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My go-to everyday salad dressing recipe that’s quick and easy to make, full of zippy fresh flavors, and versatile enough to go with just about any type of salad!
Friends, do you have a go-to homemade salad dressing recipe that you love?
If not, bookmark mine! ♡
I’ve been in the habit of making my own salad dressings for years — partly because I prefer to avoid the additives found in many store-bought salad dressings, but mostly because delicious salad dressing is super quick and easy to make from scratch, and it always tastes extra fresh and flavorful!
We fondly call this particular recipe my “everyday” salad dressing in our house, because we quite literally make some version of it nearly every day of the week. (Yes, we eat a lot of salads in our casa.) It’s a basic recipe made simply with olive oil, lemon juice (or vinegar), garlic, Dijon, salt and pepper that can be whipped up in just 5 minutes. And I’m telling you — this salad dressing somehow magically works with just about any type of salad you might be craving!
It’s also an incredibly versatile base recipe that can be easily tweaked and customized, if you would like to play around with using different types of vinegar, mustards, added herbs, or added sweeteners too. Leftovers also keep well in the fridge, if you would like to make a larger batch to stretch out over the course of a week. (Which I find to be excellent motivation to eat more salad — it’s always easier to toss one together when you have some delicious dressing ready to go!) And this salad dressing recipe just so happens to be naturally gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan too.
Anyway, I first introduced this dressing a few years ago when I shared our favorite everyday side salad recipe, and many of you have shared since that it has become a regular staple in your homes as well. So for anyone who may have missed that other post or would just like a stellar salad dressing recipe to bookmark, I promise this one won’t let you down. Let’s make a quick batch!
Everyday Salad Dressing Ingredients:
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few quick notes about the salad dressing ingredients you will need for this recipe:
Olive oil: It’s important to use good-quality olive oil for salad dressings because its flavor is quite prominent in the dressing. I always recommend shopping for olive oil that is certified extra-virgin and really love this brand for salad dressings.
Garlic: I prefer to press or mince a small clove of fresh garlic for this salad dressing. But if you’re in a hurry, a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder will work too!
Lemon juice (or vinegar): Most of the time, we make this recipe in our house with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, which I find is super versatile and works with nearly any kind of salad. But if you prefer to turn this recipe into a vinaigrette, you can opt instead to use any type of vinegar that you choose. (I would recommend red wine vinegar as the most versatile option, but balsamic, sherry, white wine, apple cider, or other types of vinegars would work too.)
Dijon mustard: I also almost always add a teaspoon of creamy Dijon mustard to my salad dressings. (If you don’t love mustard, don’t worry, its flavor is not overpowering and really just serves to round out all of the other flavors.) But that said, if you would like a more mustard-y dressing, feel free to double or triple the amount of Dijon. Or if you prefer a grainy mustard, whole-grain Dijon will work great too.
Fine sea salt: To bring out all of those delicious flavors.
Black pepper: And however much freshly-cracked black pepper you prefer! (I often double or triple the amount in the recipe, as we love lots of black pepper in our house.)
How To Make Salad Dressing:
Easy! All you really need to do to make this salad dressing recipe is stir or shake all of the ingredients together until combined. You can either accomplish this…
In a bowl or measuring cup: Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until combined.
In a mason jar: Combine all ingredients, cover with a lid, and shake vigorously until combined.
In a blender: Combine all ingredients and pulse until combined. (This method is especially nice if you are making a larger batch, plus you do not need to press or mince the garlic cloves.)
Possible Recipe Variations:
This basic salad dressing recipe is incredibly versatile, so please feel free to play around with different ingredients and customize whatever dressing will best suit your salad! For example, you could…
Use a different kind of vinegar: As mentioned above, feel free to substitute any type of vinegar that you would like in place of the lemon juice (such as red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, champagne vinegar, etc).
Use a different kind of mustard (or add more!): You can also opt for a grainy Dijon mustard (instead of creamy Dijon) if you prefer. And if you would like this recipe to taste even more mustard-y, just increase the amount of mustard to taste.
