you can add a tbsp of honey. This might be a good idea if you’re new to homemade dressings and adjusting your palette from sweeter store bought or restaurant options. Many of them contain sugar and additives.
If you don’t have garlic on hand, garlic powder could be substituted. You could easily play around with other spice additions to this basic recipe.
You can get creative experimenting with all sorts of vinaigrette dressing in your kitchen! The ideal ratio for starting out with most is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil.
Honey Mustard Dressing
This is my favorite dressing probably thanks to my sweet tooth. It does contain a good amount of honey so if you trying to avoid sugar this recipe is not the best choice. Honey in the raw form has it’s own health benefits but your body still breaks it down into sugar.
I find that this easy dressing can go with nearly any salad. Raw apple cider vinegar is also beneficial to health and nicely balances the sweetness of this dressing. I make this one a pint at a time too.
What You Will Need:
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil (or avocado oil)
How to Make Honey Mustard Salad Dressing:
Add Dijon mustard and honey to a pint size mason jar and stir to combine.
Add apple cider vinegar and mix.
Sprinkle in salt and pepper.
Top with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Screw on an airtight lid and shake to combine.
Store in the fridge. Shake before each use if separation of ingredients occurs.
We use our honey mustard dressing within one week of making.
Notes:
This recipe is the simplest of salad dressings. It’s just equal parts of the main ingredients which makes it very easy to double for a bigger batch or even lessen to make dressing for a single meal.
Have you made your own salad dressings? What are some of your favorite flavor combinations?
