This homemade Italian Vinaigrette comes together in less than 5 minutes! It’s fresh, tastier than store-bought dressing, and made with ingredients you already have on hand.
Homemade Italian Dressing is a household staple! Not only is it great for an easy Side Salad, but it can also be used on roasted vegetables or as a marinade for grilled chicken, fish, or pork.
Italian Dressing
Vinaigrette is so easy to make and you most likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry/fridge. There are no preservatives and you can make adjustments to your liking.
Ingredients for Italian Vinaigrette:
- Oil– Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) provides far superior flavor than vegetable or canola.
- Red Wine Vinegar– This type of vinegar has a distinct tangy flavor. If you must substitute, use white wine vinegar.
- Lemon Juice– This gives the dressing a dressing a fresh vibrant lift without tasting “lemony.” Use fresh or bottled.
- Sugar– The dressing it NOT sweet. The sugar is only added to help balance out the acid. Honey can be used instead.
- Seasonings– The herbs and spices used are common in Italian cooking.
How to make homemade Vinaigrette:
Time needed: 5 minutes.
- Combine
Place all ingredients into a jar or bowl. Shake, whisk, or use an immersion hand blender to combine.
- Use/Store
Use immediately or store in an airtight container (jar) in the fridge. Dressing will separate as it sits. Shake right before using.
FAQs
Take vinaigrette out of the fridge before prepping the salad. This will give the oil time to warm up and return to it’s liquid state. To speed up this process you can place the jar of vinaigrette in a bowl of warm water or run it under hot tap water.
Since this recipe doesn’t use any fresh garlic or onion, it will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge. If using fresh garlic and/or onion, it is best to consume within 3-4 days.
A Vinaigrette is a mixture of oil and something acidic (like vinegar or lemon juice). Dressing is used in more general terms. It is a cold sauce served over salads, vegetables, meats… It’s base can be mayonnaise, milk, oil, vinegar, tahini, yogurt, sour cream, avocado…
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS ITALIAN VINAIGRETTE:
- Hand Blender– I love this immersion blender! It’s great for emulsifying salad dressing as well as pureeing sauces and soup.
- Dressing Containers– These are great for dressing (or other condiments) for when you need to prep your salad to-go.
- Salad Dressing Shaker– This bottle is so great for making and storing salad dressing. I love that it has measurements on the side (no need to dirty measuring cups!) and a spout to easily pour the dressing.
LOOKING FOR MORE DRESSINGS? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Balsamic Glaze
- Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
- 5 Minute Poppy Seed Dressing
- Lemon Tahini Dressing
Homemade Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, (or 1 teaspoon honey)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, (or 2 cloves minced garlic)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, (or 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot)
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a jar and shake until emulsified. Alternatively, blend all ingredients together with an immersion blender, food processor or regular blender.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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