5 Simple Salad Dressing Recipes

There is no reason to ever spend your hard earned dollars on store-bought salad dressing ever again. These recipes are so simple that it won’t take much longer than opening the bottle of dressing to make, and you’ll be able to memorize the recipes after giving it a couple go’s.

Aside from the issue of price, salad dressings are usually pumped full of chemical additives, sugar, and salt. By making your own you can really monitor what ingredients you are putting into your body, and adjust the recipes to meet any dietary needs! With that being said, today I’d like to discuss 5 of the most simple salad dressings you should be making at home. Read on!

1) Ranch

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• Ranch seasoning blend

Ranch is used very often in my house, because we already keep the seasoning blend readily available. Feel free to experiment with various amounts of mayonnaise, milk, and sour cream until you find your perfect mixture!

2) Caesar

• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp balsamic / red wine vinegar
• 1 – 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 – 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan
• Black pepper to taste

You can start by mixing together everything except the olive oil and black pepper. You might consider using a blender for a smoother texture. Then, slowly add in the olive oil until you reach your desired thickness, pepper to taste, and voila!

3) Blue Cheese

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1 – 2 tsp lemon juice
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Start by mashing together your cheese crumbles, sour cream, and mayo until you get a (kind of gross textured) paste. Then add in your lemon juice and season to your liking! If the outcome is a little bit too thick for you, feel free to add a splash of buttermilk or just increase the lemon juice.

4) Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar / infused vinegar
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

This vinaigrette recipe is the most simple, but it’s also the most versatile. By making your own infused vinegar, you open up a whole new world of possibilities! A raspberry infusion will make a delicious vinaigrette perfect for spring mix salads, or an infusion made from fresh oregano and basil can make the perfect dressing to drizzle on your veggies. Either way, try to keep the oil to vinegar ratio about the same!

 5) French

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt, pepper, and mustard to taste (a little goes a long way)

This french dressing is a lot tangy with a hint of sweet, and I love it! I recommend blending everything together and adding the sugar last, and it might take you a little bit to get it all dissolved.

Making your own salad dressings is not only cost-effective, it lets you pick and choose your ingredients which has a bunch of benefits! Are there any dressings that you always make at home? Share with me in the comments!