The BEST Italian Dressing (Easy + Homemade)
Homemade Italian Dressing is zesty, delicious on green salads or pasta salads, and excellent as a marinade…plus it's all-natural and easy to make! This is the only Italian dressing recipe you need!
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If you enjoy vinaigrette-type salad dressings, you'll also love Balsamic Vinaigrette, Greek Salad Dressing, and Champagne Vinaigrette!
Have you jumped on the make-your-own-salad-dressing bandwagon yet? Because if you haven't, there's no time like the present. And this Italian Dressing recipe needs to be at the top of your list!
Why Make Your Own Dressing?
Fresh, homemade Italian Dressing is so much tastier than store-bought.
It's also way less expensive.
And best of all, it's free of any icky ingredients or additives!
I have always loved Italian Dressing, both for its flavor and its versatility. Not only is it tasty on green salads, but it's also delicious on sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, or stirred into pasta salad. It's fabulous as marinade for chicken, pork, or beef.
And while I've enjoyed some yummy bottled Italian salad dressings over the years, nothing compares to making it yourself from scratch!
When I was growing up, my mom always bought the Italian Dressing seasoning packets that came with that special glass cruet marked with lines to indicate how much oil, how much water, and how much vinegar to add along with the seasonings. As a child, it was actually always my job to "make the dressing." So I'd do my measuring and then...shake, shake, shake! Salad was served.
But would you believe that making your own Italian Dressing recipe is just about as effortless?! Sure, there are a few additional ingredients involved beyond a packet of dry seasonings. But it still only takes a matter of minutes to whip up a fresh batch!
Ingredients
So what does it take to make homemade Italian Dressing? Well, I bet you already have the ingredients in your pantry!
- Extra-virgin olive oil. My preferred type of oil for most homemade salad dressings, but particularly when making Italian Dressing. The only caveat is that EVOO will thicken when chilled. So after you refrigerate any leftover dressing, you'll need to let it come to room temperature and give it a good shake to re-combine/re-emulsify before serving. Alternatively, you may use a neutral-flavored vegetable oil instead (such as sunflower, safflower, or avocado oil), if that's your preference.
- Wine vinegar. Here's the thing...you can make this Italian Dressing recipe with either white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar! I honestly can't decide which one I prefer. Both of them yield a delightful dressing, but the results do taste slightly different. Dressing made with white wine vinegar seems slightly more acidic to me and the flavor is probably more akin to store-bought dressing, whereas I feel like red wine vinegar adds an extra undertone of flavor. I love them both and, as a result, I typically alternate which one I use...or I often make a batch of Italian salad dressing using half white wine vinegar and half red wine vinegar!
- Water. Believe it or not, a little water helps mellow out the zippy flavors in a vinaigrette.
- Honey. To balance the acidity of this Italian Dressing, not to add sweetness.
- Lemon juice. For a punch of brightness! If you have fresh lemon juice, that's always best, but a good bottled brand (with lemon juice as the only ingredient) will work as well.
- Parmesan cheese. Freshly grated. You can opt to omit this ingredient, but I really feel like its addition lends a delicious richness to the dressing.
- Garlic salt. For seasoning, and for a hint of garlic that's not too overpowering. If you'd like to incorporate the zing of fresh garlic instead, substitute ½ teaspoon sea salt plus one small clove of garlic, either pressed or grated.
- Dried herbs. Specifically, parsley, basil, and oregano. If you want to substitute fresh herbs, you'll need to multiply the amount X 3 (since fresh herbs are 3 X less potent than dried).
- Crushed red pepper flakes. Just a pinch, although you're free to increase the amount for some heat.
- Freshly ground black pepper. To taste.
As a bonus, you can customize this recipe to your own tastes, tweaking any of the ingredients as you see fit.
Just remember that the quality and freshness of your ingredients will affect the ultimate flavor of your dressing! Rancid oil or old, weak vinegar won't allow this Italian Dressing to live up to its potential.
How to Make Italian Dressing
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
You can make your very own batch of homemade Italian salad dressing in a matter of minutes!
- Measure the oil, vinegar, water, honey, and lemon juice into a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Add the grated Parmesan and the dried herbs and spices.
- Screw the lid onto the jar and shake, shake, shake!
And now you're ready to drizzle this Italian Dressing over your favorite green salad, splash it over garden-fresh veggies, stir it into a zesty pasta salad, or use it as a marinade!
Alternative Methods
I've typically always found it easiest to shake up my homemade vinaigrette-type dressings in a jar, as directed in this Italian Dressing recipe.
However, if you wish, there are other ways you can make this recipe.
Either vigorously whisk your Italian Dressing in a bowl...
