Italian Dressing
Italian dressing is fantastic on salads, roasted vegetables, and as a flavorful meat marinade. Don’t buy another one at the store because homemade will always be so much better! You can use the best quality ingredients and adjust the flavor to your personal taste.
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In the world of salad dressings, nothing tastes better than homemade ones. Sure, there are perks of convenience when buying bottled dressing, but the taste and quality just doesn’t compare. With store-bought, you also never know exactly what chemical preservatives and other unnecessary ingredients are lurking inside.
So, rather than paying good money for what could be an awful tasting dressing, my preference is to make them from scratch. This way, I can use the best tasting ingredients and know exactly what is in the dressing.
Besides, homemade dressings are incredibly to make! You can also adjust it just to your taste and even diet preference.
Italian dressing is a light dressing that is olive oil based without any cream. I do love to add fresh grated Parmesan cheese to make it taste the best and spice it up with some crushed red pepper flakes. This recipe is also gluten free, just make sure to check the label on the vinegar and cheese. You can also make it keto by omitting sugar or use sugar alternative.
Difference Between Italian Dressing and Vinaigrette
Honestly, there isn’t any difference at all between these two condiments. In fact, Italian dressing is really just one variation of a vinaigrette!
This recipe calls for oil and vinegar, along with herbs and spices, just like a basic vinaigrette.
Additionally, it uses the same technique of incorporating the ingredients; making an emulsion of oil and vinegar.
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Olive oil– Use a good quality olive oil for the best flavor. It’s a little more expensive, but you will definitely notice the difference. Taste the oil first to make sure the oil flavor is not bitter!
Red wine vinegar– You can certainly substitute a different flavor of vinegar but honestly, this variety is what gives the classic tangy flavor you expect in a good Italian dressing.
Lemon juice– I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than a concentrate.
Italian seasoning blend– This blend usually includes dried herbs like basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and/or sage. Check to see if your blends includes salt to know how much salt to add to the dressing.
Fresh Parsley – this will add a nice fresh herb flavor to the dressing but if you have to, use dried parsley just cut the amount in half.
Sugar: Just a little it of white granulated sugar will balances the vinegar and lemon juice. If you want or need to, feel free to substitute this for your favorite sugar alternative.
Other seasonings: In addition to the Italian seasoning blend, I also use a little bit of garlic powder to enhance the flavor (if your seasoning mix does not have any), salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes for some heat.
Parmesan cheese– use fresh grated parmesan cheese. This is a great ingredient to add into the dressing for more flavor and especially if you will use it in more than just salads.
How To Make Italian Dressing
- Prep the recipe ingredients. This step is pretty self-explanatory but take a few minutes to measure to ingredients.
PRO TIP: if you have extra lemon juice, add it to a silicone ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, place the frozen cubes into a freezer storage bag. This is a great way to save some lemon juice for the times you need to use a small amount.
- Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar or dressing shaker bottle.
- Shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds to combine and form an emulsion of the oil and vinegar. Use right away or store in the refrigerator for later.
Recipe FAQs
While the dressing will one okay stored on the counter for a day or two, it’s best to store it in the refrigerator. Make sure to store it in an air-tight container with a lid and I highly recommend you use a glass jar to store it. In the refrigerator, it should last up to 2 weeks.
When getting some dressing out, make sure to shake and pour some out, rather than scooping with a spoon.
Yes, this recipe for homemade Italian dressing is gluten free. As aways, double check the nutritional label on all our ingredients at home to make sure. Make sure to always double check seasoning mix labels to make sure it’s gluten free.
Absolutely! I always have Italian dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, or Greek Dressing in my refrigerator. All three a perfect to make ahead and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Just make sure to store them in an air-tight container, preferably glass.
Recipe Tips
- Depending on the ingredients, the dressing can get thicker or partially solidify while refrigerated. That is not a big deal at all! Just pull the dressing out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before making the dressing.
- When it comes to olive oil, I prefer to use the lighter tasting ones. Some extra virgin olive oil could have a bitter flavor to them so make sure to taste your olive oil first! Bitter oil will ruin the whole dressing flavor.
- You can adjust the heat level by adding more or less crushed red pepper flakes.
- You can easily make this recipe keto if you use sugar alternative or omit it altogether.
Uses for Italian Dressing
Aside from dressing your salads with it, use Italian dressing:
As a marinade for chicken, turkey, beef, and pork. It adds a zippy, lemony flavor. Plus, the acid from the lemon juice helps to tenderize the meat.
Dress pasta salads, tortellini salads, macaroni salads, and even potato salads.
Toss grilled vegetables in some of this dressing.
Use it as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or any other bread.
Use it on sandwiches and subs, like our favorite Italian Subs.
Drizzle caprese salad with it.
Other Dressing Recipes To Try
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Italian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
- 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a dressing shaker or in a mason jar with a lid.
- Close the lid right and shake vigorously for a few seconds.
- For best results, let the dressing sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before using. (You can also use it right away if needed.)
Storing;
- Store dressing in the glass jar with a lid, in the refrigerator.
- This Italian Dressing should last up to 2 weeks when stored properly.
- Shake it well before adding to the salad.
Notes
When getting some dressing out, make sure to shake and pour some out, rather than scooping with a spoon Tips:
- Depending on the ingredients, the dressing can get thicker or partially solidify while refrigerated. That is not a big deal at all! Just pull the dressing out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before making the dressing to let it warm up.
- When it comes to olive oil, I prefer to use the lighter tasting ones. Some extra virgin olive oil could have a bitter flavor to them so make sure to taste your olive oil first! Bitter oil will ruin the whole dressing flavor.
- You can adjust the heat level by adding more or less crushed red pepper flakes.
- You can easily make this recipe keto if you use sugar alternative or omit it altogether.
Nutrition
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Dressing Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Lunch Recipe Ideas, Salad Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Wow, this s great salad dressing. The flavors complement each other very well. Definitely earned a spot in the rotation.
So glad you like it, Tom!
Wow, this is the best salad dressing!
I am so happy you liked it, Sandra!