Warmer weather prompts an excitement for the coming days of fresh crunchy vegetables, grilled meats, and zesty flavors. With gardens being plotted and outdoor patio furniture dusted off, menus are likely to incorporate flavorful salads for backyard gatherings and spring hosting spreads. The beauty of a salad is its ability to feel light yet filling, feed a crowd with ease, and be endlessly customizable.
Want to bring your salad game to the next level? Make your own salad dressing! With a few staple ingredients and a pinch of creativity, you can create a plethora of dressing options. This is a great way to avoid unnecessary ingredients (such as processed sugar, preservatives, and unhealthy oils), save money, get creative, and add an explosion of taste to your salad. A good salad dressing can transform a salad from a simple side into the star of the meal.
Read along for four simple salad dressings to make at home, and their salad counterparts.
Zesty lemon vinaigrette
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (plus 1-2 more teaspoons if you like extra tang!)
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
½ tsp. salt
Cracked pepper to taste
Directions: Add all ingredients (oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and cracked pepper) to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to combine. If too tangy for your taste, add a bit of olive oil until you think it's delicious!
Salad counterpart: Arugula, thinly sliced purple onion, thinly sliced cucumber, pepita pumpkin seeds. Add grilled shrimp or chicken for protein.
Ranch dressing (slightly adapted from this Ranch dressing for a more dill forward taste)
1 ½ cups avocado oil (light-tasting olive oil can also work but an extra-virgin olive oil creates a very bitter dressing)
2 eggs
1 tsp. mustard powder
2 garlic cloves
Ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. white or apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp. fresh dill
¼ cup fresh parsley
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ - ¾ cup almond milk
¼ cup dill pickle juice (optional, and if using decrease the amount of almond milk by ¼ cup)
1 tsp. sea salt
Directions:
In a jar with a mouth opening about the size of an immersion blender, add all ingredients except the chopped herbs, almond milk, and dill juice. Push the immersion blender into the bottom of the jar and then begin blending on medium speed (increasing as needed) to make the mixture at the bottom opaque and very thick. Once the mixture is thick begin to raise the immersion blender slowly to the top and then press back down to finish incorporating the oil remaining on the top.
Once emulsified, remove the blender and add the herbs. Slowly press the blender down over the herbs, aiming to chop and incorporate them into the mixture. You may need to move the blender around a bit to combine everything but don’t overmix!
Add the almond milk and pickle juice (start slowly) to desired thinness. Begin with ¼ dill juice and ¼ cup almond milk and add more if needed. Stir with a spoon to incorporate.
Salad counterpart: Many salads taste delicious with ranch, but one crowd favorite is a classic cobb salad. Crunchy romaine, juicy tomatoes, crisp bacon, sliced cucumbers, avocado, a sliced hardboiled egg, sunflower seeds, and croutons.
But honestly, drizzle this dressing on just about anything for a taste bud explosion. Pizza? Yes. Raw vegetables? Yes. Buffalo chicken wrap? Yes. Does everything taste better with ranch? Yes.
Italian Vinaigrette (adapted from The Whole 30 cookbook)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. dried oregano (or 2 tbsp. fresh!)
2 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 tbsp. fresh!)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. mustard powder
¾ extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
Directions: Mix together the vinegar, oregano, parsley, garlic, onion powder, and mustard powder in a bowl. Add a steady stream of olive oil while whisking vigorously to emulsify the dressing. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper. Optional: Add all ingredients to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until combined.
Salad counterpart: Cabbage slaw, grilled or cast-iron cooked shrimp, roasted cashews, sesame seeds, shredded carrots, fresh basil, and dill.
Caesar Dressing from Once Upon a Chef
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. anchovy paste (found near canned tuna in the market)
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions: Whisk together garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-reggiano, salt, and pepper until combined.
Salad counterpart: What other than a delicious Caesar salad? To take your salad up a notch (although, this dressing plus romaine is close to perfection) add crisped bacon, shredded parmesan, grilled chicken, and croutons.
Whether you’re adding fresh greens to a spring gathering or throwing a quick salad together for family dinner, making your own dressing is a quick, affordable, and delicious way to bring intentionality and creativity to your meal.