Easy Homemade Italian Dressing

Name: Easy Homemade Italian Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon dijon mustard; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon dried basil; 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

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by Marcie // January 31, 2019 (updated 5/14/23)

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Upgrade your next salad with fresh, zesty Homemade Italian Dressing! This flavorful salad dressing includes a few simple ingredients and takes just 5 minutes to make!

Jar of homemade Italian dressing with spoon and basil

I plan to share more homemade salad dressing recipes with you this year, because you obviously love them as much as I do. My Greek Salad Dressing was the most popular recipe last year, which really shouldn’t have surprised me.

Simple recipes are often the best, and homemade dressing is a sure fire way to make any salad next level.

My balsamic vinaigrette dressing and apple cider vinegar dressing are staples as they’re sweet and tangy, but sometimes I crave something more zesty and savory like this Homemade Italian Salad Dressing.

This simple recipe comes together in mere minutes, and is very versatile for all types of salads. It adds so much flavor to my Italian chopped salad!

Zesty Italian Dressing in jar before mixing

Table of Contents

Why you’ll love this recipe:

This easy Italian dressing recipe is zesty and savory, with a freshness you can really taste. You’ll never want to purchase store-bought Italian dressing again!
It includes just 6 simple ingredients and takes 5 minutes to make.
It’s gluten-free, dairy free, and vegan, and suits most special diets.
It keeps for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Recipe ingredients

There are only 6 ingredients in this recipe, most of which you’ll find in your pantry.

Red wine vinegar. This ingredient is a must in my opinion, but if you don’t have any on hand, I’d suggest white wine or white balsamic vinegar.
Lemon juice. Be sure to fresh lemon juice over bottled as it makes such a difference in your dressing!
Olive oil. Olive oil is the oil of choice for my salad dressings, but it may be substituted with canola oil or whatever you have on hand.
Dried herbs and spices. This zesty Italian dressing contains garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and basil. You can certainly use fresh over dried to pump up the flavor.
Dijon mustard. I rarely make dressing without dijon mustard as it adds a ton of flavor and it also helps emulsify the ingredients.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

A simple Italian Dressing in jar after whisking

How to make this recipe

The easiest way to make zesty Italian dressing is in a mason jar. Simply place all ingredients in the mason jar, seal tightly with a lid and shake vigorously until emulsified.

You can also use a bowl and whisk. Add everything but the olive oil into a small bowl and whisk until combined. Add the oil while whisking until emulsified.

Recipe FAQs

How do you make Italian dressing from scratch?

Homemade Italian dressing is beyond easy to make! Simply add olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard, dried herbs, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper to a small mason jar.

Secure the lid, shake vigorously until emulsified and it’s ready to use!

How long does Italian dressing last in the fridge?

Homemade Italian salad dressing will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. The shelf life is shorter than store-bought dressings as it does not contain preservatives.

Jar of homemade Italian salad dressing with whisk

Recipe notes

Pro tip: The dressing will solidify once stored in the fridge. Remove for 10-15 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature then shake vigorously before using.
Add 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan or nutritional yeast for even more umami flavor!
The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks in an air tight container.

Zesty Italian dressing drizzling from spoon into jar

More homemade salad dressing recipes:

Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram