Fresh homemade dressings taste so much better than bottled ones and are fast to make!

This Italian dressing recipe is a simple blend of oil and vinegar with just the right touch of savory seasonings. It’s great for salads or even as a marinade for grilled chicken!

Keep this magical dressing on hand at all times to drizzle on cucumbers or even use as a bread dip!

jar of Italian Dressing

Delicious Italian Dressing

  • A great homemade Italian salad dressing recipe is a must-have for every home cook, especially one that comes together as fast and easy as this one!
  • So good on practically everything from salads to pasta, veggies, chicken, and fish, Italian dressing is as easy to make as it is versatile!
  • Preservative, sugar-free, and absolutely delicious, this homemade dressing has the perfect blend of oil, vinegar, and savory spices.
seasoning , red wine vinegar , honey , mustard and oil to make Italian Dressing with labels

Ingredients in Italian Dressing

Oil and vinegar make the base of any vinaigrette and this one is seasoned with a great blend of ingredients. This dressing is perfect over an Italian salad or simple greens.

Oil – When making salad dressing, vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil, or a light-tasting olive oil are great. Extra virgin olive oil can have a strong flavor so we opt for a lighter tasting oil in this recipe.

Vinegar – Red wine vinegar is our preferred vinegar in this recipe. Other options include white balsamic or white wine vinegar.

Other Additions – This recipe adds a dash of Dijon mustard for a zesty flavor while honey (or sugar) balances the vinegar. Both honey and dijon help to emulsify the base which means that the oil and vinegar will not separate.

Seasoning – I use a pinch of Italian seasoning as it has our favorite dried herbs including basil, oregano, parsley, and onion powder.

How to Make Italian Dressing

Homemade salad dressing surpasses any store-bought dressing because it’s made with fresh ingredients that can be adjusted to your preferences.

  1. Whisk all ingredients (per the recipe below) except the oil.
  2. Very slowly drizzle the oil while whisking until it is incorporated.
  3. Season and use as desired.

How to Keep the Dressing from Separating

When mixing oil and vinegar, they will separate into layers. If the dressing is emulisfied the oil and vinegar should stay mixed together for a while.

The addition of Dijon and honey are added to help emulsify the dressing. For a dressing that holds together well, use a very simple technique when mixing the ingredients.

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl except for the oil. While whisking, drizzle the oil in very slowly. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated.

The dressing can be shaken in a mason jar with a lid to mix, be sure to give it a really good shake for a couple of minutes if you don’t want it to separate.

Italian Dressing in a bowl with lettuce and tomato on the side

Storing Leftover Dressing

Keep Italian dressing in the refrigerator and shake it thoroughly before using it (it will separate after sitting in the fridge). The flavor will intensify as it ages, but try to use it within 3 days for best results.

Freeze Italian dressing in ice cube trays and store them in a freezer bag. Pop one or two out to use in place of oil or butter in stir-fries; it’s already seasoned, too!

More Italian Inspired Sides

Did you make this Italian Dressing? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

jar of Italian Dressing
4.93 from 54 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Homemade Italian Dressing

This Italian dressing recipe is way better than store-bought! Italian seasonings are blended with dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and oil. Everything is better homemade!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients  

  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or use half olive oil, half vegetable oil)
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey*
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Add all ingredients except oil to a bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Very slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking. This should take at least 1-2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve over fresh greens. Makes about ⅔ cup.

Notes

This dressing will last 2 days in the fridge.
*You can use sugar in place of honey. Both honey and dijon mustard are emulsifiers meaning they will keep the mixture from separating. 
The slower you drizzle the oil, the better!
We love the addition of parmesan cheese but it will cause the dressing to separate so we prefer to add it to the salad instead of the dressing.
Nutrition information is based on 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing.
4.93 from 54 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 121 | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 7mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dressing, Salad, Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian, Mediterranean

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About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Comments

  1. Thank you! My favorite dressing next to blue cheese! All your recipes look like I nnedc to try! The Caprese Salad first&!5 stars

  2. I’ve made this salad dressing two times to date, and it’s absolutely delish! No need for me to buy a bottled Italian salad dressing again.
    Thank you, Holly, for putting up this recipe, as well as others of yours that I’ve made.5 stars

    1. I start with ¼ teaspoon salt and taste and add more as needed (up to ½ teaspoon). I love pepper so I add a bit more, around ½ teaspoon.

  3. I just made this dressing but wonder why it only lasts 2 days in the fridge. That doesn’t seem very long being refrigerated.5 stars

    1. That’s a great question Shery! Because of the pH of garlic it can cause a risk of botulism in a heavy oil base. The USDA and many university studies reccomend a maximum of 2-3 days in the refrigerator. I’ve read varying articles that contradict if this includes garlic powder so we err on the side of caution and suggest just a couple of days.

  4. Delicious, easy and cheap. This recipe was the best Italian dressing that I have ever had. Good seasons was my favorite until I made this last night. This will be my go to dressing from now on.5 stars

  5. I loved the easy recipe. So simple and yet open to try extras like pepper flakes, dash of lemon or even garlic. It a good standard recipe and I will add it to my “go to”. Thanks for sharing!5 stars

    1. So happy you enjoyed it, Yoli! And you are so right, it is the perfect base to start experimenting with to create your own perfect dressing!

  6. I think people who gave this a low rating do not know what real Italian salad dressing is. I grew up with Italians and they use a very simple dressing, mostly oil with a little bit of vinegar and some salt – and sometimes they only use oil and salt. This recipe is pretty close to an authentic homemade Italian dressing. It lets the greens shine! Thank you, Holly!5 stars

  7. Hi Kelsey, this is an oil-based recipe so we recommend refrigerating for at least one hour before serving. This helps to allow all the other flavors to shine through!

  8. Delicious and so simple! Used it for a simple pasta salad and it was the perfect match. Thank you for the recipe.5 stars

  9. I simply can’t get enough of this salad dressing. I’m having huge salads everyday for lunch. This is so good!! I’ve shared it with at least 30 people.
    Best recipe find of the year.5 stars

  10. Really good! I added a little garlic and onion power, a dash of red pepper flakes and half white and half red wine vinegar, and a little parmesan cheese. Really good. May try a little honey next time I get some. Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

  11. Hello, Your recipes look so delicious and they appear to be simple to make. I made the Pizza Grilled cheese and it was delish.
    I have also printed a few more that I will be trying very soon.

    I wanted to make a salad dressing without the Red Wine Vinegar and I wanted to know is there is a substitute for Red Wine Vinegar?

    Thank you have a Blessed Day!