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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Salads

    Italian Salad Dressing

    BY: Courtney PUBLISHED: Dec 19, 2019 19 Comments UPDATED ON: Oct 20, 2022

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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    JUMP TO RECIPE

    Skip the store-bought dressing and make your own Italian Salad Dressing recipe at home from scratch! This recipe is completely homemade and it’s perfect for salads, pasta salads, marinating veggies or even dipping bread.

    italian salad dressing in a mason jar with a spoon and tomato garlic clove and parsley behind it

    We love making things homemade whenever possible and making a homemade salad dressing is super simple. When it comes to this salad dressing you’ll most likely have everything you’ll need right at home. This dressing is perfect for our Vegan Pasta Salad recipe as well!

    ingredients for italian dressing in mason jar layered vinegar seasonings and oil on top with mason jar with red chili flakes and measuring spoon to the left and cutting board with garlic and parsley chopped behind it

    ITALIAN DRESSING INGREDIENTS

    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • Vinegar (you can use white or red wine)
    • Water
    • Garlic (fresh preferred, but you could sub with dried if needed)
    • Dried Oregano
    • Dried Basil
    • Fresh Parsley
    • Red Pepper Flakes
    • Kosher Salt
    • Pepper

    dried herbs floating on salad dressing with fresh herbs and garlic chopped in background with chef knife and red chili flakes in a small mason jar to the left with measuring spoon

    HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING

    You’ll need a 16 oz mason jar or any large container that has an airtight lid.

    Freshly chop the garlic and parsley.

    chopped garlic and parsley on a cutting board with chef knife

    To make the Italian dressing pour in the oil, vinegar, water, oregano, parsley, Kosher salt, and red pepper flakes into the mason jar.

    hand holding italian salad dressing in a mason jar with plastic lid

    Cover the jar with the lid and then shake until the dressing is combined. Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.

    ingredients for italian salad dressing in a mason jar with red chili flakes in smaller mason jar to the bottom left

    IS IT SPICY?

    No, this isn’t a spicy dressing. We only use a small amount of red pepper flakes, if you wanted more of a kick you could add more.

    HOW DO YOU STORE HOMEMADE DRESSING?

    Any unused dressing should be stored in the refrigerator.

    HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE DRESSING LAST?

    We use this within 2-3 days due to the fresh garlic. The dressing may solidify due to the olive oil. If this happens, just remove it from the fridge a few minutes before using it. Give a good shake to combine the ingredients before pouring.

    italian salad dressing in a mason jar and tomato garlic clove and parsley behind it

    IS THIS A VEGAN DRESSING RECIPE?

    Yes, this is completely vegan. Some Italian dressings contain parmesan cheese so they would not be considered vegan. If you’re vegan, you’d love our Italian Pasta Salad using this dressing.

    italian pasta salad in a white bowl with napkin to the left

    RECIPES NOTES:

    • This isn’t a spicy dressing, but if you like a little more heat you can add more red pepper flakes
    • If you don’t have fresh garlic you can use dried granulated or powdered, just be sure to use less as it’s dried.
    • If you don’t have fresh parsley you can use 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
    • This must be refrigerated, the dressing will solidify a bit due to the olive oil, give it a good shake before pouring. Use within 2-3 days. We recommend using all of it sooner than later if you’re using raw garlic. You could also use a 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
    • We used wide mouth mason jars with reusable plastic lids.
    italian salad dressing in a mason jar with a spoon and tomato garlic clove and parsley behind it

    Italian Salad Dressing

    Author: Courtney
    Skip the store-bought dressing and make your own Italian Salad Dressing recipe at home from scratch! This recipe is completely homemade and it's perfect for salads, pasta salads, marinating veggies or even dipping bread.
    5 from 50 votes

    (click stars to vote)

    Print Pin SaveSaved!
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 minute minute
    Total Time: 6 minutes minutes
    Servings: 14 servings
    Calories: 140kcal
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: italian dressing, italian salad dressing
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 cup vinegar white or red wine
    • 1/3 cup water
    • 2 cloves garlic fresh or dried, minced
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1/4 cup parsley fresh
    • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt more or less to taste
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

    Instructions

    • Freshly chop the garlic and parsley.
    • In a 16 oz mason jar combine the oil, vinegar, water, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes into the mason jar.
    • Cover the jar with the lid and then shake until the dressing is combined.
    • Serve or refrigerate for up to 2-3 days.

    Tried this recipe?

