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If you're looking for delicious new ideas to liven up salad, then my list of the best Salad Dressing recipes is the perfect place to start! From creamy ranch dressing to sweet balsamic glaze, I have everything you need. Plus, tips on how to make vinaigrette from scratch and the best pairings for each dressing!
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Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipes
When I want a light salad dressing recipe that won't overpower the salad, my first thought is an easy vinaigrette! As one of the simplest forms of dressing sauce for salad, vinaigrette has three very simple ingredients:
- Oil: You can choose the oil you like the flavor of most! Olive oil is the classic choice, but for highly flavored dressings, you can use a milder oil such as vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Acid: Vinaigrette implies the use of vinegar, but any acid will work great for vinaigrette. I love using apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or the classic balsamic vinegar. Or, use a citrus juice such as fresh lemon juice or lime juice.
- Flavoring: It always helps to add an extra bit of flavor to make your dressing more unique! You can take your pick from all of these, or skip them entirely for a super simple citrus vinaigrette.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup, white sugar, and honey are all great sweeteners in dressing. If you're using honey, make sure to gently heat the dressing to ensure it dissolves.
- Spices: Cayenne pepper, chipotles in adobo, fresh black pepper, and kosher salt all make great additions to vinaigrettes.
- Other flavors: Fresh garlic, finely chopped red onion, grated parmesan cheese, dijon mustard, tahini, and fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, cilantro, and thyme all taste fantastic in dressing.
Salads for Balsamic and Vinaigrette
Creamy Salad Dressing Recipes
Creamy salad dressings are thick and coat salads more thoroughly than vinaigrette, which makes them perfect for hearty main-course salads! A good creamy salad dressing recipe elevates protein-rich salads, and is always a big favorite with kids. If you or your loved ones are still warming up to raw vegetables, a creamy dressing for salads can make even the most challenging veggies into a crave-worthy treat.
Salads for Creamy Dressing
Salad Dressing Recipe Ideas
Of course, you're not limited to just vinaigrette and heavy, cream-rich dressings! There are so many delicious salad dressing ideas out there to try, perfect for pairing with any sort of salad you're making. You really can't go wrong with salad dressing, so I encourage you to try out as many flavors as possible!
Tips for Making Salad Dressings
- Many dressings can be made by simply adding all the ingredients to a jar and giving it a good shake. Alternatively, you can emulsify any vinaigrette by making it in a blender and slowly dripping the oil into the running blender until it's pale and opaque.
- Dips can easily be turned into a delicious dressing by just thinning them out! If it tastes good on a veggie platter, it'll taste great in a salad, too!
- Much like sauces, dressings often taste better the longer they sit. I recommend making salad dressing before you make the salad so it can rest and the flavors can meld!
Storing Leftover Salad Dressing
You may be accustomed to bottled dressings, which last for months in the fridge. Homemade dressing, however, doesn't have the same preservatives, so you need to be more careful with how long salad dressing lasts in the fridge! The amount of time it can be kept is based on the type of dressing you've made.
- Simple vinaigrette with only vinegar and oil will last about two weeks.
- Vinaigrette with additions like juice or herbs will last one week.
- Creamy or dairy-based dressings will last about four days.
FAQ
When you're making your own vinaigrette, you'll want to use roughly three parts oil to one part vinegar. You can tweak the ratio to your tastes, but going beyond two to one oil to vinegar will start making an overly bitter, soggy salad.
Some types of dressing, such as vinaigrette, can be frozen safely. However, as oil gets thick and clumpy when cold, I don't recommend doing so unless you need to- it can be hard to get the vinaigrette back to its original texture! Never freeze any dressing made with mayonnaise or eggs, or most dairy based dressings. They unfreeze with off-putting flavors and lumpy textures.
If you're like me, you've experienced a refrigerator absolutely stuffed with mostly-full bottles of a million types of salad dressing. They're bulky, there's way too much in them, there are way too many types, and they take up so much space. Not to mention how expensive they can get!
That's why I started learning how to make salad dressing, and let me tell you, making homemade salad dressing is so easy, so simple, and best yet, you can customize each one to be exactly what you need.
My guide to salad dressings is stuffed with easy salad dressing recipes for any occasion, from the simplest citrus vinaigrette to rich and chunky homemade blue cheese dressing. Plus, tips about what to serve with each one. Get ready to fall in love with salad again!
Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
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