How to Make Salad Dressing

What tastes better than a fresh, garden salad? A fresh salad with a delicious homemade salad dressing, of course! Enjoy the flavour of premium whole food ingredients, avoid numerous additives, and save money by making your own. With these six salad dressing recipes in your repertoire, each easily assembled in minutes, you'll be covered for whatever salad you're creating or whatever mood strikes you!

5 jars of salad dressing, pink, white, brown, golden

I love these salad dressing recipes because each one is tasty in its own way. From a simple vinaigrette to a sweet poppyseed dressing, there's something for every occasion. They're all free from dairy and refined sugar as well as gluten.

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.

Probably the best food choice for optimal nutrition is raw vegetables. What better way is there to consume them than to toss them in a lovely, fresh salad dressing?

Build Your Own Salad

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

Generally, start with a nice, fresh leafy base.

Romaine
Iceberg
Spring Mix
Buttercrunch
Spinach
Kale

Vegetables

Then add whatever fresh vegetables are available to you.

Cucumber
Tomato
Sweet Bell Pepper
Snow Peas
Green Onions
Celery
Red Onion

Protein (Optional)

The addition of protein turns a side salad into a meal.

Cooked Chicken
Smoked Salmon
Hard Boiled Egg
Chickpeas
Lentils
Crumbled Bacon Bits
Parmesan Cheese
Romano Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Feta Cheese

Toppers

Something sweet and/or crunchy increases the pleasure factor of eating a salad.

Sunflower Seeds
Hemp Hearts
Dulse
Dried Cranberries
Raisins
Sliced Almonds
Candied Pecans
Croutons (gluten-free, of course!)

The Best Salad Dressing Ingredients

Oil - Use fresh oils. Once olive oil has been opened, it should be used up as quickly as possible because 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. Store your oils in a cool, dry, dark cupboard.
For salad dressings that require a more neutral flavour than olive oil, I like to use avocado oil.
Vinegar - 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.

Recipe FAQ's

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 dressing out as you begin to make dinner, and it will liquify again for you.

How long do homemade salad dressings 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.

top down view of salad dressings surrounding a bowl of salad

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, seasonings, 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.

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.

top down view of 5 labeled jars of salad dressing

The first five are ideal for tossed lettuce, or garden, salads. Make a few, give people a choice, and give yourself variety. The sixth recipe is my homemade mayonnaise, better suited for heavier salads such as potato salad, chicken salad, or coleslaw.