I love a good salad. Now let me clarify, bad salads are awful. I’ll never forget making the dumb “smart” decision to order a spinach salad at a burger restaurant. It was literally 95% spinach, 3% balsamic vinegar, 2% walnuts and 100% a waste of $12. Never again. A good salad has lots of textures, and flavors, and is topped with a yummy dressing.
Now, here’s the thing about dressings: they can make a salad, but ruin your good eating intentions. Many of them are loaded with sugar and preservatives. The better, more natural, ones are often outside of my price comfort zone. Homemade dressings truly are the way to go. They’re inexpensive and don’t require the junk that goes into making the other ones shelf-stable for a decade.
Before I jump into the recipes, can I just say that my salad spinner is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets? I thoroughly wash all of my veggies before eating and this thing is in use constantly!! It’s one of the few plastic pieces that I kept when cleansing my kitchen, but I just can’t part with it. Another must have is a dressing shaker (which is super helpful with oil-based dressings). These are super convenient if you are taking your salad to work for lunch. And just because presentation is fun, I love this bowl and these tongs.
Ok now that you’ve stuck with me this far, here are my favorite go-to homemade options:
Ranch:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk
- 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon finely cracked pepper
- freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste approximately 1-3 teaspoons, adjust to taste
Combine all of the spices and then whisk into a bowl with the milk and mayo. It’s best if you let it chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Keep in the fridge for up to a week. This is a great one from Barefeet in the Kitchen!
Thousand Island:
- 1/2 clove minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 hard boiled egg, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Mash the garlic and salt together with a spoon until it forms a paste. Whisk together all ingredients. Store in the fridge for up to two days.
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 and 1/4 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Whisk the garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper into the vinegar. Continue to whisk while adding the olive oil. You’ll want to give it a good stir before using as the ingredients will separate. Store in the fridge for up to a week, but allow some time for the dressing to sit at room temp before using as the olive oil will need to melt.
Italian:
- 1 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 3/4 tablespoon sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
Mix all dry ingredients and save in a sealed container. Add 2 tablespoons of the dry mix to the wet ingredients and shake well. Save in the fridge for up to a week.
Honey Mustard:
- 1 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Whisk all ingredients together and store in the fridge for up to one week.
What are your favorite homemade salads topped with?
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