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This super easy recipe for Italian Dressing is packed with herbs and flavor! It tastes great on roasted vegetables, salads, pasta, and more.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Simply combine all ingredients until emulsified. So easy!
- Flavorful: Packed with delicious lemon and garlic, cheesy notes from Parmesan, and a hint of spice from red chili flakes, this dressing is so tasty!
- Goes with everything: I love using this homemade Italian dressing on Italian pasta salad, a simple salad, or poured over seared chicken.
What’s your favorite salad dressing? Mine might just be today’s easy homemade Italian dressing! It is so much better than store-bought and will be your secret ingredient to the next amazing pasta salad and more that you bring to a potluck! With a medley of herbs, tangy lemon juice and white wine vinegar, this Italian dressing recipe is deliciously flavorful without taking much effort to make. Ready to pour it on absolutely everything? Let’s shake this!
What is Italian Dressing?
Italian dressing is a salad dressing that’s made with olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, and a blend of herbs for a tangy and zesty flavor profile. It’s called Italian dressing because of it’s Italian-inspired ingredients, and is disputed to have been invented by the Wish Bone restaurant, or Ken’s Steak House.
What’s in Italian Dressing?
This Italian Dressing recipe is made with a mouthwatering combo of herbs and tangy ingredients for the perfect flavor profile.
- Olive oil – it’s perfectly fine to use any olive oil you have on hand, but you can use extra virgin olive oil if you’d like.
- White wine vinegar – I prefer white wine vinegar in this recipe, but you can use red wine vinegar if you’d love its bold flavor.
- Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed is best!
- Parsley & Garlic – I like using fresh parsley and garlic for a robust flavor, but you can use dried if it’s all you have.
- Honey – this ingredient adds a delicious warm and light sweetness that’s not too present. Can be substituted with maple syrup.
- Oregano, Basil, Onion – it is totally fine to use the dried version of all of these ingredients—in fact, it’s what I used!
- Red pepper flakes – for added spice and beauty, you can leave this out if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Salt & Pepper – you can adjust this to your liking
- Parmesan – I love this ingredient because it adds flavor and tanginess that’s so satisfying.
- Homemade Garlic Salt – my favorite secret ingredient for Italian dressing—it’s so robust and flavorful.
How to Make Italian Dressing
Making Italian dressing is super easy. Simply add all ingredients into a mixing bowl or a salad dressing jar. Whisk or cover and shake (for the jar) until emulsified.
Then, you can add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Q&A
- Is Italian Dressing gluten free? Vegan? Yes, this recipe is gluten free. To make this Italian dressing recipe vegan, simply sub the honey with maple syrup and the parmesan with dairy free parm.
- Is Italian Dressing Healthy? Yes, as long as it’s used in moderate amounts! We’re using whole ingredients and not too much salt here, folks.
- Does Italian Dressing go bad? Yes, it can go bad. Make sure to store in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 1-3 weeks.
- Do I use red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar to make this recipe? I used white wine vinegar for this recipe, but you can use either. It’s a matter of preference. 😉
Thank you for stopping by! Erik and I are truly grateful for you. Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
Homemade Dressing Recipes
Italian Dressing Recipe {Easy!}
Ingredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, (can use up to 2 tablespoons if you like it tart)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried onion
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, adjust for desired spice level
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, optional
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all Italian Dressing ingredients until well mixed and emulsified.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Store in an airtight container. Shake well before using.
- ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
I can’t wait to make this recipe again! I love homemade salad dressings so much.
Yes! Aren’t they just the best?
This homemade Italian dressing was so much better than the bottled kind! Loved it!
Woohoo! Love to hear it, Paula!
Sounds wonderful. I have a black garlic salt that would be perfect in this.
Ooh that sounds delish!
I had no idea how easy it was to make italian dressing at home, but this is seriously the best I’ve ever had!
Aw thank you, Justine! ☺️ I know, it seems like it would be a lot, but it’s actually so easy and you get to customize it to your exact taste. Glad you liked it!
Do you have any oil free salad dressing recipes? thanks.
Hi Jacquie! I’m in the process of working on more salad dressing recipes as we speak, so I’ll be sure to keep your request in mind.