Three Salad Dressings You’ll Need In Your Kitchen

A jar of homemade salad dressing will come in handy when you want to quickly whip up a salad or meat marinade. Here’s how to make salad dressings 3 ways, with ideas on what salads to make, and how to store them!

Don’t underestimate the good old salad dressing. Boring veggies SPRING to life when you drizzle some dressing on top! This post is about 3 of my favourite salad dressing recipes in the world. They are all made with fresh ingredients and literally come together in minutes. While there are a thousand brands out there that sell packaged salad dressing, I like to keep my cooking fresh and preservatives-free.

Making a well-balanced dressing can be challenging when you’re dealing with ingredients like vinegars and olive oil. Too much or too less of any ingredient can make or break the salad. It’s so important to get the proportions right so the salad tastes like you want it to! And that’s why these trusty salad dressing recipes will come in handy. We did multiple trials of these recipes and zeroed in on the best ratios. So chill, we’ve got your back for those healthy salad days!

Herb Vinaigrette

This herby vinaigrette is lush green in colour and so piquant. You’ll smell strong notes of basil and mint mixed with sharp pungency from the garlic and a familiar nuttiness from the walnuts. It’s almost kinda like a good pesto sauce for salads! The basil herb vinaigrette should be chunky and flavourful. It’s important to blend the ingredients well together. We’ve added the olive oil into the food processor in a steady trickle and that’s how the dressing emulsifies.

This herb vinaigrette tastes great with:

• Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Pasta Salad with Tomato, Arugula and Pine Nuts

Creamy Peanut Salad Dressing

Looking for an unconventional way to make boring veggies super yummy? Grab some peanut butter! We made an Asian-ish creamy peanut salad dressing with a rather unconventional mix of ingredients. And we promise it is DELISH. This is one of those rare salad dressings that’s simmered on the stove until all the ingredients come together. You’ll get a creamy, flavourful salad dressing in all it’s peanutty glory! We’ve used smooth peanut butter for this recipe, but you can use the chunky version if you want to. This peanut sauce gets its acidity from rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. We added honey and sriracha for contrasting notes of sweet and hot. The minced ginger will make you thank Mother Nature for her gifts. And the toasted sesame oil brings everything together. Whisk this mixture while it simmers to avoid any lumps!

Try this peanut salad dressing with:

• Crunchy Thai salad
• Quinoa Salad with Veggies

Honey Mustard Dressing

I did say simple salad dressing recipes, didn’t I? Okay, grab a jar. Throw in the ingredients for the honey mustard dressing. Close the lid. And…. Shake shake shake it! That’s literally all it takes to make honey mustard dressing. It’s recipes like these that make me fall in love with food all over again! Because of its colour, this salad dressing is also called the Sunshine Salad Dressing! Honey mustard is a classic combination and we love it too. We’ve used apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar in this recipe for a balance of sweet, tangy and acidic flavours. Follow the measurements given in the recipe so that the dressing is well-balanced. I make this in a jar and store it in the same jar. You could also use a bowl and whisk to bring this dressing together. If you choose to do that, drizzle the olive oil in a steady stream to help the dressing emulsify.

This honey mustard salad dressing goes well with:

• Lettuce, tomatoes, and olive salad
• Chicken salad with cucumber and Red peppers

How To Store A Salad Dressing

The best way to store a salad dressing is to put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator so it remains fresh. I usually make a batch enough for 2-3 batches of salad and finish it off within a week. But the honey mustard and peanut sauce dressing last a month in the fridge. The herb vinaigrette should be used within a week because the fresh herbs may start spoiling.

Loved these salad dressing recipes? Let us know in the comments below!

More Healthy Salad Recipes You Must Try:

• Lemon Dill Potato Salad
• Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad
• Creamy Apple Broccoli Walnut Salad