Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe

Italian Dressing is one of the best homemade dressing recipes that will liven up just about any salad and tastes as good as Olive Garden’s!  Plus, it’s easy to prepare, gluten-free, healthy and you will only need a few easy to find ingredients to make this homemade Italian dressing!

Want a few other easy salad dressing ideas?  You might also like this Honey Mustard Dressing, Lemon Basil Vinaigrette, and these other Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes.

Italian Dressing Recipe – Just Like Olive Garden’s!

We lived in a small town in Southeast Texas, on the border between Texas and Louisiana.  It took us 30 minutes to get to a “city” with a mall and an Olive Garden.  (Now it takes me that long just to drive across town here in Austin!!)

But even as a young kid who would turn up her nose at a head of iceberg lettuce, I found myself scarfing down an entire bowl of Olive Garden’s salad with their delightful Italian dressing.

Have you ever tried the Italian salad dressing at Olive Garden?

Italian Salad Dressing – Homemade & Healthier

And then Olive Garden released their bottled salad dressing – and I was in LOVE!!

I put it on everything from this Italian Dressing Pasta Salad, used it as a marinade on chicken, or doused a big ole’ chopped kale salad in it.

But to be honest, the bottled salad dressing is made with a few ingredients that are not great to consume on a daily or weekly basis. (I.e. – soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)

So instead, why not make our own homemade Italian dressing recipe – it is actually super simple and easy!

If I have convinced you that making your own Italian salad dressing at home is the best way, then let’s dive into ingredients you will need, what kind of oil to use, how to make Italian dressing,  if Italian dressing is healthy, how long homemade Italian dressing will last, what to make with Italian dressing, and a few more answers to some FAQs.

Italian Dressing Ingredients

Homemade Italian salad dressing is one of the best vinaigrettes you can make at home and only requires a few simple ingredients:

• Oil – Read below about what type of oil is best.
• Italian Seasoning – You can find the dried Italian seasoning in your herb/spices aisle at the grocery store.  You can also substitute with a blend of dried oregano, basil, and other Italian herbs.
• White Wine Vinegar – If you want to make it even healthier, feel free to substitute with apple cider vinegar.
• Sweetener – Honey is used in this recipe, but agave nectar or regular sugar can also be substituted.
• Garlic – Crushed garlic (using a garlic press!) is the way.  Do not leave this ingredient out!
• Lemon Juice – Lemon juice gives the dressing an extra bit of freshness.
• Parmesan Cheese – This is the secret ingredient that makes this Italian dressing the best recipe there is!

Type of Oil to Use

Since oil is the main ingredient in a healthy homemade salad dressing recipe, the type of oil has a huge impact on the finished product.

A good quality extra virgin olive oil is the best oil to use when making a homemade Italian dressing recipe, or any other salad dressing for that matter.

Much like many of the other salad dressing recipes you will find here on the site, avocado oil, sunflower oil, or safflower oil can also be substituted for olive oil but will affect the taste slightly.

How to Make Italian Dressing?

1. Add ingredients to a high speed blender, food processor or mason jar.
2. Blend, process, or shake until ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Serve Italian dressing over a salad with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Here’s a closer look into the different ways to blend up the Italian dressing recipe:

1. High Speed Blender – The NutriBullet is the best way to make homemade salad dressings in my opinion.  It blends and emulsifies everything up beautifully and is super easy to clean.
2. Mini Food Processor – My second favorite way to make a vinaigrette is to add all of the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Whisk by Hand – Lastly, if you do not have a blender or food processor you can always whisk the ingredients together by hand.  Just note, the dressing will not be nearly as smooth.

Is Italian Salad Dressing Healthy?

Yes.  Homemade Italian dressing is a much healthier alternative to the salad dressing bought in the store.  It is made with a good quality oil, unrefined sugar, and does not have any additives or emulsifiers in it.

Italian dressing is gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan by using a vegan Parmesan cheese.

How Long Does Homemade Italian Dressing Last?

Homemade Italian dressing can last for up to 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container (such as these cute glass mason jars!) in the refrigerator.

Let Italian dressing sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Just before serving, shake or blend it up again and then pour it over your salad, pasta salad, or chicken.

Recipes to Make with Italian Dressing

Italian Dressing Pasta Salad

Zesty Italian Chicken

Italian Dressing Steak Marinade

5 from 2 votes

Print

Italian Dressing Recipe | Olive Garden's

Italian Dressing is one of the best homemade dressing recipes that will liven up just about any salad and tastes as good as Olive Garden's!  Plus, it's easy to prepare, gluten-free, healthy and you will only need a few easy to find ingredients to make this homemade Italian dressing!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Italian dressing, Italian dressing recipe, Italian salad dressing

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 5 servings

Calories 239 kcal

Author London

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. lemon juice fresh
• 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. honey
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend for 20-30 seconds, or until smooth.  

2. Alternatively, you can whisk together ingredients in a bowl or shake until incorporated in a mason jar.

3. Store Italian salad dressing in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks between servings. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• You can use a mini-prep food processor, NutriBullet blender, or a Vitamix with similar results.
• You can also use a vegan Parmesan cheese to make this recipe dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan.

Nutrition Facts

Italian Dressing Recipe | Olive Garden's

Amount Per Serving

Calories 239 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 6mg2%

Sodium 143mg6%

Potassium 33mg1%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 105IU2%

Vitamin C 0.9mg1%

Calcium 136mg14%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.