Home » Recipes » Salads » Salad Dressings

The BEST Italian Dressing (Easy + Homemade)

BySamantha Skaggs March 12, 2025

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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!

Italian Dressing recipe with spoon on table.

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?

Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get our best recipes every week!

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.

Oil, vinegar, lemon juice, water, and honey for Homemade Italian Dressing.

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!

Italian Dressing with lettuce and tomatoes in background.

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