How to Make Your Own Salad Dressing: 5 Easy Vinaigrettes

Say goodbye to store-bought dressings! Learn how to make simple, delicious salad dressings that you can customise to suit your taste and preferred salads.

Mastering an easy homemade salad dressing is key to making flavourful, satisfying, nourishing salads. A simple vinaigrette can elevate even the most basic bowl of greens, adding depth, balance and deliciousness to every bite.

This recipe provides a foolproof vinaigrette formula, plus five easy variations to help you customise your dressing to suit different salads and tastes. Once you start making your own, you’ll likely never go back to store-bought!

Why make your own salad dressing?

Store-bought salad dressings can be convenient, but making your own comes with many benefits:

• Fresh and flavourful: homemade dressings taste fresher and allow you to control the balance of flavours.
• Customisable: adjust the oil, acidity, salt and sweetness to your taste preference or dietary needs.
• Enhanced health benefits: oil added to salads aids nutrient absorption, with two tablespoons of oil throughout the day providing maximal nutrient absorption [White et al., 2017]. Further, many bottled salad dressings contain preservatives, artificial flavours and high amounts of sugar or sodium.
• Cost-effective: save money by using pantry staples rather than buying pre-made dressings. Also, save fridge space as you only need a few basic ingredients rather than oodles of different salad dressings.
• Simple and quick: with just a few ingredients and a quick shake, you can have a delicious dressing ready in minutes.

Basic vinaigrette salad dressing recipe

This simple vinaigrette uses a classic oil-to-vinegar ratio of two parts oil to one part vinegar and can be customised with different herbs and flavour additions. It is portioned to one person but can easily be adjusted to your required number of serves or made into a large batch for serving throughout the week.

Ingredients for salad dressing:

• extra virgin olive oil
• vinegar or lemon juice
• fresh or dried herbs
• mustard (optional)
• sugar (optional)
• salt and black pepper

Making your own salad dressing:

To make the oil and vinegar salad dressing:

1. Place all ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid (a recycled pickle jar works well).
2. Shake vigorously until well combined, about 15 seconds.
3. Taste the dressing by dipping a piece of lettuce or a spoon into it. Assess whether it needs more acidity for brightness, a touch of sweetness to round out sour or bitter flavours, or a pinch of salt to enhance depth. Adjust to achieve the desired taste.
4. Drizzle over your favourite salad, and enjoy!

Note: Oil and vinegar don’t mix well and will separate when left standing, so you’ll need to shake it before serving.

Tip: Keep dressing ingredients at room temperature before mixing so they are easy to combine.

How to customise your vinaigrette

A vinaigrette is incredibly versatile. By swapping the oil, acid and seasonings, you can create a variety of delicious dressings perfect for any number of salads. Below are alternatives for salad dressings:

1. Oil options:

The type of oil you choose affects the taste and mouthfeel of your dressing, from the bitterness of extra virgin olive oil to the light, neutral taste of grapeseed oil.

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Sesame oil (due to its strong taste, use equal parts oil and vinegar)
• Macadamia oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Peanut oil

2. Acid options:

Acid provides a tangy freshness to salad dressings, which balances the richness of the oil. In this salad dressing recipe, I use a 2:1 oil-vinegar ratio.

• White vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Red or white wine vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Rice vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Lime juice

3. Flavour enhancers:

Adding seasonings and aromatics deepens the complexity and flavour profile of your vinaigrette.

• Mustard (Dijon, English, hot or grain) helps emulsify the dressing, keeping the oil and vinegar combined for longer.
• Garlic (minced or dried)
• Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
• Ground black pepper
• Finely diced red onion or shallots
• Herbs (dried or fresh herbs such as Italian herbs, basil, oregano, parsley, mint, coriander (cilantro), minced lemon grass or pesto)
• Spices (paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, turmeric, ginger, cayenne pepper, sriracha)
• Crushed peanuts, walnuts or sesame seeds
• Finely diced sundried tomato, olives or red onion
• Lemon, lime or orange zest
• Parmesan cheese

4. Sweeteners (optional):

A touch of sweetness can help round out the acidity and balance the sour, spicy or bitter flavours. Taste test before adding and add a pinch at a time to get your salad dressing just right.

• Sugar (white or brown)
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Orange or pineapple juice
• Fruit jam

5. Salty and umami elements:

Salt and umami-rich ingredients enhance the overall taste and balances the bitterness of extra virgin olive oil.

• Salt
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• Miso paste
• Coconut aminos
• Nutritional yeast
• Seaweed

Five easy salad dressing variations

1. Classic French vinaigrette: Use red or white wine vinegar, shallots or chives and Dijon mustard.
2. Balsamic dressing: Swap vinegar for balsamic and omit mustard and herbs.
3. Honey mustard dressing: Replace sugar with 1 teaspoon of honey and add extra mustard to taste.
4. Greek dressing: Use red wine vinegar, add crushed garlic and use dried oregano or basil.
5. Asian-inspired dressing: Use 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, half a teaspoon ginger, a pinch of brown sugar and salt. You could also try adding half a teaspoon of sesame seeds.

You may like to try these variations or get creative and make your own salad dressing. Share your creations in the comments below.

Also, once you have mastered this easy make from scratch salad dressing, it is easier to drizzle salads with oil and vinegar and intuitively get the portions right. I admit I often do this rather than make an actual salad dressing.

Want a creamy salad dressing?

For a thicker, creamier dressing, blend in one of the following:

• Tahini
• Peanut or almond butter
• Mayonnaise
• Yogurt (dairy or dairy-free)
• Coconut milk
• Mashed avocado
• Hummus
• Mango

These ingredients also help emulsify the dressing, preventing separation.

How to store homemade salad dressing

• Store leftover dressing in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• If it separates, which oil and vinegar do, give it a good shake before use.

Ways to enjoy basic homemade salad dressing

This homemade vinaigrette is perfect for:

• Green salads with leafy greens, cucumbers and tomatoes
• Grain-based salads (quinoa or rice grain bowls)
• Roasted vegetable salads
• Pasta salads with fresh herbs and feta
• As a marinade for grilled vegetables or tofu

The recipe, as written, is for a one-person serving, which is approximately 1-2 tablespoons of salad dressing.

Have you tried this homemade salad dressing?

If you’ve made this vinaigrette (or one of the variations), I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it.

Let me know in the comments and share if you made any tweaks to suit your taste. Your feedback inspires me to share more easy, nourishing recipes and helps others discover new flavour ideas.

Looking for more ways to elevate your salads? Try my easy bean salad, satisfying quinoa and lentil salad, or a flavour-packed grain bowl. Enjoy! 😊