Add a sweetener: If you would like a sweeter dressing, just add in a teaspoon or two of your desired sweetener. (I recommend either honey or maple syrup.)
Add herbs: You can also add in any dried or fresh herbs you would like too.
Add crushed red pepper flakes: If you would like to give this dressing some subtle heat, feel free to add in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes as well. (I especially love this when using this dressing for an Italian salad.)
Combine ingredients. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl (or shake all ingredients together vigorously in a sealed jar) until completely combined.
Serve. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for between 1-7 days. (See notes on storage times below.) If you choose to refrigerate the dressing, it will need to be stirred or shaken again prior to serving.
Acid options: This salad dressing recipe also works wonderfully with just about any kind of vinegar — red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, etc. So feel free to use whatever will work best for your salad!
Sweetener options: Feel free to add in 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey (or your desired sweetener) if you would like to make this dressing a bit sweeter.
Storage instructions: I find that the lemon juice version of this dressing doesn’t taste so great after more than 24 hours in the fridge. So if you would like to make a larger batch of the dressing to store for up to 1 week, I recommend using vinegar in place of the lemon juice.
This has been a go-to for years. So ironic that I just made this today and then saw this post. Great minds! This is super easy to whip up and store, is so versitile (can use as a marinade for chicken or fish also!) and is SO much healthier, fresher, and better tasting than store bought. My other go to is to swap the lemon juice with red wine vinegar. Also delicious!
Thanks for all the great recpipes!
Mercy —
Awesome dressing. I ran out of dijon and substituted plain yellow mustard, which I was a little worried about but it turned out great
I just made this and I was surprised! I’m a picky eater, but it tasted amazing with the salad my mom made. I’ve probably tried about 20 recipes from your blog and they are all so delicious!!!!! :)
I absolutely LOVE this dressing. It truly goes with about every type of salad that I make for lunches for work. It’s a nice change from a creamy type dressing. Thank you, Ali!
I don’t usually comment on recipes as I am having to change or tweak them most of the time. But damn, this is so simple, but one of the best tasting dressings I have had in a long time. My new go to. Thank you
Delicious and easy! I love having a fresh and simple salad dressing I can just throw in a jar and voila! I always tend to forget about the bottles of dressing I buy from the store and then all of a sudden it expired 8 months ago and that’s of course the night I really want a giant salad for dinner. Enter this dressing!
This dressing is super easy and tasty! I’d prob leave out the salt or use 1/4tsp next time because I think the Dijon mustard gives it enough body. Thanks for sharing!
I would never use powdered garlic in this type of recipe. If I’m spending the time to make this dressing I want to use 100% quality ingredients not 95%. Makes no sense
I have tried many recipes for a perfect dressing and I found it here!
This is the best combintion and quantity of ingregdients.
True Umami.
I look foward to trying your other recipes, especially your Gazpatcho.
I am 11, and I LOVE salad. Usually my mom makes the salad dressing, but I tried by myself this time. (Sorry mom it was better than yours, but yours’s is still great!)
Love this dressing! Why buy store bought when you can have this fresh and healthy DELICIOUS dressing?! Perfect as is but when I want something creamy I add in a tablespoon or two of vegan mayo. Yum!
This dressing really is perfect! Yay to eating more salads!! Thank you, Ali :-) xoxoxox
I used apple cider vinegar since I diced an apple for my salad and even threw in some fresh dill. I’m probably a little too pleased with myself…bordering on smug. No more store-bought dressing for me.
Christy —
Wow, this was amazing!! It was one of my New Year’s resolutions to stop buying/using store bought dressing and get good at making my own. This was a terrific start! Looking forward to trying some of the variations you listed. Thank you!
This dressing was delicious, I made it just as the recipe stated! I made a salad with romaine, radishes, cucumber, tomato and red onion and this was perfection!
This dressing is DELICIOUS! <3 I used yellow mustard instead of dijon and it is so yummy!
