10 Delicious DIY Salad Dressings
Last week we gave you Mark’s 2 Minute Salad recipe and while we learned that many of you are already heartily digging into a big bowl of the good stuff each day (or Kitchen Sink/Really Righteous/Primal salad as various readers have dubbed it) there was still a question as to how to dress your salad to take the taste up a notch without taking a nose dive in nutrition.
So without further ado, we present our top 10 tastiest, most nutritious salad dressings:
1. Raspberry Vinaigrette
While we’d usually pass on honey, this salad dressing was too darn tasty and refreshing to forgo – especially when paired with a salad of mixed baby greens, feta cheese and toasted walnuts. If you’d prefer to steer clear of honey altogether you can replace it with one packet of Splenda if you are so inclined. (FYI – 1 tbsp of honey is about 64 calories and 17 g of carbs)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Method:
Pour vinegar in a mason jar or other container with a tight lid. Add honey and chopped mint, cover with lid and shake. If still too bitter, add in a bit more honey or Splenda to even out the flavor.
2. Citrus Vinaigrette
Liven up a regular salad with this crisp and refreshing summer-inspired salad dressing.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Again, in a large mason jar or container with a tight lid, combine the vinegar, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and lemon juice. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking vigorously. Once mixed, add the walnuts and cheese and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste
3. Dill Vinaigrette
This salad dressing is so tasty, you’ll want to double the recipe so that you can have it again when dinner time rolls around!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey (or 1 packet of Splenda)
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, dill weed, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
4. Balsamic Vinaigrette
Although this makes a great, simple salad dressing, it is equally delicious as a marinade for meat or when drizzled on steamed vegetables.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a mason jar or other container with a tight lid, combine all the ingredients. Shake until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Basil Vinaigrette
Delicious year round, this salad is especially tasty when paired with an Italian-themed salad laden with fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes.
Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil (it’s very important here to use fresh – it’s not nearly as good with dried leaves!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Method:
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, basil, and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Parsley Dressing
Try this flavorful dressing on a salad of mixed greens or other mild-flavored salad combination.
Ingredients:
3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chopped parsley
Method:
In a bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and onion powder. Once combined, add in the chopped parsley, mix thoroughly with a whisk and serve.
7. Lemon Caesar Dressing
Try this citrus-infused spin on this popular salad dressing option.
Ingredients:
1 tsp lemon peel (finely grated)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a bowl, whisk all ingredients except oil and sour cream. Once combined, slowly add oil, whisking constantly until smooth (if you stop, the dressing could break). Once combined, whisk in sour cream until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
8. Asian Dressing
Add a taste of the orient (without the sugar) with this tangy Asian-inspired dressing.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp Asian mustard (should be easily found in the ethnic food aisle of your local grocery store)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp sesame oil
Method:
In a bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, sesame seeds, mustard, sugar, salt, and garlic. Once combined, slowly whisk in sesame oil.
9. Ginger-Asian Dressing
A second spin on the Asian dressing theme, this dressing is delicious on salads as well as steamed or grilled veggies.
Ingredients:
1 carrot, fresh, small, peeled and shredded
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp hot mustard
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, grated
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
10. French Style Dressing
Looking for a way to get the kids to eat their greens? This tasty recipe is sure to wow ‘em!
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp white pepper, ground
1 tsp unsalted tomato paste
7 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup red or white wine vinegar
2 tsp water
1/2 tsp fresh chopped onion
Method:
In a large mason jar or other container with a tight lid, combine all ingredients, shake it up and serve.
Claudecf, Peppysis, niznoz, sassyradish, LexnGer, Darny, found drama, jamela, tsadler, joshbousel, vinduhl Flickr Photos (CC)
Further Reading:
Choose Your Own Salad Adventure – Check this post out for more oil/acid/accoutrement combinations (the permutations are endless!) – we particularly like to add a little ground flax to our dressings.
DIY – Butter, Yogurt, Kefir, Oh My!
Modern Forager: What Exactly is Fat-Free Italian Dressing?
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Posted By: Worker Bee
Oh man I just made that basil vinaigrette and it is amazing. I don’t think i’ll ever want another dressing.
Mark Great Post! How long would the balsamic vinaigrette hold up in the refridgerator after being made. Also not related to this post, how long would a primal home made mayo last as well. The only thing that has kept me from making my own condiments was not knowing when they would go bad and didn’t want to constantly keep making small batches.
