It’s very easy to make your own salad dressing. Enjoy the flavour of quality ingredients, avoid numerous additives, and save money. With these homemade salad dressing recipes, you can enjoy the variety of a selection of your own premium condiments.
One of the best food choices for optimal nutrition is raw vegetables. What better way is there to consume them than to toss them in a lovely, fresh salad dressing?
Tossed Salad Basics
There is no limit to the variations of salads you can make! Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Feel free to pick and choose ingredients according to your personal preferences. Let me know in the comments below what other things you like to add.
Lettuce
- Romaine
- Iceberg
- Spring Mix
- Buttercrunch
- Spinach
- Kale
Vegetables
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Sweet Bell Pepper
- Snow Peas
- Green Onions
- Celery
- Red Onion
Protein (Optional)
- Cooked Chicken
- Smoked Salmon
- Hard Boiled Egg
- Chickpeas
- Crumbled Bacon Bits
- Parmesan Cheese
- Romano Cheese
- Swiss Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Feta Cheese
Toppers
- Sunflower Seeds
- Hemp Hearts
- Dulse
- Dried Cranberries
- Raisins
- Sliced Almonds
- Candied Pecans
- Croutons (gluten-free, of course!)
Is Homemade Salad Dressing Healthy?
Homemade salad dressing is much better for you than most store bought ones. Use pure, simple, clean ingredients and avoid all of those artificial preservatives and flavours with the big names that get added to commercial dressings.
Does Homemade Salad Dressing Need to Be Refrigerated?
Generally, you should refrigerate your homemade salad dressing. If it’s basically just made from oil and vinegar, it should technically be safe at room temperature. However, once you start to use it, it can become contaminated by outside ingredients. Play it safe by keeping it in the fridge. If if contains any fresh herbs or fruits, it definitely needs to be refrigerated.
Since olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator, you’ll notice that a solid layer forms in salad dressings made with it. Simply take the salad dressing out about half an hour before you plan to use it. Get into the habit of taking it out as you begin to make dinner.
How Long Does Homemade Salad Dressing Last?
Homemade salad dressing with fresh herbs or fruits should be used up within a week. A simple oil and vinegar vinaigrette with mustard, honey, salt, and pepper will keep in the refrigerator for three or four weeks.
Sugar Free Dressing for Salad
In addition to the questionable additives, one of the main problems I have with most commercial salad dressings is the sugar in them. If you make your own, you can sweeten it with just a little maple syrup or honey. It’s not even necessary to sweeten salad dressing at all.
How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing
Most of these salad dressings can simply be stirred or shaken together. I usually pour the ingredients into a measuring cup one after the other, adding up the measurements as I go. Then I transfer the mixture to the jar it will be stored in and give it a good shake.
Use a blender for Raspberry Vinaigrette to puree the fruit smoothly.
For a recipe like Poppy Seed Dressing with mustard, vinegar, and oil, you can make an emulsion with a blender or beater. Simply blend the mustard and vinegar together at low speed. Then very slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream as the blender continues to run. It should thicken up to a nice, creamy consistency. Stir in the poppy seeds by hand at the end.
Tips for the Best Salad Dressings
Use fresh oils. Once olive oil has been opened, it should be used up as quickly as possible. It will go rancid within a few months. Sometimes, when people think they don’t like an oil, the problem is that they’re tasting one that has gone bad.
California Olive Ranch has some great tips on storing your olive oil at home.
Use pure, good-quality balsamic vinegar. Many “balsamic” vinegars on the store shelves have been cut with other, less-expensive vinegars. Read the labels carefully, and look for a good one. It’s amazing how deliciously thick a good balsamic vinegar is! It makes all the difference in the world to a Balsamic Vinaigrette!
Natural apple cider vinegar has greater health benefits and a nicer flavour than plain white vinegar.
5 Refined Sugar Free Salad Dressings Recipes
These are the proven, time-tested recipes that I keep in rotation at my house. They’re each easy to make, free from refined sugars, and keep well in the refrigerator.
Make a few, give people a choice, and give yourself variety.
Click through on the “Read More” button below each individual dressing to be taken to the recipe.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
Simple Herb Vinaigrette
This is an easy vinaigrette for garden salads.
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Poppy Seed Dressing
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