...or blend it up in a mini food processor or blender!
Either way, the goal is to make sure the dressing is well-combined and emulsified.
Storage + Leftovers
Because of the lemon juice and the Parmesan, you'll need to store any leftover Italian Dressing in the refrigerator. And after shaking it up in a jar, all you have to do is screw on the lid!
Just be warned that, depending on what type of oil you used, it's likely your Italian Dressing will thicken when chilled. Some oils will even solidify!
So before you're ready to enjoy your salad dressing leftovers, you'll need to let them come to room temperature first and the vigorously shake before serving.
The easiest method for getting it to room temp is to set the jar on the counter about 30 minutes before you need it.
However, if you don't think to do this ahead of time, you can quickly bring your homemade Italian Dressing to room temperature by setting the jar in a bowl of very warm water for a few minutes.
Spring is just about here, so it's time to bid adieu to soup season and bring on the salads! And I really believe that once you try this homemade Italian Dressing, you won't be going back to store-bought!
It's better than what you can get at Olive Garden, yet it's made with real, straightforward ingredients.
Who can argue with that? 🙂
More Homemade Salad Dressings
- Creamy Italian Dressing
- The BEST Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Lightened-Up Honey Mustard Dressing
- Homemade French & Catalina Salad Dressings
- Asian Salad Dressing (Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette)
- Thousand Island Dressing
The BEST Italian Dressing (Easy + Homemade)
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil OR neutral vegetable oil, such as sunflower, safflower, or avocado oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar OR red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until well-blended and emulsified. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Equipment Needed
- Mini Food Processor I use this one!
Notes
-
- FRESH INGREDIENTS: The quality and freshness of your ingredients will affect the flavor of your dressing, so use fresh, high-quality ingredients for the best tasting dressing.
- OIL: Use your favorite type of neutral-flavored oil, but keep in mind that some oils (such as olive oil) will thicken/solidify in the fridge.
- VINEGAR: I actually prefer making this Italian Dressing recipe with half white wine vinegar and half red wine vinegar (so 2 T. of each).
- HONEY: The honey mellows out the acidity of the dressing, but you may add more or less, to taste.
- LEMON JUICE: Bottled lemon juice will work if you don't have fresh, but try to use one where "lemon juice" is the only ingredient.
- GARLIC: If you'd like to incorporate fresh garlic for more zing, substitute ½ teaspoon sea salt plus one small clove of garlic, either pressed or grated, for the garlic salt.
- HERBS: If you'd like to substitute any/all of the dried herbs with fresh, you'll need to multiply the amount X 3 (since fresh herbs are 3 X less potent than dried).
- ALTERNATIVE METHODS: Instead of shaking this recipe in a jar, you may whisk ingredients together in a bowl OR process ingredients in a mini food processor/blend them in a blender instead.
- LEFTOVERS: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature and shake well before using, particularly if your oil has thickened. If you need to bring your dressing to room temperature quickly, rest the dressing jar in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and then shake.
Nutrition
Post originally published on March 19, 2015, and updated on July 31, 2021, and March 12, 2025.
I tried to double this. Iaccidently onlydoubled the oil, vinegar and lemon juice. It was still delicious on a pasta salad. I will make this again, but correctly next time.
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but I will be making dressing tomorrow and I’m looking forward to giving it a try, it looks good! My question is why store the leftover in the fridge ? It clouds the oil, which I assume is why you say to bring it to room temp before re-stirring. But none of the ingredients are stored in the fridge so why refrigerate the dressing? Is it the lemon juice? I probably just answered my own question but wanted to ask anyway. Thank you!
Hi Scott! Yes, the lemon juice and Parmesan need to be refrigerated. 🙂
I'd give this a five, but the addition of water is a little baffling too me. The flavor is great, but the water made it, well, watery! Next time, I'll try it without the water at all, and then add if needed. Otherwise a really good recipe. I'm looking forward to trying others on the site.
Hi Susan! You can totally leave out the water if you like. Here's an explanation for how a little water can help mellow out a vinaigrette. I think it really depends on the particular ingredients you use as well. If your vinegar is already mild and mellow to begin with, you may not need the water. Hope this helps!
The most flavorful Italian dressing! We will never make another, this recipe is fantastic!
We used red wine vinegar it toured out perfect. We had to add just a pinch of salt, other than that perfect, perfect!!!
How do you prevent the separation of the oil once it's refrigerated the next day? I whisked the ingredients together and the dressing was delicious on day 1, but a hot mess once it was refrigerated (I used a tight lid and shook vigorously).
Hi Susan! If you let the dressing come to room temperature first, it will be as good as new once you shake it. 🙂