I think I'm going to make a batch for the entire week! Thank you so much!
We love this salad dressing. I was looking for something different and made it for the first time today. I’ll be making it again today because I should have tripled or more this recipe. I followed your recipe exactly and added a little honey and it was excellent! Thank you!
Good flavor, but a little too salty. Used lemon juice. Will try to offset the salt with some honey and back off the salt next time. Thanks for the freshest dressing flavors!
Appreciate the simplicity of your salad dressing. Definitely got my attention since most store bought dressing are comprised of seed oils like soybean oil. Not a health benefit in my book. The clean & simply everyday product you represent in your recipe is absolutely fabulous!
I like it. I did need to add honey and I may have added too much salt. But I added balsamic vinegar AND fresh lemon juice. I will have to check out more salad dressing recipes here. I can’t stand jar salad dressing.
This is so good! I used lemon juice, but I also added a little bit of balsamic vinegar and organic raspberry balsamic vinaigrette! It is amazing!! This is my new go to!!
I usually Follow your recipes to a T but my friend at work makes this awesome dressing and i found Out her “tweak” was plum sauce. So I added it for a touch of sweetness. By far, the best homemade salad dressing I’ve made. Thanks! From Canada
I have used this site multiple times over the years, but for this recipe I felt the need to comment. DO NOT make this, it literally tastes like vomit. I’m disgusted; I cannot believe this is an actual recipe. GARBAGE, DO NOT MAKE. Absolutely awful
I’m missing something. How much olive oil and how much lemon juice or vinegar do you use for the everyday salad dressing? What if I want to make a whole bottle full?
Love your recipes. Have used many. They are simply delicious. My family loves the Baked Chicken Breasts!
your recipes for salad dressings are epic. we especially loved this one. thanks for sharing!
(((:
Do you have a poppyseed dressing with little sugar to none, and a fruit flavor?
Will comment later
This has been a go-to for years. So ironic that I just made this today and then saw this post. Great minds! This is super easy to whip up and store, is so versitile (can use as a marinade for chicken or fish also!) and is SO much healthier, fresher, and better tasting than store bought. My other go to is to swap the lemon juice with red wine vinegar. Also delicious!
Thanks for all the great recpipes!
Awesome dressing. I ran out of dijon and substituted plain yellow mustard, which I was a little worried about but it turned out great
I make similar, but adding a small amount of powdered canning pectin adds viscosity.
Very good
I just made this and I was surprised! I’m a picky eater, but it tasted amazing with the salad my mom made. I’ve probably tried about 20 recipes from your blog and they are all so delicious!!!!! :)
I absolutely LOVE this dressing. It truly goes with about every type of salad that I make for lunches for work. It’s a nice change from a creamy type dressing. Thank you, Ali!
I don’t usually comment on recipes as I am having to change or tweak them most of the time. But damn, this is so simple, but one of the best tasting dressings I have had in a long time. My new go to. Thank you
So good!
Loved this and the variations
Delicious and easy! I love having a fresh and simple salad dressing I can just throw in a jar and voila! I always tend to forget about the bottles of dressing I buy from the store and then all of a sudden it expired 8 months ago and that’s of course the night I really want a giant salad for dinner. Enter this dressing!
Thank you so much!
This dressing is super easy and tasty! I’d prob leave out the salt or use 1/4tsp next time because I think the Dijon mustard gives it enough body. Thanks for sharing!
This dressing is perfection!
Thanks to this recipe, I can see myself eating a lot more salads in the future! It will help my eat healthier haha. ^_^ ♡
I would never use powdered garlic in this type of recipe. If I’m spending the time to make this dressing I want to use 100% quality ingredients not 95%. Makes no sense
I have tried many recipes for a perfect dressing and I found it here!
This is the best combintion and quantity of ingregdients.
True Umami.
I look foward to trying your other recipes, especially your Gazpatcho.
Thank you Ali !
This recipe is DELICIOUS! Made Buddha bowls tonight and drizzled this over them – ?. This would be good over shrimp, fish, or chicken too!
