Home >
Now that the temperatures are warming up salads are a great main or side dish for every night of the week. But who wants to spend a lot of money on a bottle with questionable ingredients?
One of the first things I realized on my real food journey was that when I make things from scratch for health reasons, I also save money. Salad dressings are no exception.
And the best part? They are super easy to make!
A Basic Formula For Homemade Salad Dressing
Making homemade salad dressing is a bit intimidating at first. Especially if you are like me and thought that salad dressing only came from a grocery store.
When making a vinaigrette, a combination of oil and vinegar or lemon juice, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Keep the oil to vinegar ratio at about 3:1
- If you want a smooth consistency in which the oil and vinegar do not separate you must use an emulsifier. Dijon mustard and egg yolks from pastured chickens are my favorite options.
- Add lots of flavors like onion, garlic, spices, herbs, and honey.
- For simplicity use pint-sized jars for easy dump, shake, and serve salad dressing.
With the above thoughts in mind you can create flavorful salads in a myriad of flavors.
My Go-To Salad Dressing Recipes
These are the dressings that I make on a regular basis. All three use healthful fats like extra virgin olive oil and cultured dairy.They are also family-friendly and diverse, making it easier for my family to down our garden’s bumper lettuce crop this year.
Photo by felipe_gabaldon
Garlic-Herb Vinaigrette
This is my go-to salad dressing. We love garlic and all of it’s health benefits and the herbs are usually whatever I have in the house, dried or fresh. See… simple.
- 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons dried (basil, oregano, chives, and thyme are all nice)
- scant 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a jar. Stir well with a fork.
- Add olive oil, cover tightly, and shake well until combined. You can also use a blender and drizzle the oil in slowly while it is running.
- Serve over your basic green salad with added chopped vegetables.
Photo by mr_t_in_dc
Balsamic Vinaigrette
This dressing reminds me of the super-sweet bottled Russian dressing I grew up eating. It is a nice change of pace for a salad, but also works well for flavoring cooked or grilled meats and vegetables.
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (no need for the really expensive stuff)
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (or oregano)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a jar. Stir well with a fork.
- Add olive oil, cover tightly, and shake well until combined. You can also use a blender and drizzle the oil in slowly while it is running.
- Serve over a basic green salad or toss with grated carrots, minced red onion, and sunflower seeds.
Photo by whitneyinchicago
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This is a great salad dressing to serve to your family if they are having a hard time letting go of their favorite creamy bottled dressing. My husband loves this stuff and I love that it is actually really good for him. When I don’t have homemade mayonnaise in the fridge I substitute an additional 1/4 cup creme fraiche to avoid the unhealthy oils found in most commercial mayonnaise.
- 1 1/4 cups sour cream (I save money by making my own)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
- Combine all ingredients in a quart jar. Stir well with a fork or seal tightly and shake.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Taste and additional salt as necessary. This makes for a fairly thick dressing. If a thinner consistency is desired replace part of the sour cream with additional buttermilk.
- This is delicious over a chopped salad with bacon, hard-boiled egg, and lots of vegetables.
Use these homemade dressings throughout the hot summer and watch your family gobble up their vegetables.
What’s your favorite way to dress a summer salad?
Shannon
Real food, sustainability, and homesteading are inextricably intertwined on the off-grid homestead Shannon, her husband and three children inhabit. She shares the insanely beautiful and shatteringly hard of it all on her blog Nourishing Days. She also works as a content writer and blog editor for Cultures for Health.