Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipe

By: Jeremy Fox, CNC, CPTUpdated: February 17, 2024

Salads are a staple of a healthy diet. However, most store-bought salad dressings are not healthy at all! They are often loaded with added sugar and sodium, which can cause weight gain or water retention.

Fortunately, you can make salads healthy again by whipping up your own dressing at home. Therefore, I am going to share a super simple recipe for a healthy homemade salad dressing that tastes great.

Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Nutritioneering

I’ve been making this homemade vinaigrette for more than ten years. It’s a staple in my kitchen and a family favorite. With its high-quality ingredients and versatility, I’m confident it will also become one of your all-time favorite salad dressings.

How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing

This recipe only requires a handful of simple ingredients you can pick up at your local grocery store. Here’s how to make this delicious salad dressing.

Ingredients

  • 4 Oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 Oz White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 Tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
  • ½ Tsp Basil
  • Dash of Black Pepper (optional)

This simple salad dressing is made with equal parts oil and vinegar to create the basic vinaigrette. Then, you add a little bit of mustard, dried herbs, and seasonings to balance out the bold flavors.

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a measuring cup and stir well with a fork or whisk. Once all the ingredients are mixed, transfer the salad dressing to an air-tight container like a mason jar. Store at room temperature in a dark cabinet.

Alternatively, you can purchase a plain salad dressing bottle at most department stores. For example, I found this cool salad dressing bottle at Target. It has more homemade salad dressing recipes on the side and volume markings so you can mix ingredients right in the bottle.

It’s normal for the ingredients to settle since the different viscosities of oil and vinegar don’t stay mixed. Simply stir or shake well before each use.

Substitutions

As mentioned, you can get creative and use different ingredients in your homemade dressing. For example, you could use another healthy fat like avocado oil instead of extra-virgin olive oil.

The kind of vinegar you use will have the most significant impact on flavor. So feel free to experiment with different vinegars to get the flavor you like. I prefer the lighter flavor of white balsamic, but you could swap it out for white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or regular balsamic vinegar.

Instead of spicy brown mustard, you could use Dijon mustard or honey mustard, depending on your preferences. This recipe uses dried basil leaves, but you could also use other dried or fresh herbs. Lastly, many people like to add a splash of lemon juice to create a little more zest.

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Homemade Salad Dressing Nutrition

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I pay close attention to food labels in the grocery store. I’ve noticed that most store vinaigrette dressings reduce the amount of oil but increase added sugars and sodium to make it taste better.

With this homemade salad dressing, my goal was to reduce the carbs and remove added sugars altogether. As a result, this dressing won’t spike your blood sugar and will satisfy your cravings for savory flavors without unwanted salt.

Serving Size 2 Tbsp

  • Calories 140
  • Fat 14g
    • Saturated Fat 2g
  • Carbohydrates 4g
    • Sugar 4g
    • Added Sugar 0g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sodium 0mg

Homemade Salad Dressing Meal Ideas

This classic vinaigrette goes great with simple green salads, pasta salads, or as a dipping sauce for fresh veggies. My favorite low-carb meal involves cutting up a cooked chicken breast for a high-protein balsamic vinaigrette chicken salad.

Homemade Salad Dressing Image

Image Credit: @jeremyfoxfitness on Instagram

Homemade Salad Dressing for Weight Loss

Homemade salad dressing is a great alternative to store-bought dressings for weight loss. Because it gives you total control over the ingredients so you can remove sugar and carbs for a low-carb diet. In addition, you’ll notice there is zero sodium, which will help shed pounds of water weight.

However, it’s important to note the base ingredient in many of these recipes is extra virgin olive oil. This healthy fat is rich in omegas but is still very calorie-dense. The best way to control your portion size is to use a tablespoon to help you measure it as you add it to your salad.

Another option is to change the ratio of oil and vinegar. For instance, adding two parts vinegar and one part olive oil results in less fat and fewer calories per serving.

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By |February 17, 2024|Nutrition|0 Comments
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