I am 11, and I LOVE salad. Usually my mom makes the salad dressing, but I tried by myself this time. (Sorry mom it was better than yours, but yours’s is still great!)
Loved the salad dressing! To make it more creamy, I added 3tsp of Greek yoghurt.
This is a good recipe. Thank you! I love the Dijon mustard in it.
I made this salad dressing and it is sooooo good. I just used it last night for a marinade for chicken breast and oh my God it changed the game.
A home run! No need to buy dressing when I can make my own that taste better. And no preservatives or additives.
Love this dressing! Why buy store bought when you can have this fresh and healthy DELICIOUS dressing?! Perfect as is but when I want something creamy I add in a tablespoon or two of vegan mayo. Yum!
This dressing really is perfect! Yay to eating more salads!! Thank you, Ali :-) xoxoxox
I used apple cider vinegar since I diced an apple for my salad and even threw in some fresh dill. I’m probably a little too pleased with myself…bordering on smug. No more store-bought dressing for me.
Wow, this was amazing!! It was one of my New Year’s resolutions to stop buying/using store bought dressing and get good at making my own. This was a terrific start! Looking forward to trying some of the variations you listed. Thank you!
Awesome salad dressing recipes!!
This dressing was delicious, I made it just as the recipe stated! I made a salad with romaine, radishes, cucumber, tomato and red onion and this was perfection!
This dressing is DELICIOUS! <3 I used yellow mustard instead of dijon and it is so yummy!
I think I'm going to make a batch for the entire week! Thank you so much!
We love this salad dressing. I was looking for something different and made it for the first time today. I’ll be making it again today because I should have tripled or more this recipe. I followed your recipe exactly and added a little honey and it was excellent! Thank you!
Good flavor, but a little too salty. Used lemon juice. Will try to offset the salt with some honey and back off the salt next time. Thanks for the freshest dressing flavors!
Simple and yummy, my 4 kids under 7 loved it just as much as I did!!
Appreciate the simplicity of your salad dressing. Definitely got my attention since most store bought dressing are comprised of seed oils like soybean oil. Not a health benefit in my book. The clean & simply everyday product you represent in your recipe is absolutely fabulous!
Wow, that is delicious! Lemon juice, fresh garlic, and Dijon is a winning combination. Thank you!
I like it. I did need to add honey and I may have added too much salt. But I added balsamic vinegar AND fresh lemon juice. I will have to check out more salad dressing recipes here. I can’t stand jar salad dressing.
Really tasty and very easy to make with ingredients that are always on hand.
This is so good! I used lemon juice, but I also added a little bit of balsamic vinegar and organic raspberry balsamic vinaigrette! It is amazing!! This is my new go to!!
This was great! Much better than store bought. Thank you.
Super delicious!!! Never buying store bought dressing again
The recipe is fine by me even though I found some new or alternative ingredients. I appreciate this a lot. Keep up the good work.
How long does a jar last in the fridge?
I was looking for a dressing that is healthy and I feel I found one.
Versatile recipe. I love it .
I usually Follow your recipes to a T but my friend at work makes this awesome dressing and i found Out her “tweak” was plum sauce. So I added it for a touch of sweetness. By far, the best homemade salad dressing I’ve made. Thanks! From Canada
Great homemade dressing. I’ve used your recipe many times and shared with friends !!
I made this recipe. It was good but I added 3/4 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 cup mayo. So good!
This dressing is so easy and delicious! Thanks!
EVERYONE loved this salad dressing – Christmas 2022. Soooo good! Thanks!
I have used this site multiple times over the years, but for this recipe I felt the need to comment. DO NOT make this, it literally tastes like vomit. I’m disgusted; I cannot believe this is an actual recipe. GARBAGE, DO NOT MAKE. Absolutely awful
easy and yummy
I’m missing something. How much olive oil and how much lemon juice or vinegar do you use for the everyday salad dressing? What if I want to make a whole bottle full?