Making homemade Italian dressing is easy and only takes a few minutes to prepare. This tangy emulsified vinaigrette is excellent with crisp greens for a healthy appetizer, works well as a marinade, or toss it with noodles for a pasta salad.
Jessica’s Recipe Science
- Red wine vinegar’s 6% acetic acid adds bright, tangy flavor that balances olive oil and enhances garlic, dried herbs, and spices.
- Mayonnaise contains lecithin, an emulsifier that helps keep oil and vinegar blended in Italian dressing.
- Slowly drizzle extra-virgin olive oil into the vinegar mixture and constantly whisk to create a thick emulsified dressing.
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Featured Comment 10
“Simple and super!”—Elliott
Why It Works
Skip the store-bought dressing and pop open the pantry. You should have all that you need to create your own Italian vinaigrette. Grab the pungent vinegar, dried herbs, and spices to achieve that tangy herbaceous taste. The key to success is paying attention to how you add the olive oil to ensure a more stable dressing. I never shake it in a mason jar.
This dressing recipe is not only used for fresh greens salads, but is versatile in many ways. I use it for marinating proteins like chicken and shrimp to boost flavor quickly. Also, when I need a quick side dish, I boil some rotini and toss it with this bold vinaigrette to make an Italian pasta salad or try my tortellini salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil: I use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for a light fruity flavor in the dressing.
- Vinegar: Red wine vinegar provides a fermented acidic flavor. It has a bold taste and provides a lot of depth.
- Herbs: Dried Italian seasoning, typically a blend of oregano, marjoram, basil, parsley, thyme, and rosemary , provide a mix of concentrated herbal notes.
- Mustard: Mustard adds a hint of pungency to the dressing.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise contains lecithin, an emulsifying agent that helps stabilize the oil and vinegar mixture for longer.
- Honey: Adds a hint of sweetness to balance the tangy vinegar.
- Garlic: I also like to mince fresh garlic to give the dressing a bite, but you can use dried garlic powder.
- Seasoning: Salt boosts the savory flavor, while black pepper adds a mild spicy dimension. I add red pepper flakes for a hint of lingering heat, but this is optional.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This homemade Italian dressing recipe is easy to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Oil Swaps: Try a more mild olive oil, avocado oil, or grape seed for a more neutral taste.
- Vinegar Substitutes: Other types of vinegar, like white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar will pair nicely in Italian cuisine. If a sweeter-aged balsamic vinegar is what you prefer, try this homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
- Citrus: Add a lemon flavor with fresh lemon juice and zest.
- Using Fresh Herbs: Add about half the dried Italian seasonings. I recommend ½ teaspoon each of oregano, marjoram, basil, parsley, and ¼ teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary.
- Seasoning Additions: Add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh minced garlic. Add onion powder for extra roasted allium flavor or minced red onion for a more pungent taste.
- Make It Creamy: For a creamy Italian dressing, increase the mayonnaise to ¼ to ⅓ cup in the dressing.
How to Make Italian Dressing
Step 1: Make the Dressing
A well-balanced homemade salad dressing has a sharp upfront pungency that’s softened with the richness of the oil. The flavor may seem strong if tasted alone. However, the flavor slightly dilutes as it mixes with the food. Therefore, it should be more potent to start. To make the dressing, start by whisking together the vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, honey, garlic, spices, and seasonings.
Ingredient Chemistry: The dressing mixture gives the lecithin in the mayonnaise, an emulsifying agent that attracts oil and water to make a more stable suspension, a chance to disperse before adding in the oil.
Step 2: Add the Oil
The best way to make a uniform oil-in-water suspension in a salad dressing is to gradually add the oil to the vinegar while constantly whisking. This breaks the fat into small droplets, delivering an even flavor delivery and increased thickness.
Expert Tip: I never take the shortcut of just shaking the ingredients together in a jar. Although it may appear to mix temporarily, if you let it sit for a few minutes, the layers will separate, with oil sitting on top. If you add that to the salad, the taste will be greasy and pungent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red wine vinegar delivers a bold, tangy flavor that balances beautifully with extra virgin olive oil and stands up well to garlic, herbs, and spices.
The mild acidity, about 6% from acetic acid, helps brighten and sharpen the flavors in the dressing.
Store the homemade dressing in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Whisk before using the emulsify the dressing.
The Italian salad dressing is a versatile condiment! Pick your favorite type of lettuce to make a fresh green salad with veggies like tomatoes and cucumber, topped with parmesan cheese. Toss with different types of pasta and chopped vegetables for a pasta salad. Marinate with chicken, shrimp, or pork chops for 15 to 20 minutes for quick flavor.
Caesar dressing is creamy and rich, typically made with egg yolks, oil, anchovies, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice—it has a savory, umami-packed flavor. In contrast, Italian dressing is a vinaigrette, made with oil, vinegar (usually red wine vinegar), herbs, garlic, mustard, and a little sweetener. It’s lighter, zesty, and more herb-forward.
Other Types of Dressings
If you tried this Italian Dressing, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Homemade Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Make the Dressing – In a medium bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, Italian seasoning, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).
- Add the Oil – Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, vigorously whisking until a thickened emulsified dressing is formed. Taste dressing and season with more salt and pepper as desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: 1 cup
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Store: In an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Whisk before serving.
- Omitting the Mayonnaise: It can removed however, it helps to keep the dressing emulsified longer.
- Minced Garlic Substitute: Add ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Make it Vegan: Substitute the mayonnaise with vegan mayonnaise or omit.
- Make it Paleo: Make sure that the mayonnaise is made with olive oil (most store-bought is made with soybean or canola oil), or omit. Substitute maple syrup for honey.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Kelly says
So amazing. Always loved by everyone.
Jessica Gavin says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the homemade Italian dressing recipe, Kelly@
elliott oakes says
simple and super
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo!
Christina says
Looks delicious! Question- if it is refrigerated, why does it only last 5 days? (I guess I could cut the recipe in half, but curious of I could keep it a bit longer)
Thank you!
Linda says
You show calories Per serving, but there is no serving amount. Can I assume it’s 2 tablespoons or what is it?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Linda! I have the serving size in the notes of the recipe, which is 1 tablespoon.
Juan M Gutierrez says
Thank you. Like always, your recipes rock. I love you
Shiv Prakash Pandey says
Appears to be great. Will give it a try tomorrow Sunday. Today 15 August was Independence Day in India. So, we had our local dishes at home, all pure Veg. and full of masala (Pepper). I hope you must have tried some. If not, please do, you and your family members will really like it.
Jessica Gavin says
I can’t wait to hear what you think about the recipe! Happy independence day!