Homemade Italian Dressing

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Homemade Italian Dressing comes together in a matter of minutes, and yet is so incredibly delicious, you’ll never buy the bottled stuff again.

The classic flavors come alive in this incredible dressing.

Perfect for green leaf salads, or as a marinade, or even with pasta…it just can’t be beat!

A mason jar with homemade Italian dressing in it.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING IS EASY TO MAKE

You just can’t believe how simple it is to make this iconic dressing at home.

Grab the simple ingredients and a jar with a tight fitting lid, and you’re in business!

Watch us show you how easy it is to make Homemade Italian Dressing!

 

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED

The great thing about making Italian Dressing at home is that you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

You’ll need:

  • Fresh parsley
  • Fresh garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Honey
  • Dried Oregano and Basil
  • Onion Powder
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • White Wine Vinegar
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil, a pepper grinder, lemon, honey, parsley and garlic on a white table.

Since the ingredients are pretty simple and straight-forward in this recipe, we feel using top-notch extra-virgin olive oil is key to great taste.

A good quality oil makes a big difference, especially in a salad dressing such as homemade Italian dressing.

Make sure to use a good-quality white vinegar, too. But if you go the extra distance on any of the ingredients, we’d go with quality EVOO.

Extra-virgin olive oil being poured into a jar with Italian dressing ingredients.

Oil and vinegar naturally separate when added together.

For a delicious Italian dressing, you’ll want to bring the two together.

This can be achieved by adding all the ingredients into a jar and then sealing it with a tight fitting lid and then shaking the dressing vigorously for at least one minute. You can also use a blender, food processor, or a whisk and a lot of elbow grease! This process is called emulsifying. After the dressing sits for a while, you’ll need to shake again to re-emulsify.

A hand holding a jar of Italian dressing that has been emulsified.

HOMEMADE DRESSINGS ARE EASY AND DELICIOUS

Once you make a salad dressing at home, you’ll seriously never want to buy the bottled variety again.

Some of our other favorite dressing to make are:

In the meantime, go ahead and make this amazing Homemade Italian Dressing!

A view of looking into a jar containing homemade Italian dressing.

HOW TO USE AND STORE HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING

Of course, this dressing is a knock-out on a beautiful green leaf salad.

But we also use it as a marinade for grilling and baking. It’s great on chicken, pork and even shrimp!

TIP: Keep the dressing in a jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The dressing can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Another great use for this dressing is in a pasta salad. It truly brightens the pasta salad so much and it makes for such an easy preparation!

Italian dressing being pour onto a pasta salad with artichokes and black olives.

Okay folks…the time is here for you to make the best Homemade Italian Dressing in the world! So easy…and so delicious!

And once you make this, take a picture and post for Instagram and tag us @howtofeedaloon and #howtofeedaloon!

A mason jar filled with homemade Italian dressing.

Homemade Italian Dressing

Once you make this Homemade Italian Dressing you will never want to buy the bottle variety again. And you seriously won't believe how simple it is to prepare. And what's so great is that almost all of the ingredients you probably already have in your pantry! So fresh and so delicious. One batch keeps for up 1 week in the fridge. Just give it a good shake before using.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad Dressing
Cuisine: Italian / American
Keyword: Homemade Italian dressing, Italian dressing recipe, Salad dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 141kcal

Equipment

  • Jar with tight fitting lid, or blender

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Add all the ingredients into a large jar with a tight fitting lid.
  • Fasten the lid into place and shake the jar vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes in order to emulsify (or blend) the oil with the vinegar.
  • Chill for at least one hour. Shake the jar again when ready to serve.

Video

Notes

You can also emulsify the dressing by using a blender or food processor.  Or, by slowly pouring the EVOO into the other ingredients and whisking vigorously until fully blended.
A top-notch extra-virgin olive oil is recommended for best taste.
The vigorous shaking may cause the parsley to give the dressing a slightly green hue.  This is no problem and just illustrates how fresh the dressing is.
We prefer dried oregano and basil over fresh for this recipe.  We've tested both versions, and feel the dried delivers the best flavor. 
This dressing can be used for a salad dressing, marinade, and dipping sauce. 

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

6 Comments

  • 5 stars
    You guys did it again! You came to my rescue today and saved the day, as well as, my tortellini salad for a 4th of July BBQ. Your Italian Dressing is great! Although I must admit I was a little sceptible to combine lemon juice and white vinegar but I resisted making changes and followed the recipe as written. It sure works and I’ll never doubt you again!

    • Hi Veronica!!! Woo hoo!! We are so so happy our Italian dressing came to the rescue! And no doubt it would be delicious with your fabulous tortellini salad! Sounds amazing. We hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful 4th of July and thank you so much for sharing your success and for the GREAT review! That means so much to us!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley

  • Dear Kris and Wesley,

    I appreciate your response for the Homemade Italian Dressing, I am new to your blog. and I have tried a few of your recipes. They came out delicious, I now have you on my favorites listing .I am now retired from the Nuclear field of work and never had the time to devote to culinary skills. I am so glad that I found you guys. Please say hello to Eb & Flo.

    Thank you !
    Diana

    • Hi Diana! That is amazing!! That is wonderful that you can now step away from what must have been a pretty stressful (but incredible) job, and do something fun and relaxing like cooking! And we are so thrilled to help you out in anyway we can! Please stay in touch and Eb and Flo send their love! Kris & Wesley

    • Hi Diana! So sorry about that and thanks for bringing that to our attention. Go with 1 teaspoon of onion powder. We’ve updated the recipe to reflect this. Let us know if you make the dressing and what you think!! Best, Kris & Wesley

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