Salads are all about the toppings! Yes, the greens are essential, but if you have a plethora of delectable toppings, you may not even need a dressing. A decent balsamic vinegar drizzle, hummus, or even spicy sauce will do the work. Salads are a great healthy eating option since you can literally chuck a protein and healthy fat over a bed of greens with tons of vegetables or a whole grain and you have got yourself a tasty dinner.
You’re never going to turn to store-bought dressings once you try making these simple homemade dressing recipes at home. It will be more nutritious than any bottled dressing and taste even better.
A homemade healthy salad dressing, unlike most store-bought dressings, isn’t meant to last for months. This means it can be prepared with fresh ingredients such as herbs, garlic, and avocado. It won’t last for weeks on a store shelf, but it will add a lot of flavour (and nutrition) to a homemade dressing. Try preparing one; you will discover that your salad has never tasted so good.
Because many store-bought dressings contain processed ingredients, preservatives, and sugar, preparing your own dressing is far healthier. It’s also less expensive! The best thing about homemade dressing is that most of the things are easily available in our pantry/refrigerator - garlic, apple cider vinegar, tamari, maple syrup, sea salt, and pepper. So, if you have these ingredients in your pantry/fridge, you can prepare a variety of dressings. Also, if you’re looking for sugar-free dressings, try making the spicy tahini and apple cider vinegar dressings.
How to Make Salad Dressing at Home
Each of these dishes uses only a few ingredients. There are several methods for making homemade salad dressings:
Shake up all of the ingredients in a mason jar. This method works well for oil-based dressings like vinaigrettes.
Blend all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender. This method is wonderful for creamier dressings with ingredients like avocado, but it also works well for vinaigrettes.
Recipes of 5 simple healthy salad dressings
Honey mustard dressing
To be honest, this honey mustard dressing works well as a thick salad dressing and as a healthy dipping sauce. If the Dijon mustard is too strong for you, you can simply add extra honey to sweeten it up. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Refrigerate this dressing for up to two weeks.
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plain Greek yoghurt
• 3-4 tablespoons honey
• 1 freshly squeezed lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
This Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette is spicy and flavorful, making it ideal for topping fresh vegetable salads or homemade burrito bowls.
Ingredients:
• A third of a cup of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 adobo-spiced chipotle peppers
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 freshly squeezed lime
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper
Simply mix everything together in a bowl to make this one. Refrigerate this chipotle honey vinaigrette for up to two weeks.
Green Goddess Dressing
What’s the nicest thing about this green goddess dressing? It’ll help you use up those abandoned herbs in the fridge.
Ingredients:
• 1 plain Greek yoghurt bottle (approximately 2/3 cup)
• 1 cup fresh herbs (choose from what you have on hand)
• 1 sliced garlic clove
• 1 freshly squeezed lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Before the parsley or basil goes bad, combine it with the remaining green goddess dressing ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Use a large handful of parsley, fresh basil, and a pinch of thyme to make this green goddess dressing. However, you can also include cilantro, dill, mint, and other herbs. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Greek Vinaigrette
This Greek vinaigrette goes well with almost any fresh garden salad, but it tastes especially good with a Greek pasta salad. To prepare it, combine all the ingredients in a bottle and shake it well.
Ingredients:
• Olive oil, 3/4 cup
• Red wine vinegar, 6 tablespoons
• dried oregano, 3 teaspoons
• Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon
• 12 teaspoon salt
You can keep this dressing on the shelf for a few weeks because there is nothing in the bottle that will expire.
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
You will love this recipe if you are a major fan of sesame and ginger flavoured foods.
Ingredients:
• Low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tbsp.
• Half-cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Freshly minced ginger, 1 tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon minced 1 garlic clove. Sriracha
To prepare, combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. You can always skip Sriracha, if you don’t like spicy salad dressings. This sesame ginger vinaigrette can be kept at room temperature for up to two weeks.
How to Keep Homemade Salad Dressing Fresh
It is recommended to refrigerate your homemade dressing in a glass jar. One thing to keep in mind: homemade dressings made with olive oil tend to stiffen and separate in the fridge. This is perfectly normal. Allow the dressing to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before using, then give it a brief shake to recombine the components.
What is the shelf life of homemade salad dressing?
Your homemade dressing will last about two weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.