Thanks,
Nick S.
I’m surprised to find no mention of STEVIA as a sugar substitute. A well-processed stevia powder is natural, tastes very similar to sugar, and you use such a tiny amount that it has no significant caloric effect.
In my experience and opinion it’s a much superior product to Splenda.
Raspberry Vinaigrette is my all time favourite dressing. I’m glad its sitting up top as #1!
Many of these recipes say “refrigerate until ready to serve.” Why is this necessary? I make my own dressing and I never refrigerate it unless one or more of the individual ingredients require refrigeration otherwise and in most cases none of these (olive oil, vinegar, spices, salt, lemon juice, etc.) do.
some nice options there. healthy
There is no anawer to how long you can keep fresh salad dressing in the refrigerator. How long can you?
Typically, barring the addition of fresh fruit, an oil/vinegar and herbs style dressing will keep 2-3 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. I’d limit dressing with dairy or fruit to a week.
Some of these are so tasty they wouldn’t last a week!
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Love these posts, minus the SPLENDA! NOOOO!!!
If I’m in a hurry sometimes I’ll simply drizzle some EVOO and lemon juice over my salad with a garlic sea salt mixture. Fast and easy!
Blue Cheese Dressing
(great for dipping wings)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
2/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1 minced garlic clove
2 TB fresh lemon juice
2 tsp basil
black pepper to taste.
Mix in a jar with tight fitting lid, shake vigorously (primal exercise), refrigerate several hours before eating.
1 gram protein, trace carbohydrates.
i think my sour cream bleu cheese dressing didn’t get posted!
oops. i substitute red wine vinegar for the lemon juice.
What about the recipe with soy sauce? Isn’t soy sauce made with wheat?
No Splenda for me either! Stevia, yes. Xylitol, sometimes. Splenda, Nutra Sweet, Sweet-n-Low–never again!
Wow!
Delicious is all I can say
Can’t wait to try these out myself.
Debunking the myth of “italian salad dressing”. I was raised in a family, clan, town of people who actually immigrated from italy and can assure you there is no such thing in our houses. My grandparents were born there as were most of our families in the neighborhood I grew up. There was a huge salad on the table at supper everynite but I never heard of any kind of salad dressing. Salad was a huge bowl of raw mixed greens, tomato, onion, peppers, whatever vegetable was available. The vegetables were mostly grown in the backyards. The garlic and basil were right in the salad and also grew in the backyard. These vegetables were dressed with EVVO which came from a huge metal can on grandma’s basement steps and red wine vinegar which was just a jug of the red wine made in the cellar which had got too old to drink anymore. The grapes for the wine grew in the yard too. It never occurred to me that salad dressings would be mixed separately from the salad or be purchased in a bottle until long after I was grown up and married, tho i still dont eat it. I kinda chuckle everytime I see a bottle of “italian” salad dressing and always wonder “whats in there”.
This probably sounds weird, but try mixing mayo (homemade preferred) with balsamic vinegar and honey. Add in salt, pepper, and any other herbs, I usually use dried basil. Its SO delicious!
There are several recipes for ranch dressing with avocado and buttermilk as a base. A quick google search will bring up several variations… they aren’t specifically “Primal” but the ingredients are all natural healthy stuff as long as you dont mind using buttermilk.
For ranch dressings, its also pretty easy to use whatever mayo is acceptable to you, and add lemon juice, dill, chives, onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, etc (again, multiple recipes out there that fit fine with Primal eating). If you do eat Greek yogurt, or sour cream, or buttermilk, those can also be used as part of the base.
I got one for ya I use this on a Warm brussel sprout salad with bacon golden raisins and toasted almonds
2 TBSP Red wine Vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
fresh black pepper to taste
pinch of fresh thyme
1 tsp whole grain dijon mustard
5 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Combine all in a mason jar and shake it up. Keep up the good work
I bought a 1.5 cup salad dressing shaker to make my own dressing…tried the basil vinaigrette recipe and put it in the fridge overnight to use the next day. The oil hardened up and it’s no good! Is this normal? I wanted to have homemade dressing on hand for my Big Ass Salads throughout the week.
Hey there Mark.
Some of these recipes have way to much (overrated, hyped-up) olive oil.
One tablespoon has 120 calories!
For a medium-size salad, one would need at least three tablespoons.
For that many calories, there are many other alternatives, while at the same time eating salads that deliver the same health benefits as olive oil.