Store- bought salad dressings are my biggest pet peeve! Why make your own salad dressing when there are so many varieties sold in the supermarket? Well… because there is just nothing good about market bought dressings.
The dressings you find in stores use a lot of poor quality products that are cheap and unhealthy. They contain preservatives, artificial coloring and flavoring, gums and way too much sugar. The sugar translates into too many calories and bad fats. Way too scary for me!
It is easy to make salad dressing (and cheap!). The benefit of creating your own is that you will be using better quality ingredients that are fresh and good for your health. They taste much better too!
Every dressing should be made with a few basic ingredients:
- An oil- such as olive, walnut, hazelnut, flaxseed, or avocado.
- A vinegar- such as balsamic, white wine, champagne, apple cider or brown rice. Fresh lemon (you know that is my go to!) or lime juice can also be added in addition to your choice of vinegar, or used by itself.
- A thickener – such as mayonnaise, dijon mustard, brown seed mustard (delicious!) avocado or tahini. This acts as an emulsifier to help the oil and vinegar combine properly.
The basic rule for making your own vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. This is just a guide. I never follow it. I find that too much oil results in an oily residue, which I do not like. You can use a ratio of 1-1. I usually use more of the acid than the oil.
Don’t forget the salt and pepper. The salt brings out the best flavors in the dressing.
The possibilities are endless. You can use minced garlic or shallots. Any favorite fresh herb or poppy seeds will add another delightful dimension.
There are no rules. Just pick your favorite ingredients, combine, taste, season and taste again.
You will never go back to store-bought salad dressing again!
Here are three different salad dressings I would like to share with you.
Ingredients for Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil into a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
Ingredients for Champagne Wine Dressing
1/4 cup of champagne wine vinegar
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 shallot, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup of good olive oil
Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil into a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil.
Ingredients for Italian Dressing
1/4 cup champagne wine vinegar
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup of good olive oil
Mix all ingredients except for the olive oil into a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil.
I hope you will make your own dressing! Give it a try!
It’s that simple!
