Italian Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
My quick and easy homemade Italian dressing recipe uses ingredients you already have on hand. It’s perfect for salads, marinades, and so much more! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Italian Dressing
- Immensely flavorful. From the peppery olive oil and bright lemon juice to the sharp fresh garlic, this dressing packs a punch!
- Fast! Simply add all of the ingredients to a jar or bowl and combine. That’s it! Seriously, why did we ever buy the store-bought version?! Psst…I also have homemade ranch dressing if this recipe inspires you to ditch store-bought altogether.
- Easily adapted to suit any diet. As is, this dressing is gluten-free (you’d be surprised at how many bottled dressings are not!), and you can make simple swaps to make it dairy-free or vegan.
- Versatile! This Italian dressing recipe is not just for dressing up lettuce–we love it on pasta salad (recipe coming soon!), subs, grilled meats, and more. It also makes a tasty dip for a nice crusty bread, like my homemade sourdough bread!
“Italian dressing” isn’t really a thing in Italy, but here in the US, we’ve come to think of it as an herby, zesty olive oil and vinegar based dressing. This 100% homemade version mimics the from-scratch staple served at your local Italian restaurant. It’s super flavorful and super easy, and it puts those bottled store-bought versions to shame!
This dressing is one of the main components in my upcoming pasta salad recipe. But it’s not just for salads! It’s incredibly versatile and doubles well if needed (which we do if we use it as a marinade for shish kabobs or grilled chicken). You’re going to love it 😊
Ingredients
- Oil and vinegar. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, just like when making my cherry tomato sauce (an excellent pairing with today’s salad dressing!). I prefer red wine vinegar, but white wine vinegar will work just fine, too.
- Spices. Including oregano, basil, black pepper, crushed red pepper, onion powder, and thyme. If you want a spicier dressing, simply increase the crushed red pepper. Or, if you don’t want any heat at all, omit it entirely (though the ⅛ teaspoon I list in the recipe is just fine for my kids).
- Fresh garlic. Pressed garlic adds so much flavor to this recipe! If you really must, you can substitute a teaspoon of garlic powder instead, but I recommend trying this recipe with fresh garlic at least once.
- Parmesan cheese. Use freshly grated parmesan if you have it–it will blend into the dressing more easily. If you need to make this Italian dressing recipe dairy-free or vegan, you can omit this or swap in nutritional yeast.
- Honey or sugar. Don’t skip this! It helps the dressing emulsify and adds depth of flavor. If you need to, you can always use agave or even maple syrup instead of sugar or honey.
SAM’S TIP: While not traditional, Kraft and some other brands add finely diced orange bell pepper to their Italian dressing. Feel free to add some if you like, but keep in mind that it does shorten the shelf life a bit.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Homemade Italian Dressing
Combine all of the ingredients in a mason jar (or you could use a bowl and a whisk) then seal the jar and vigorously shake until everything is well combined.
Keep in mind that the dressing will start to separate after sitting (not just a homemade Italian dressing thing–the store-bought kind does this too!), so you’ll just need to give it another good shake or whisk before serving if you plan to make it in advance!
SAM’S TIP: An immersion blender will nicely emulsify your dressing and encourage it to stay cohesive. Not necessary, but if you have one, feel free to use it!
Frequently Asked Questions
The olive oil naturally will solidify in the fridge, creating a thicker, chunky appearance. Don’t worry though–you just need to bring the olive oil back up to room temperature and you’ll have a nice smooth dressing again. To do this, you can either run your jar of dressing under warm water or just let it sit at room temperature before shaking/whisking to emulsify again.
This recipe makes a cup of dressing. This amount is perfect for topping a big salad, marinating meat, or keeping on hand for adding flavor to subs, sandwiches, or crusty artisan bread!
The ingredients are somewhat similar, but my homemade version is lighter and simpler. If you’ve never tried making your own homemade dressing, you’ll be amazed at how easy and tasty it is! You may not reach for the bottled versions ever again 😉
If you try this recipe, I’d really appreciate it if you leave me a review down below to let me know how you like it!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Italian Dressing
Equipment
- Mason jar or bowl and whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, (or table salt)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper, (omit or increase depending on your preference)
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a mason jar (if you don’t have a mason jar, combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine with a whisk). Tightly seal lid and shake very well.½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper, 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until nearly ready to use. Always shake well before serving as ingredients will separate. Note that olive oil may solidify in the fridge, if this happens simply run the jar under warm water or let sit at room temperature until re-liquified.
Notes
Emulsify
The ingredients will naturally separate as they sit, so always shake well before using. If you have an immersion blender, you could use this to blend your ingredients, which will help the dressing stay cohesive for longer.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Absolutely the best!
We’re so glad you love it, Nichole!
I just tried this tonight without the parmesan because I didn’t have any on hand. This was the best homemade vinaigrette dressing I’ve ever tasted. Very flavorful.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carol! 🙂
This is the best Italian dressing. I have always bought bottled (the restaurant brand) but thought I should try this and I’m so glad I did. I made a pasta salad last week for a family reunion and used this dressing on it and it was delicious, lots of compliments.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Liz! 🙂
Perfect as usual! I just can’t go wrong with your recipes…..even something simple was so flavorful!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Melanie! 🙂
This is delicious and will be my new go-to Italian salad dressing. Your recipes are always such a hit, that I never need to “test” them before serving guests. However, I made a salad yesterday for myself and as I went back for a seconds, I remembered that I had forgotten to add the parmesan cheese. It was delicious without it. I followed the recipe exactly as written for the rest of the ingredients. Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
You’re welcome, Gina! I’m so glad it was such a hit! 🙂
dressing was delicious made it exactly as written just enough everything loved it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jackie! 🙂
very good made exactly as written it was delicious, do think leaving out the 1Tab. lemon juice would dramatically change the flavor I don’t always have them on hand, would I add another Tab. vinegar?? Love so many of your recipes Thanks Jackie
Hi Jackie! You can swap the lemon juice with vinegar you will just lose a bit of the depth of flavor. 🙂
how important is the lemon juice in this recipe?
Hi Jackie! You can substitute it with more vinegar, but you won’t get the same depth of flavor. 🙂
Hello Sam
Can we substitute the olive oil for avocado oil ?
Regards,
Louise
Hi Louise! Avocado oil will certainly work here. 🙂