Crazy Good Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

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byJanice Smith, B.Sc. Kinesiology updated on:

These crazy good homemade salad dressing recipes are super easy to make — from a basic balsamic vinaigrette to peanut, honey mustard and cilantro lime, these delicious homemade dressings will take your salads to the next level!

Collage of homemade salad dressings with text overlay "30 Crazy Good Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes"

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These crazy good homemade salad dressing recipes are super easy to make — from a basic balsamic vinaigrette to peanut, honey mustard and cilantro lime, these delicious homemade dressings will take your salads to the next level!

DON’T LOSE THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE, PIN IT FOR LATER!
Collage of homemade salad dressings with text overlay "30 Crazy Good Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes"
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3 Basic Kinds of Homemade Salad Dressings:

When it comes to homemade salad dressings there are basically three kinds,

  • Vinaigrette, usually mixture or emulsion of salad oil and vinegar, often flavored with herbs, spices, salt, pepper, sugar, and other ingredients
  • Creamy dressings, usually mayonnaise-based, which may also contain yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, or milk
  • Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and gently heating.

Why you should make your own homemade salad dressings

Why make your own salad dressing when there’s a whole aisle of them in all flavours and varieties in every supermarket? Here are six good reasons I think you should:

  1. They’re fresh. When you make your own salad dressing you know it’s fresh. The ones in the supermarket have not only been sitting in their bottles for months, but they are chock full of preservatives just so they can sit there for months.
  2. Homemade salad dressings are made with real ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, and lemon juice in them, not a whole stack of numbers like 330, 332, 407, 410, 415 and 440! 
  3. Homemade tastes better. You can use that lovely boutique, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil you bought from the local olive growers at the Farmers’ Markets; your own pot grown chives and home grown lemons.
  4. You can control the quality. With a bought dressing you don’t know what quality of oil was used and many of store salad dressings rely on flavour enhancers to make something that doesn’t taste of much at all taste acceptable.
  5. You can control the ingredients. By making your own salad dressing you avoid additives, gums, thickeners, colours, flavours and preservatives. If your salad dressing stays evenly mixed (doesn’t separate into two layers), you can be sure it’s got something in it to keep it mixed. If you can avoid unnecessary additives then I think it’s wise to do so especially if you have food sensitivities.
  6. It’s cheaper. You pay a premium whenever you buy anything ready-made and so making your own salad dressing will save you money.
  7. It’s dead easy! The homemade salad dressings listed below are all a snap to make!
DON’T LOSE THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE, PIN IT FOR LATER!

30 Crazy Good Homemade Salad Dressings

I’ve put together a collection of delicious and easy salad dressings so that you'll never have to buy salad dressing from a store ever again! store-bought ones. These crazy good homemade salad dressing recipes are sure to spice up your healthy salads!

Let me know which one you try first!

Janice Smith is the creator and food blogger behind Salads for Lunch, a healthy recipe website dedicated to easy, delicious salads, soups, and wholesome family meals. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and a certificate in Athletic Therapy, Janice combines her passion for nutrition, fitness, and simple home cooking to inspire readers to live healthier lives. She began blogging after transforming her own lifestyle through healthy eating and exercise, and now shares approachable recipes that make it easy for busy families to enjoy fresh, seasonal ingredients. When she's not developing recipes, Janice enjoys running, staying active, and spending time with her three daughters. Through Salads for Lunch, she encourages readers to embrace healthy living one meal at a time.

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