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    Hummusapien » Recipes » Salads » The Best Italian Dressing

    ★★★★★ from 5 reviews

    The Best Italian Dressing

    Published Apr 5, 2021 · Modified Dec 14, 2022 · by Alexis Joseph · 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    The most delicious homemade Italian Dressing made in the blender so it's rich and creamy! Easy, quick, and tastes so much better than bottled.

    salad on a plate with fork

    Spring feels like it has fiiiinally made its grand entrance along with THE most fantastical Italian dressing! Straight outta your salad dreams, I tell ya.

    Now listen here. We pretty much have three salad situations to go alongside our nightly salad routine.

    The first is this Balsamic Vinaigrette, which is so gosh darn delish and just like today's recipe, it's made in the blender. The second is my Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing--amazing. Having foolproof homemade salad dressing ready to go in the fridge just makes life more delish.

    And the third is when we feel like being super fast and don't have the energy to get out more than a couple ingredients. We dump a bunch of pre-rinsed spinach in a bowl and simply toss with a hefty extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar of Modena, garlic powder, and plenty of salt and pepper.

    While most nights we lean toward the latter, our nightly salads are always exponentially better I take five minutes to involve a dreamy homemade dressing. I swear, it's so easy! And it totally makes us want to eat more salad.

    salad dressing in blender bottle

    The low down on ingredients

    • Extra virgin olive oil: I adore the flavor of olive oil in salad dressing but any neutral flavored oil you keep on hand should work here.
    • Apple cider vinegar: Love this stuff for its health benefits, but red wine vinegar is great, too.
    • Honey: This helps balance the tartness of the vinegar without making the dressing taste at all sweet. Sometimes I add more if I want less tang and more sweet. Maple syrup works great, too.
    • Fresh garlic: Such good flavor!
    • Salt and pepper: Very important for flavor. Don't go light here since the dressing will get diluted in the salad!
    • Dried herbs: Italian flavor on repeat. I love to throw in a small handful of fresh parsley if I have it on hand, too.
    • Water: You can add as much or as little as you want but keep in mind the more you add, the less flavor the dressing will have.

    Why make salad dressing in the blender?

    I know, I know...it's another thing to wash. But hear me out! Blending the oil and vinegar and yummy additions helps emulsify them to perfection, leaving you with super smooth and creamy dressing versus one that separates easily and isn't truly combined.

    Technically you could whisk all these ingredients together but I promise you it wouldn't be the same. I use my Nutribullet which is easy to clean!

    blended salad dressing

    Tools for a rockin' salad

    • A handy shaker bottle for storing leftover dressing (easy drizzling is key)
    • Our go-to salad spinner for dry greens that dressing clings to
    • A good pair of tongs for tossing
    • Super cute wood salad servers
    • A big salad serving bowl

    Pretty please let me know if you make this dressing! And as always, if you’d be so kind as to leave a comment/star rating on the blog I’d be so grateful!

    THE SALAD GAME IS ON.

    plate of salad with fork
    Print
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    salad on a plate with fork

    Homemade Italian Dressing

    ★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
    • Author: Alexis Joseph
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cup 1x
    • Category: Salad
    • Method: Blender
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    The most delicious homemade Italian Dressing made in the blender so it's rich and creamy! Easy, quick, and tastes so much better than bottled.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
    • 2 tbsp honey (can sub maple syrup)
    • 2 tbsp water
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 1 tsp dried parsley
    • 1 tsp dried basil
    • ¾ tsp fine sea salt
    • Lots of freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    1. Place all ingredients in a blender (blending is key for a thick and creamy dressing, I used my Nutribullet) and blend until smooth and creamy.
    2. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Dressing will thicken as it chills, so stir in 1-2 tbsp more water as needed. Dressing will keep up to a week or longer in the fridge. I store mine in this shaker bottle.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @hummusapien on Instagram. I love sharing what you make!

    About Alexis Joseph

    Oh HEY there! I'm Alexis Joseph, food writer, blogger, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), new mama, and co-founder of local restaurant group, Alchemy. I use my passion for cooking and wellness as fuel to help others ignite a more freeing and happy relationship with food. Learn more about Alexis!

    5 Secrets to Delish, Healthy Lunches

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Tae says

      August 27, 2022 at 10:53 pm

      A truly delicious and simple to make salad dressing.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alexis Joseph says

        August 29, 2022 at 12:42 pm

        Fabulous, thank you Tae!

        Reply
    2. Rachelle says

      May 25, 2021 at 2:04 pm

      This is life changing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        May 27, 2021 at 11:40 pm

        Heck yes!!!

        Reply
    3. Katie says

      May 17, 2021 at 2:12 am

      I keep coming back to this recipe. We’re over store bought dressings thanks to you!! I’ll throw in some slight changes based on what we have (eg sometimes lemon juice instead of vinegar, or an addition of some roasted red pepper purée) and yum every time!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        May 17, 2021 at 5:20 pm

        Awww amazing! Totally make it. your own 🙂 Thanks, Katie!

        Reply
    4. Renee says

      April 20, 2021 at 8:57 pm

      This is a really good dressing! I make it on Sunday and it last all week. My family loves it!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Dylan says

      April 06, 2021 at 12:09 pm

      I keep a salad dressing in the fridge at all times! This is one of my go-to recipes, but I love the balsamic and ACV dressings as well! So much flavor!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Malissa says

      April 06, 2021 at 9:38 am

      absolutely the best homemade Italian dressing! It is a must-try!!

      Reply

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    Well HELLO there, pal! I'm Alexis. Welcome to Hummusapien, a fantastical food blog brimming with nourishing (always delish!) recipes from a Registered Dietitian plus life tidbits to inspire you to live your most joyful, balanced life. Grab a super hot cup o' joe and let's get cookin'.

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