Easy Homemade Salad Dressing
Easy, tasty, and way healthier than store-bought. Homemade salad dressing is one of those ludicrously simple things you can make that goes a long way.
Homemade salad dressing only takes two minutes (seriously) to make, requires no special equipment, and costs way less than that processed salad dressing. Most importantly, you control what goes in it. Once you know the basic components of a good salad dressing, the sky is the limit in terms of variations and flavours.
Key Concepts
Whether it’s a vinaigrette or creamy, all dressings come down to these 3 elements:
Oil: Neutral tasting oils like olive, safflower, or a nut oil are best. For a super healthy option choose flax or hemp oil (you’ll want to refrigerate if using these). You can try using a couple of different oils in one batch. Another ‘oil’, and one of my favourites, is the always reliable avocado – just whip it before combining with other ingredients. Tahini, diluted almond butter, and other nut butters work too. Yogurt and milk kefir are another great options.
Acid: Balsamic, apple cider, red wine, and white wine vinegars are the traditional choices. Want a change of pace? Try kombucha! Lemon, lime, or orange juice work too. I like to use vinegars that have been infused with herbs (future blog post)!
Sweet: To take the edge off the acid, add a touch of sweetness. Try honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, apple juice, or even jam and jellies!
Additional options
Salt: A pinch or two is usually enough. Try using something a little more interesting than your regular table salt such as sea salt or Himalayan salt.
Aromatics: This can include a wide range of fresh herbs, spring onions, hot peppers, mustard, shallots, garlic, ginger, citrus rind, and black pepper. Common herbs include basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, mint, parsley and dill. Mix and match as you please!
How much of each?
That’s entirely up to your taste preference.
I usually use 1 part oil, 1 part acid, and about ½ part sweet. If you don’t quite understand ‘parts’ an example would be ½ cup oil, ½ cup acid, ¼ cup sweetener! Test you dressing on a bit of lettuce or in a spoon and adjust as you like.
Directions
- Combine the ingredients in a jar with tight fitting lid and SHAKE!!
Note: the vinegar will break down metal over time so be careful about the lid you choose or transfer to a dressing dispenser. - Store dressing in the refrigerator. How long it last depends on the ingredients. Use dressing that uses dairy, nut butters, or avocado as the oil base within a week or so. Otherwise most dressings should last a few weeks.
- Shake before serving!
Recipes
Basic vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- a pinch of salt
Mustard vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- a pinch of salt
Lime Avocado Dressing
- 2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and chopped
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 green onion, chopped
- Handful fresh cilantro
- 1 small green chili pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Dash of pepper
Use this one within a week or two.
I encourage you to go out and really experiment with this and share your favorites with me via email, on Facebook, or Instagram. Bon appétit!
