Easy Italian Dressing Recipe - So much better than store-bought! (2024)

FAQs

How to make store-bought Italian dressing better? ›

Adding freshly ground black pepper can often be an easy way to up your dressing game, but also freshening up any ingredient listed on the bottle can be useful. An extra dollop of mustard in your Dijon vinaigrette, or pinch of oregano in your Italian dressing can make a world of difference.

Taking the time to make your own dressing is healthier and less expensive than store-bought alternatives. For those who garden, you can use your own ingredients like garlic and herbs for extra freshness. Most dressings are simple and quick to make with a minimal amount of ingredients.

What's the difference between Italian dressing and zesty Italian dressing? Regular Italian dressing and zesty Italian dressing use the same base recipe, but the zesty version has added flavor for more zing.

But just a bit of water mellows out all of the flavors so that each can shine through. The tip isn't limited to this one vinaigrette.

As a result, water and oil do not bond. Sure, you can shake the bottle of salad dressing and see that the two have “mixed” momentarily but the oil will not dissolve in the water. Rather, the two ingredients will separate after some time.

The good news is there are a couple brands out there who do use quality ingredients. The biggest thing to look for in healthy salad dressings is the oil it's made with. For the healthiest salad dressings, you want one made with a good, natural oil like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.

Packaged dressings are also often full of preservatives, sodium and high fructose corn syrup and other hidden sugars. Potential health concerns caused by these ingredients can be compounded by using more dressing than the recommended serving size – something many people do without realizing.

Soybean Oil, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Garlic,* Xanthan Gum, Onion,* Red Bell Pepper,* Spice, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Beta Carotene And Oleoresin Paprika (Color). *Dried.

What is zesty Italian dressing made of? ›

Distilled Vinegar, Vegetable Oil (Soybean And/Or Canola), Water, Sugar, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Garlic,* Garlic, Red Bell Pepper,* Onion,* Onion, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural Flavor, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Annatto Extract (Color).

For the dressing: the AK “house” vinaigrette is made with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, a little maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic, dried oregano, salt & pepper.

Avoid using a blender for olive oil based dressings as the rapid mixing will cause the oil to oxidize and turn bitter. A squeeze bottle or a mason jar with the lid secured works well when giving a good shake to mix and emulsify the dressing properly.

Taste (most accurate taste comes by dipping lettuce in dressing) and adjust according to taste. For less acidity- add more sugar, less tang – add more olive oil, more tang – add additional vinegar.

To amp up most dressings, you would do well to reach for apple cider vinegar. It's already one of the most common and versatile ingredients in vinaigrettes, often used to amplify sweet and tart flavors.

If you don't have time or inclination to make your dressing from scratch, but you want that elevated restaurant-style ranch, think about zhuzhing up the bottled version with things like finely chopped shallot or scallion, a clove of minced fresh garlic, a splash of buttermilk or dollop of sour cream if you have them ...

Taste (most accurate taste comes by dipping lettuce in dressing) and adjust according to taste. For less acidity- add more sugar, less tang – add more olive oil, more tang – add additional vinegar.