This easy Homemade Italian Dressing is so fast and flavorful, you’ll never buy pre-made dressing again!
I absolutely ADORE this homemade Italian dressing.
It’s super speedy, insanely easy to make, and is my go-to for pasta salads, side salads, cucumber salads, and OMGINEEDASALADNOW salads.
Salad dressings are so flipping easy to make that there’s very few reasons to ever buy a premade dressing ever again. Seriously so so easy!
And because it’s a dressing, feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe as needed!
It’s fabulously flexible and customizable too! Some days I’ll add a little extra vinegar for a burst of tartness and other days I’ll cheese it up with grated parmesan or feta cheese. Dijon mustard is also a great mix in! It not only helps emulsify the dressing but gives it a tangy, creamy consistency that’s naturally vegan! The possibilities are truly endless.
notes and tips
Craving a little kiss of Parmesan in your dressing? Fabulous! Add 1-2 TBSP of finely grated parmesan cheese and blend in a small food processor or blender.
You can even add a little dijon vinegar to the mix if you’d like!
Since the dressing is au natural and lacks any emulsifies, some separation is normal. This dressing will keep in your fridge for 4-5 days, simply shake and serve!
Feel free to adjust oil-to-vinegar ration to taste. The measurements below are my idea of perfection in a vinaigrette and I love how refreshing it is! 1 parts vinegar to 3 parts oil is a bit more conventional if desired so tweak, taste, and enjoy!
Easy Homemade Italian Dressing
Ready? Let’s make some dressing!
Easy Homemade Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 TBSP white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
- 1/2-1 TBSP Italian seasoning blend (I love using Mrs. Dash’s salt-free blend)
- ½ TBSP garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- 1-2 tsp fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic (smashed + minced)
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together and allow to sit. Giving the dressing some time to mingle will not only infuse flavor into the oil/vinegar but also soften the dry herbs and seasoning.
- This dressing will keep in your fridge for about a week so make extra to drizzle over a week’s worth of salads! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this easy homemade Italian dressing recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Can I chatter gloriously off topic a bit?
Smile and nod because you clearly have no choice in the matter! Mwah!
On Monday I started listening to an audiobook with the pilot. Since he’s humored me by listening to Tina Fey’s Bossypants no less than a dozen times, I figured I’d throw him a bone and let him asault my eardrums with his nerdy space book. Oh yes, I totally judgy mcjudgersoned the book by its title. The Martian? Really Paul?
Well here we are, two days later and I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK! I switched over to the kindle version and have read it every night until my eyes literally could not stay open a second longer. I’m hooked! By the time you’re reading this I’ll have finished Andy Weir’s addictive little nerd book (yeah I said it!) and will probably be rendered useless. It’s that good. I puffy heart Mark Watney and am not even remotely prepared to part ways with this novel. Did I mention Matt Damon will be playing him in the movie!? YAAAS!
I should probably not get started on Mister Damon or we’ll be here for quite a while. Let’s get back to the dressing instead! No… Damon! Dressing! Um… food wins. Sorry studmuffin.
Our Favorite Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes
Aside from the gloriousness of this Italian Dressing recipe, here are a few more favs!
- Greek Dressing
- Creamy Feta Dressing
- Honey Lime Sriracha Dressing
- Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Blueberry Balsamic Salad Dressing
- NEW! Lemon Dressing
So what do you say? Ready to ditch the store-bought dressing?
Dooooo it!
The possibilities are gloriously endless.
Can this be left out of the fridge so that it doesn’t congeal?
Hi Josh! I always leave mine in the fridge to be on the safe side and then put it out on the counter about 15 minutes before I need to use it. It goes right back to it’s liquid state like a champ! If no fresh garlic is used I believe it can be shelf stable for a bit though. You can check the USDA’s 2020 guidelines to see what they suggest?
Huge help. Thanks Jenn
??? The recipe photos in your Jan 5 Recipe Newsletter seem to be “off”.
The picture for this Italian Dressing is a burger on a bun with a thick dressing dripping down the side.
Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad is pictured as a dish with half rice and what looks like a mixture of possible beans and squash in a sauce.
The other pictures don’t seem to match the recipe description.
However, this recipe “Easy Homemade Italian Dressing” is one that I will be making. Thanks for this recipe.
Ohmygosh what a train wreck! I have no idea how my links and photos got so swapped around in the newsletter. Thanks so much for the heads up so I can look into it. I’m glad you’re digging the dressing recipe! I’ll attach the other links below – let me know if I can find any of the others for you <3 Thanks Carolyn!
Chickpea Veggie Burgers
Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad
This has become one of our favorite go-to salad dressings and marinades. Thanks!
So happy to hear it! Thanks Jessica!
SO much better than bottled dressing. Thank you.
Happy to help! xo
I like the recipes you have posted, I try to cut calories in my dressings and so I cut the oil in half, and replace it with a water/vinegar mix, or even better the brine from pickled jalapeno peppers (adds a nice flavor to the dressing). Of course doing this leaves a pretty thin dressing so I add a little xanthan gum (about 1/8 tsp per cup of dressing). I use an imersion blender to initially mix all ingredients except 3/4 of the oil amount until my garlic and other items are blended. Then I switch to a whisk (fits on my imersion blender) and start a low speed and slowly add the oil while whisking. I then up the speed to high and continuing adding the remainder of oil. This makes the dressing very creamy and will hold everything together with only half the fat content.
Is there another oil/vinegar I could substitute for the white wine or champagne vinegar?
Hi Suzanne! Red wine vinegar is fantastic here and I have some friends that make their salad dressings with apple cinder vinegar!
My hubby’s favorite dressing! Can’t wait to make it for him, he’s always going through bottles of the stuff on his salads. Thanks for the recipe!
I totally agree, once you start making homemade dressings, the store bought kind just won’t do anymore! Italian dressing is one of my faves and I love that you have a 1:1 ratio of oil to vinegar. I like some punchiness in my vinaigrette! 🙂
I love how zesty it is! Thanks Ann!
Wow I love this dressing. It is so fresh and light! This is one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
How lovely is that! I’m going to follow your recipe exactly the next time I need Italian dressing. This is perfect.
I love this dressing. It is so fresh and light!
Great recipe!! Italian Dressing is one of my favorites!
Thanks Jenni! <3
Thanks Jenni! Mine too!
Do you know what the spice blend is in Mrs. Dash’s seasoning? I’d love to make that blend at home 🙂
Absolutely! Garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, white pepper, sage, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay, cumin, mustard, corriander, onion, and red bell pepper.
The dressing looks great! And sounds it doesn’t need any elaborate skills. Will give it a try, thanks!
Hope you adore it as much as I do!
Since I normally just add a little EVOO and vinegar, this is another fabulous option. Lots of flavor and I have a parsley plant so that add in will definitely be happening, plus garlic because duh, garlic.
always garlic
I’m always looking for easy, new dressing recipes that I can make at home! (especially those that don’t require a food processor!)
all you need is a fork or a whisk! <3