    We’d love to know what you think! Please leave a rating and comment to share your thoughts on this recipe. Your feedback helps us continue sharing free, high-quality recipes with you. Thank you so much!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Italian Salad Dressing
    Serving Size
     
    2 tablespoons
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    140
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    15
    g
    23
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    13
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    11
    g
    Sodium
     
    168
    mg
    7
    %
    Potassium
     
    12
    mg
    0
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    0.4
    g
    0
    %
    Fiber
     
    0.1
    g
    0
    %
    Sugar
     
    0.02
    g
    0
    %
    Protein
     
    0.1
    g
    0
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    96
    IU
    2
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    2
    mg
    2
    %
    Calcium
     
    7
    mg
    1
    %
    Iron
     
    0.3
    mg
    2
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    full nutrition disclaimer

    The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.

    Did you make this recipe?Tag us on social media using @knowyourproduce and or use #knowyourproduce!

    POSTED IN: Recipes Salads basil extra virgin olive oil garlic oregano parsley red pepper flakes vinegar

    About Courtney

    Fruit and Veggie lover. I love making produce fun and delicious, not to mention taking tons of pictures in the process! :-)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bubbles

      May 12, 2020 at 7:55 am

      Looking forward to making this! Have you ever used fresh oregano in it?

      Reply
      • Courtney

        May 12, 2020 at 1:18 pm

        We haven’t, but if you were to use fresh we recommend using 2-3 times more the amount as dried is more potent. 🙂

        Reply
        • Christy Koury

          May 10, 2024 at 9:59 am

          You list dried basil in the ingredients, but you never say to add it. Do you just add it with the other herbs?

        • Courtney

          May 10, 2024 at 10:05 am

          Sorry about that! Yes, the basil goes in with the dried herbs. We also have a video for better visual 🙂

    2. AJ

      August 19, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      I can’t believe how easy this was and to be honest, it’s better than any bottled dressing I’ve purchased!!!

      Reply
      • Courtney

        August 21, 2020 at 5:19 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    3. Elizabeth

      January 24, 2021 at 11:40 am

      Excited to try! How long is it good for?

      Reply
      • Courtney

        January 25, 2021 at 12:39 pm

        We recommend using it within a week, must be refrigerated. 🙂

        Reply
        • Kk

          July 22, 2022 at 3:27 pm

          Just made it, currently chilling in the fridge for dinner can’t wait to try smelled great I had to sub oregano & did Italian seasoning since couldn’t find my oregano lol and I used gluten free noodles as I need to be gf can’t wait to try it!

    4. Leera

      February 17, 2021 at 5:02 am

      Wow nice idea!!

      Reply
      • Courtney

        March 11, 2021 at 5:31 pm

        Thank you so much!!

        Reply
    5. Isabel Lopez

      December 16, 2021 at 7:37 pm

      Hi! I love this recipe so much! I use it to marinade my chicken breast and of course everything else. I could drink it! Lol! Always so flavorful. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Courtney

        December 18, 2021 at 1:06 pm

        We are so happy you are enjoying it!! Thank you so much for the review 🙂

        Reply
    6. Catherine

      May 30, 2022 at 6:57 pm

      Just made this to use on my pasta salad ~ oh my, so delicious!!! I had to use granulated garlic and dried parsley since I was out of fresh but it worked perfectly and I will definitely be using this a lot!

      Reply
      • Courtney

        May 31, 2022 at 10:24 am

        So glad you enjoyed it! We also use dry in a pinch too 🙂 Especially with the shortages, we couldn’t find fresh parsley for almost a week 😮

        Reply
        • Claire

          February 10, 2023 at 10:13 pm

          This is amazing! #Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to try your recipe!! Could I know the size ‘cup’?? I can’t imagine how much it is ‘1 cup for Extra Virgin Olive Oil’
          ‘1/2 cup for Vinegar’ ‘1/3 cup Water’ when measuring…….

        • Courtney

          February 14, 2023 at 9:05 am

          It’s a good size batch, which is why we measure in cups. I recommend using al liquid measuring cup 🙂

    7. Claudine

      June 15, 2022 at 10:04 am

      on utiliser du sel normal n’ayant pas de sel casher et ou le trouver merci

      Reply
      • Courtney

        June 19, 2022 at 6:00 pm

        Can you let me know where you’re located? Kosher salt should be in most supermarkets. 🙂

        Reply
    5 from 50 votes (45 ratings without comment)

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