Name: Homemade Italian Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ⅔ cup extra-virgin (light) olive oil; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoons dijon mustard; 1 to 2 teaspoons honey or sugar; ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoons dried minced garlic; 2 teaspoons dried parsley; 1 teaspoons dried basil; ½ teaspoons dried oregano; ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional); Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

This Homemade Italian Dressing is zesty, creamy, and packed with flavor. Made from parmesan, dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, and a blend of dried herbs this dressing comes together in minutes using pantry staples.

A serving glass filled with homemade Italian Dressing surrounded by lettuce.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

Jump to Section

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

Italian Dressing has to be one of my top favorite dressings. Not only does homemade Italian dressing work so well on salads but it can also be used as a marinade or in a dip. It is also made with a lot of ingredients you might already have sitting around your house like dried herbs, olive oil, and wine vinegar.

While I think the best use of this dressing is on my Spring Mix Salad it can also be used in my Easy Tortellini Skewers recipe or my recipe for Panzanella with Grilled Chicken. Really a powerhouse of the kitchen this is a dressing you are going to want to bookmark.

Ingredients

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – You will want a light bodied olive oil or the whole dressing is going to feel too heavy, so a extra-virgin olive oil works best. You can also swap out half of the oil with a neutral oil like canola oil to make the dressing a little lighter.
Mayonnaise – Just a tad for creaminess and to help emulsify the dressing. This helps the dressing with a well rounded flavor and texture.
White Wine Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar – You can use either flavor of wine vinegar. I prefer to use white wine vinegar as the flavor is a little lighter and a little less tart but red wine vinegar is more common so you can totally use that if you already have it.
Lemon Juice – Some fresh lemon juice to help provide flavor and acidity.
Dijon Mustard – This is for flavor but it also helps the dressing emulsify (aka come together without the oil and vinegar separating).
Honey or Sugar – I actually prefer this with just a bit of honey rather than sugar but you can use the one you and your household prefers.
Parmesan Cheese – This is for both flavor and texture. You will want to make sure you finely grate your parmesan cheese so that it becomes part of the dressing.
Dried Herbs – Dried minced garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, and optional red pepper flakes. If you like a little heat add the red pepper flakes.
Salt and Black Pepper – To taste, you will definitely want to add at least a pinch of salt to the dressing, once it is mixed taste and see if it could use a little more salt. Add your salt slowly and keep adding, don’t add too much at once so the dressing doesn’t become too salty.

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl. Whisk together until the dressing comes together. Use immediately or add to a glass jar to store in a fridge.

After store the dressing in the fridge the dressing may become solidified and separated, take the dressing out before you plan on using to come back to room temperature and liquid form, then shake or whisk well to recombine the dressing.

tips, tricks and questions

Can I use fresh garlic instead of dried minced garlic?

You can but just note using raw fresh garlic might give the dressing a strong bite and almost a spicy flavor from the raw garlic. Using dried minced garlic gives the dressing the garlic flavor without that spicy bite.

How long does Homemade Italian Dressing Last in the refrigerator?

About 2 weeks, longer if sealed well. You could also freeze the dressing to make it last up to 3 months.

Is it normal for the dressing to solidify in the fridge?

Yes! Olive oil will solidify in the fridge thus making this dressing also solidify in the fridge. Just take it out a bit before you are ready to use to bring back to room temperature.

If you like this Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe you might also like:

Yield: Just over 1 cup