Wanting to eat healthier and enjoy more salads? Try these 5 easy and heathy salad dressing recipes plus get tips for how to make homemade salad dressing! You'll never buy the store-bought stuff again!
this RECIPE
I'm such a fan of homemade salads -- they're easy to make, great for meal prep (looking at you, Mason Jar Salads!), filling, and super tasty!
When it comes to salad dressings, there are so many different options and flavors, sometimes, I even find it difficult to pick one to put on my salad. So, I’m sharing with you not just one, not two, but 5 of my current faves!
One of the biggest annoyances about starting to eat healthy is the misinformation out there about store-bought salad dressings. Sadly, there are so many unhealthy and unnecessary ingredients in most store-bought salad dressings. This is a great example of what's so important to pay attention and read the labels because there are hidden sugars, salts, fats, and other chemicals that can easily be avoided by making your own salad dressing at home. More on that in this post.
WHAT TYPES OF SALAD DRESSINGS ARE THERE?
While it may seem like there are a TON of salad dressing types out there, try to think of it like there are actually two basic types of salad dressings. First off, we have vinaigrettes, which are simple salad dressings based on the mixture of oil and vinegar. The other type is made up of creamy salad dressings, which often use mayonnaise or other milk products, such as yogurt or sour cream as the base.
WHAT IS A VINAIGRETTE?
Ever wondered what makes it a vinaigrette? Well, a vinaigrette is made by mixing oil with something acidic. In most cases, it’s either vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice.
When it comes to the kind of oil, you can use pretty much any tasty oil you like. I love using olive oil that is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances. Once you’ve got your base, feel free to add herbs and spices for some extra flavor.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSING
You made extra? No worries! Whether you made a vinaigrette or a creamy salad dressing, you can safely store it in the fridge and use throughout the week. This makes homemade salads way easy!
When storing homemade salad dressing, make sure you transfer it to a glass jar and cover it with a tight lid before placing in the fridge. Glass is a much better choice for storing your homemade salad dressing than plastic containers, so go get those mason jars!
HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSING LAST?
When stored properly, in a glass jar with a tight lid, homemade salad dressing can easily last up to a week in the fridge. If you’ve made a vinaigrette, even up to two weeks which makes salads and homemade salad dressings a great choice for your meal prep. Make sure to store any dairy-based salad dressings in the refrigerator so they don't spoil.
1. LemonVinaigrette–This Lemon Vinaigrette has acombo of lemon and honey and is so vibrant, tart, and sweet all at the same time.So good![GET THE RECIPE.]
2. Honey MustardDressing–This Honey Mustard Dressing is so dang good and only requires 4 simple ingredients.[GET THE RECIPE.]
3. AvocadoDressing–This Avocado Dressing is my go-to for cobb salads and is so creamy and delicious.[GET THE RECIPE.]
4. Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing–This Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing isa cool, creamy, and tangy ranch dressing you can feel good about.[GET THE RECIPE.]
5. Sesame Ginger Dressing–I love this Sesame Ginger Dressing because the flavors are so vibrant and delicious.
How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing + 5 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes
Harris-Pincus explains, "Those looking to follow a lower-carb plan or people watching added sugars would do better avoiding sweeter dressings like Honey Mustard, Thousand Island, French or Catalina, and choose oil and vinegar or a balsamic vinaigrette."
In order to get the most health benefits, Pappa recommends looking for high-quality oil like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. These unrefined oils have favorable monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat profiles, which are considered “healthy” fats.
Add herbs and spices to give your salad bold flavors of the world. Mix in different combinations of fresh and dried herbs and spices to achieve different flavors. Try fresh oregano, basil, and thyme for an Italian-style flavor, or cumin, coriander, and sumac for a Middle Eastern vibe, for example.
So the next time you're dressing a salad, reach for the balsamic vinegar–in the long run, not ingesting that extra fat and sugar makes a big difference!
Ranch Dressing. The ranch is a salad dressing or dip made with buttermilk, salt, garlic, onions, herbs (dill, parsley, chives, etc.), and spices (mustard seeds, black pepper, paprika, etc.) ...
In Western culture, there are three basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrette; Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), buttermilk; Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, but are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and ...
“Crunchy noodles are like eating chips,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It. All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams).
Can you lose weight by eating a salad every day? "Eating salads on a daily basis as part of an overall healthy lifestyle may support gradual weight loss over time," says Karnatz. "This is because leafy greens are low in calories and high in volume and fiber, which will keep you satisfied for longer," she adds.
Salads that contain fresh green leafy vegetables such as palak or spinach, cabbage and so on are especially great for burning down the fat that is stored around the belly area.
Balsamic vinegar: Makes a bold, slightly sweet dressing that is wonderful on green salads with fruit, such as apples, strawberries or peaches. Red wine vinegar: Packs a punch and works well with other bold flavors and bright veggies, like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, cabbage and more (think Greek salads).
A good extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar salad dressing is one of the better dressings for a salad. Try buying a good extra virgin olive oil. Buy a Greek extra virgin olive oil or Californian extra virgin olive.
And at the top of that list? Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.
Adding dressing, condiments, or cheese will not remove vegetable nutrients. Adding those extra ingredients to your vegetables will not give them less fiber or less vitamins. By adding cheese to your vegetables, you'll add some protein to it, which will help make them more satisfying.
Italian dressing is often considered a healthy option when compared with creamy dressings because it's lower in calories and fat. But because it can be high in sodium and the calories quickly add up if you use more than the serving size, it's still important to watch the amount you eat.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
Lacey Baier