Homemade Italian Dressing

Italian Dressing is a staple in most refrigerators. This Homemade Italian Dressing recipe is so delicious, you’ll find excuses to include it in as many meals as possible.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick & Easy – You probably have all of these ingredients in your fridge and pantry already. Never worry about forgetting to put dressing on your grocery list again. You can make this homemade dressing in just 5 minutes.

• Delicious – With all the classic flavors of store-bought Italian Dressing, this homemade dressing is bursting with fresh herbs and garlic

• Customizable – You can increase or decrease herb quantity in this dressing to your liking. Or get creative and add a little heat with cayenne or red pepper flakes.

Ingredients

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – A high-quality EVOO is important for this recipe.
  
• Red Wine Vinegar – If you don’t have red wine vinegar, you can substitute apple cider vinegar.
• Dijon mustard – This helps round out the flavors as well as acting as a sort of preservative, allowing the dressing to keep longer in the fridge.
• Agave – A sweetener of some kind is needed to cut the harshness of the vinegar. Agave, maple syrup, or even honey (if you aren’t vegan) works for this recipe!
• Italian Herbs – I use my homemade Italian Herb Mix recipe, but you can use store-bought as well. This herb mix usually includes parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme.
• Minced garlic – Increase or decrease to your liking.
• Salt & Pepper – Just a touch of each helps the flavors to pop.

How to Make Homemade Italian Dressing

Mix the Dry Ingredients

Add the Italian herbs, salt, and pepper into a jar with an air-tight lid.

I use a basic mason jar so that I can mix and store the dressing in the same vessel. If you don’t have an air-tight jar or are planning to use all of the dressing for a recipe and don’t need to store it, then you can mix the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the Wet Ingredients

Add the oil, vinegar, mustard, agave, and minced garlic to the jar.

It is important to add the liquid ingredients second into the jar so that all ingredients will be more easily incorporated.

Shake, shake, shake

Once all ingredients are in your vessel of choice, place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for 30-60 seconds.

If you are mixing in a bowl, you can mix with a whisk instead.

That’s it! Serve on top of your favorite salad, or use it as a marinade for Roasted Chickpeas or any protein of your choice.

How to Store Homemade Italian Dressing

• Fridge: This dressing will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Give it a shake before serving again to re-mix the ingredients.

More Tips for Making Homemade Italian Dressing

• Not Vegan? Add 1 tbsp finely shredded parmesan cheese. Or use this as a marinade on chicken or any other protein of choice.

• Gluten-free? This recipe is naturally gluten-free! Just make sure the Dijon mustard you are using is GF and you’re good to go.

• Want some spice? Add 1/2 tsp cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy twist.

 Looking for more easy vegan dressing ideas? Try this Homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing.