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This easy and bright homemade Italian Dressing is perfect for salads, drizzling over crisp vegetables, as a marinade, and more. A zesty lemon-based vinaigrette, this Italian dressing recipe is versatile and quick to make!
Why You’ll Love This Italian Dressing Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Italian
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan option
- Skill Level: Easy
Lots of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and a little honey combine to make a super quick Italian dressing that’s big on flavor. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a basic vinaigrette – despite a simple ingredients list, the individual components of this dressing combine into something special. You can use it on salads, drizzle it over creamy halves of ripe avocado, marinate chicken before throwing it on the grill, and anywhere else you can think of for a burst of lemony flavor. Here’s why I love this homemade Italian dressing recipe:
- So many uses. Salad dressing, marinade, dip for vegetables – this beauty does it all!
- Fresh flavors. You’ll use two whole lemons in this dressing, making it one of the most citrusy and zingy dressings around. The fresh lemon juice gives the salad dressing a kick of bright flavor and helps it stand apart from the rest.
- Keeps well. Like many salad dressings, this Italian dressing recipe is a great make-ahead choice. If you know you’ll be eating a lot of salads, go ahead and double the batch so you always have homemade dressing on hand. This is such a versatile recipe that it can be used on virtually any type of salad.
- Naturally gluten free. Unlike some thickeners and flavoring that you can find in storebought dressing, you can rest assured there won’t be any sneaky gluten free as long as you buy a trusted brand of Italian seasoning, such as McCormick.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a look at the simple ingredients needed for this Italian dressing recipe. Don’t forget to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Olive Oil: I love using extra virgin olive oil in this dressing because it adds so much flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh is best! You’ll need about two lemons to have enough juice for the vinaigrette.
- Dijon Mustard: For a slightly creamy and spicy kick.
- Honey: A touch of honey balances the tartness of the dressing.
- Salt and Pepper
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Garlic powder gives you roasted garlic flavor and skips the harshness of raw garlic without needing the effort it takes to roast it. You can use a blend of dried oregano and basil if you’re out of Italian seasoning. Be sure to buy a brand that is gluten free, if needed. Omit the red pepper flakes if you don’t care for spice.
How To Make Italian Dressing
Like many dressings, all you’ll need to do here is combine and shake! Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Make the dressing. In a glass jar, combine all of the ingredients, and shake well.
Tips & Variations
- Shake or blend. The easiest way to combine this dressing is to place it in a jar and shake it well. You can also use an immersion blender to fully combine the dressing until it’s creamy.
- Make it vegan. Because honey is not considered to be vegan, you can substitute an equal amount of maple syrup for the honey. Or, use agave syrup, which is another vegan option.
- Try other seasonings. This is an Italian dressing recipe, so I have included Italian seasoning on the ingredients lists! However, if you wish to highlight singular herbs, you can replace the seasoning blend with one or two dried herbs of your choice. These can include dried thyme, oregano, and rosemary.
- Lemon juice substitute. If you’re out of lemons you can replace them with another citrus juice such as lime juice, although the flavor of the dressing will change a bit. Or, try ¼ cup white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar in place of the lemon juice.
- Use as a marinade. You don’t need to save this salad dressing just for salads. It works wonderfully as a marinade for chicken or steak, too.
Proper Storage
Place your homemade Italian dressing in an airtight container, like a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, and store it in the fridge for up to one week. If the dressing solidifies, bring it to room temperature for about 10 minutes, then give it a shake or whisk to combine the ingredients before using it.
Make It A Meal
Add this lemon Italian dressing recipe to any fresh salad you love, or serve it as a dipping sauce for bread! I love including it wherever possible. Here are a few more ideas:
- Salad. Generously dress salads with Italian dressing for easy, fresh flavor. It’s especially lovely on my Ultimate Chicken Cobb Salad, in place of the red wine vinaigrette on this Three Bean Salad, or a hearty Italian Chopped Salad, but it will work on many other salads!
- As a dip. A bowl of Italian dressing with an assortment of raw veggies like carrot and cucumber sticks, cauliflower and broccoli florets, and cherry tomatoes makes for a great dip. Or dunk my Chef Salad Sticks in this vinaigrette.
- Marinade. For a flavorful marinade for grilled meat, look no further than homemade Italian dressing. Try it on chicken breast and drumsticks, on skewers, or even salmon. Sometimes I’ll swap Italian dressing for the marinade in my Lemon Herb Yogurt Marinated Chicken recipe for a dairy-free pop of flavor. Or, try it with this recipe for Grilled Teriyaki Steak Skewers rather than the marinade called for in the post.
- With bread. Dip a warm batch of Gluten Free Breadsticks or Gluten Free Garlic Breadsticks into Italian dressing for an easy appetizer!
Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a glass jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously.
Notes
- You can use maple syrup instead of honey for a vegan dressing.
- Garlic powder gives you roasted garlic flavor and skips the harshness or raw garlic without the time it takes to roast it.
- If you’re out of lemons you can replace any citrus juice or even vinegar for the dressing. This basic vinaigrette formula also makes a great balsamic or red wine vinaigrette.
- Use this salad dressing as a chicken or steak marinade!
Did you make this?
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