Homemade Italian Salad Dressing (5 minute recipe!)
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Homemade Italian dressing is easy to make and tastes SO MUCH better than store-bought. It’s made in just 5 minutes with kitchen-staple ingredients and keeps well for weeks, so you can make a quick and delicious salad whenever you want.
Despite its name, Italian dressing is an American creation, inspired by Italian flavors rather than originating in Italy. I make mine with olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning, which gives it that bright, zesty kick I’m always after. A little garlic powder and some Parmesan take it over the top and make it extra flavorful.
I skip adding sugar because I find it throws off the balance and dulls those sharp, savory notes I love in a vinaigrette. Making it at home also means it’s fresh, bold, and exactly how I like it — no bottled shortcuts required.
READ MORE: Homemade Italian Seasoning Recipe
How to store this salad dressing
The best way to store salad dressing is in a jar in your fridge. We use a glass Mason jar with a tight-fitting screw-top lid. Give the jar a good shake to mix it up again before using it.
How long does homemade Italian dressing last?
This salad dressing will last for at least 2 weeks in your fridge. NOTE: If you use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, the dressing will only last for 1 week.
How to use Italian salad dressing
The most obvious way to use Italian dressing is on a salad. We love using baby salad greens, arugula, or green leaf lettuce mixed with crunchy veggies than tossed with this dressing. But this zest Italian dressing is good on more than just greens. Here are a few other ways to use it:
- Make Italian dressing chicken <– this is SO GOOD!!
- Make Italian dressing potatoes then bake them until they’re crispy.
- Use it to cook fish in a skillet.
- Use it to make Italian dressing pork chops.
- Serve it as a dip for veggies.
- Mix it into rice or your favorite cooked grains.
Homemade Italian Salad Dressing (5 minute recipe!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (try our homemade Italian seasoning!)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder OR 1 finely minced garlic clove (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Optional: ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese (see notes)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well.½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder OR 1 finely minced garlic clove, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper, Optional: ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- Store the dressing in your fridge for up to 2 weeks. (See notes) Shake well to mix the ingredients each time before you use it.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Aw, you’re so welcome! I’m really glad you enjoyed it — thanks for taking the time to leave a note. 💛
Absolutely delicious! Low Sodium for my hubby with a heart condition (I used no salt at all). He actually said, “Don’t lose that recipe! It’s really good!” I marinated chicken breast for sandwiches.
This homemade dressing is very delicious and easy to make. I will use this dressing in many recipes in the future. After marinading my pork chops for 8 hours, they were tender and juicy. I used red wine- I will try white wine sometime soon as well. The store bought doesn’t taste good to me now and it is high in Sodium.
Hello, The recipe for home made Italian salad dressing looks great. Quick question…would you use olive oil or extra virgin olive oil? Thank you!
Usually extra virgin, but we love the robust flavor. If you’d like a more subtle olive oil flavor, go for regular olive oil.
WoW
WoW
This is an amazing recipe!
I made this for a cucumber and tomato salad and there were no leftovers.
This is so easy peasy. I always have fresh lemons, EVOO and red & white wine vinegar plus my own home grown and dried herbs so this is now a total go to.
Thank you so much.
This dressing is wonderful. I’ve made it 3 times now and am not tired of it at all. I can’t even say how much better it is than the stuff I used to buy in the store. Thank you so much for this recipe!