Italian Dressing is so easy to make at home and tastes much better than the store-bought stuff! This homemade dressing features all of the natural mouthwatering ingredients you’re craving without any of the unnecessary additives you’re not. Toss it on some leafy greens, a pasta salad, or whatever else your heart desires!

A spoon is lifting a small portion of Italian dressing out of a jar.


Italian Dressing

In the last couple of years, I’ve started making my own salad dressings at home… and I’ve never looked back. They’re SO easy to whip up in a matter of seconds with a handful of ingredients. It’s a wonder I ever spent money on the store-bought stuff at all!

This Italian dressing specifically is one of the easiest I’ve concocted lately. Just whisk it all together and use immediately – it doesn’t get easier than that!

The base of this dressing is olive oil and red wine vinegar. To dress it up and give it that signature Italian flavor, I mix in some Italian seasoning, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and more.

Homemade Italian salad dressing is anything but bland! It can make even the plainest of leafy greens irresistibly good. If you have trouble eating enough kale or spinach, this dressing is here to help. It’s amazing on this Panzanella Salad.

Salad isn’t the only dish that’s graced by the presence of this dressing in my kitchen! Italian dressing pairs fabulously with so many different pasta salads as well.

You can even use it as a marinade (with chicken it’s pretty fantastic) or toss some pan-seared veggies with it. It’s so good, sometimes I use it just to dip some bread in as a snack or appetizer!

The ingredients for Italian dressing are placed on a white surface.

How to Make Italian Dressing

Stir and serve. This salad dressing recipe is SO quick and easy to make! You’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff again.

  1. Mix. In a mixing bowl, stir together all of the ingredients except for the olive oil until combined.
  2. Whisk. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. You’ll notice the dressing thicken and begin to emulsify.

That’s all there is to it! You can use your dressing immediately or store it for later. Enjoy!

A small glass container of Italian dressing is placed next to tomatoes and a whisk.

What’s in homemade Italian dressing?

This simple blend of pantry staples is all you need to make this classic dressing. You may already have most of it in your kitchen now!

  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Honey – Try to use a good quality honey. Cheaper honeys tend to taste more sugary and less like real, authentic honey.
  • Italian Seasoning – Treat yourself to the very best flavor by using my favorite blend of homemade Italian seasoning!
  • Garlic Powder – Be careful, garlic lovers! A little bit of this powder goes a very long way and you don’t want it to overpower your other ingredients.
  • Onion Powder
  • Paprika
  • Garlic – It needs to be very finely minced! No one wants big chunks of garlic in their salad dressing.
  • Dried Onion Flakes
  • Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Add more or less depending on how spicy you’d like your dressing to be.
  • Black Pepper – Freshly ground black pepper yields the very best flavor.
  • Kosher Salt – Feel free to omit this if you’d like a low-sodium option.
  • Olive Oil – Quality matters! Try to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the very best consistency and flavor.

How to Store Italian Dressing

One of my favorite things about Italian dressing is how long it stays fresh in the fridge. When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, Italian dressing will stay fresh for about 2-3 weeks! If you do use some dressing, be sure to use a clean utensil to scoop out as much as you need. Any new bacteria introduced to the dressing will cause it to spoil at a much faster rate.

I do not recommend freezing Italian dressing.

A glass jar filled with dressing is placed next to tomatoes.

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A spoon is lifting a small portion of Italian dressing out of a jar.

Get the Recipe: Italian Dressing Recipe

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Zesty and easy, homemade Italian Dressing is simple to make at home with so much flavor than bottled dressing!
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon Paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon Finely Minced Garlic
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried Onion Flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil

Equipment

  • 1 bowl
  • 1 whisk

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, stir together the vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, minced garlic, onion flakes, red pepper, black pepper and salt.
  • Slowly whisk in the olive oil until slightly thickened.
  • Transfer to an airtight container and store until ready to use.

Notes

Italian Dressing can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Store in an airtight container or carafe in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Calories: 40kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 39mg, Potassium: 25mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 134IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.3mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Condiment, salad dressing
Cuisine: American, Italian