Homemade Italian Dressing
This easy homemade vegan Italian salad dressing is not only perfect for topping simple green garden salads, but also as a main ingredient in some of our favorite summer salads. We especially love it in our cucumber tomato salad and in our easy summer pasta salad. Any way you use it, you’ll definitely always want a bottle on hand. And with such a simple recipe, you can!
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I love big green salads. Unlike some people around here (*cough* B), I prefer a light dressing to heavy cream dressings. And this homemade Italian dressing hits the spot just right for me!
It’s made fresh with wholesome ingredients in just a few minutes with quality olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh garlic and red bell pepper and Italian herbs. You won’t believe how simple this is. And you may never buy grocery store Italian dressing again!
Fresh and refreshing. Simple and delicious. On a big Italian salad, a simple side salad or just poured over a bowl of cherry tomatoes and cucumber, you’ll rank this homemade Italian dressing recipe among your favorite salad dressings!
Why We Love This Homemade Salad Dressing
- This dressing could not be easier to make. You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen already.
- It’s made with ingredients you know and recognize.
- More than just a salad dressing, it’s also a great marinade for tofu cutlets or light summer salads like our vegan pasta salad recipe and cucumber tomato salad.
Ingredients in Italian Dressing (Vegan)
You only need 8 simple ingredients to make your own Italian salad dressing at home!
- Olive oil – First thing: you want to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil that will add flavor and enhance the dressing.
- White wine vinegar – See next section for how to substitute if you can’t find this
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Red bell pepper – minced
- SPICES: Italian seasoning, salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes (optional – for a little extra spice)
If you want to make this a creamy italian dressing, add 1 tsp – 1 Tbsp vegan mayo to the mix!
Substitution Options
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the above ingredients, here are our best substitution tips. Remember: substituting any of the ingredients may lead to a difference in the final product that is not always a positive one. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work out for you!
For the olive oil: In a pinch, you can sub avocado oil, safflower, sunflower, or canola oil for the extra virgin. They don’t impart as much flavor, but they do have a similar texture and mouthfeel.
For the white wine vinegar: You can sub red wine vinegar for this recipe if that’s your preference. You can also use distilled white vinegar, but you should add 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp sugar or maple syrup to give it similar notes to the white wine vinegar. I do not recommend apple cider vinegar for this, but balsamic vinegar would be a nice, earthy addition.
For the fresh garlic cloves: You can sub jarred minced garlic if that’s what you keep on hand. I usually use about a scant tablespoon per large clove of fresh minced garlic. I haven’t tried this with garlic powder. If you do, I recommend using about a teaspoon of garlic powder.
For the red bell pepper: You can use a variety of bell peppers if you like. Mixed yellow, red, and orange bell peppers would also add a great splash of color.
For the Italian seasoning: You can use an equal mix of dried basil and oregano if you don’t have Italian seasoning. You could also use fresh herbs if you keep a little herb garden.
How to Make Your Own Salad Dressing
This vegan Italian dressing recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Once you know how easy it is, you’ll make your own dressing all the time!
Step 1 – Prep the ingredients. Get everything out and mince the garlic and bell pepper and add them to the jar.
Step 2 – Combine and shake. Add all the rest of the ingredients to a 16 oz jar and shake vigorously to combine ingredients. You can use any jar with a resealable lid. I keep an old glass salad dressing jar in the pantry for this, but a mason jar or the like would work just as well.
How to Use Italian Salad Dressing
You can use this as a simple salad dressing on a big mixed green salad. Or you can use it as a marinade for summer salads like our:
You can also use this dressing as a marinade for:
How to Store This Homemade Dressing
Store your Italian dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will last a few days longer if you are not using fresh herbs and garlic.
A note about appearance: Quality olive oil will harden when refrigerated. If you find this to be the case, just run the bottle under some tap water or let it sit on the counter at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Make sure you give the dressing a good shake each time before using it to really incorporate the ingredients!
Can you freeze Italian Salad Dressing? We do not recommend freezing this dressing. It freezes fine, but it does not thaw well!
More Delicious Vegan Salad Dressings:
When you make this delicious dressing, we’d love to hear about the different ways you use it! We always get excited seeing how you’re using our recipes in your own home!
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Zesty Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar*
- 2 large garlic clove – minced
- 1 Tbsp red bell pepper – minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp fine ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes optional – for a little extra spice
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and red pepper.
- Add all ingredients to a 16-oz jar and shake vigorously to combine ingredients.
- Use this dressing as a bread dip or for marinades and salads like a simple green salad, Copycat Olive Garden House Salad, vegan pasta salad, or cucumber tomato salad!
- Store your Italian dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will last a few days longer if you are not using fresh herbs and garlic. It will thicken in the fridge; see the notes below for how to deal with that!
Video
Notes
- *Vinegar Notes: You can easily sub red wine vinegar for this recipe if that’s your preference. You can also use distilled white vinegar, but you should add 2 tsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp sugar. The combination of lemon juice and sugar will help the regular white vinegar taste more like white wine vinegar.
- The oil in the dressing may harden a little in colder storage temps. Just run the bottle under lukewarm water or leave it on the counter for about 20-30 minutes. Make sure you give the dressing a good shake each time before using it to really incorporate the ingredients!
- Olive Oil tips: You want to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil that will add flavor and enhance the dressing. We love and would suggest Botticelli's extra virgin olive oil.
- For a creamy Italian salad dressing: Add 1 tsp – 1 Tbsp vegan mayo to the mix!
- To substitute the fresh garlic: You can sub jarred minced garlic. I usually use about a scant tablespoon per large clove of fresh minced garlic. I haven’t tried this with garlic powder, but I would recommend using about a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Bell pepper options: You can use a variety of bell peppers if you like. Mixed yellow, red, and orange bell peppers would also add a great splash of color.
Nutrition
Watch our Zesty Italian Vinaigrette web story here.
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