12 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings

Think of this like Click. Read. Love. but with salad dressing recipes. But before you skip to the good stuff below, let me remind you why you should absolutely be making your own salad dressing on the reg. All of the amazing spring vegetables that are coming your way will inevitably taste better with a fresh drizzle of one of these options. It makes boiled, blanched, roasted, or chopped veggies more delicious.

Plus, it’s easy, invest in a glass dressing cruet or a mason jar with a lid so you can combine all your ingredients and shake it up. Instead of endlessly buying glass or plastic bottles of the store-bought dressing, this is a way more sustainable (and affordable) option. Again, the taste is far superior to what you can buy in the store. Here are some of my favorite healthy salad dressing recipes but feel free to share yours in the comments below:

12 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings

Homemade Maple Balsamic Dressing

I love this super easy recipe, because you can put it on basically anything and it always tastes delicious. You can also easily switch out one ingredient for something else for a completely different taste. Bonus, it’s gluten free! The maple and balsamic sweetness is a perfect match for the savory dijon. This tastes especially nice over a spinach, strawberry, feta salad or greek salad. This is super easy to whip up in a jiffy and make extra so you can use it all week long!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons Dijon Murstard
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (or to taste)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Add ingredients to a mason jar or blender and mix until dressing thickens. Pour over your favorite salad and enjoy! For a more tart taste switch out the maple syrup for lemon juice or lime juice!

Italian

When I was little we had a pizza place in the neighborhood that we could walk to from our house. It was our family spot or the only restaurant my parents wanted to bring three little kids. They had the best house Italian dressing. This recipe from Bon Appetit tastes just like it, it has a very authentic flavor.

nut-based caesar

Creamy without the cream, this nut-based spicy cashew dressing fits into the Caesar category. Perfect for when you want to coat your greens with something that feels a little decadent. It’s actually amazing how good this is.

miso-Sesame

A little sweet, a little spicy, this dressing from Smitten Kitchen might be the best topper for any kind of roasted veggie bowl. It really balances out the flavors of root veggies, broccoli, and whole grains. You’ll be licking the bowl.

curry

This dressing tastes really earthy and unique, but it pairs so nicely with the combination of beets and carrots. But don’t feel like you can only use this on top of this particular salad. It would work well in a grain bowl or on top of greens too.

avocado caesar

Thanks to ripe avocados, this dressing is rich and creamy without the help of eggs. Younger me would have been repulsed by the addition of anchovies, but grown-up me loves them for the salty, umami flavor they lend to any dish they’re added to.

tahini ranch

Once you have a homemade version of ranch dressing that’s packed with herbs there’s no going back to the shelf-stable variety. I love the recipes on Half Baked Harvest and this dressing is no exception, you’ll end up making it to use on any salad, not just this one.

basil green goddess

Adding herbs to any salad makes them taste fresh and more dynamic, this dressing is packed full of fresh basil and it makes it pretty irresistible. Plus, as a bonus, if you have any dietary restrictions, this dressing is Whole30 compliant.

Honey Mustard Dressing

This honey mustard dressing from Love & Lemons looks super tangy, sweet and delicious. Perfect on a green salad, broccoli, potato or kale salad, sautéing veggies in or great for dipping sweet potato fries, this salad will not disappoint.

Lemon Vinaigrette

A simple lemon vinaigrette can be used in so many ways. Another recipe from Love & Lemons for a lemon vinaigrette that could be tossed with cooked grains, marinade lentils or beans or drizzled over veggies.

Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing

This recipe for Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing from Foolproof living is creamy and flavorful. Including greek yogurt, lemon, garlic and your choice of fresh herbs, preferably dill, this is both simple and delicious. Try it on this Greek Salad recipe from Love & Lemons.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

This red wine vinegar dressing from Gimme Some Oven is easy to whip up in a few minutes and can be added to lots of other dressings. On the recipe page there are recommendations for making it creamy, tangy, cheesy, and even mediterranean. It goes well on almost any salad and can be mixed and altered as needed.