This easy, homemade everyday salad dressing is made with a classic combination of only 4 ingredients. It's so simple and tasty that it will be your new go-to dressing for every salad you make!
About The Dressing
This dressing is made with a classic mix of ingredients: olive oil, vinegar, honey, and dijon. It's a formula for a perfect, simple dressing.
The best part about this dressing is that it's versatile: you can add it to any salad and it will taste amazing! Here's a few examples:
- Leafy green salads
- Grain-based salads (like quinoa)
- Pasta salads
- Vegetable salads
Why It Works So Well
The reason why this dressing works so well is because the ingredients are the base of many popular salad dressings. It combines oil, vinegar, sweetness (honey) and an 'emulsifier' or creamy component (dijon).
The flavor is an ideal, light balance of sweetness, tanginess, and creaminess. This recipe is most similar to a classic Italian dressing (but without any herbs).
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey
- Dijon
See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Mix the Dressing
Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk or stir until emulsified (fully combined and thickened).
Step 2: Add to Salad
Add to your favorite salads! This dressing is very versatile and tasty with: green, leafy salads, grain-based salads (like quinoa), or even pasta salads.
Step 3: Store in the Fridge
Store the dressing in an airtight container (like a jar) in the fridge. Properly stored, this dressing will stay good for 2 - 3 weeks.
Ingredient Notes
Oil: a high-quality, extra virgin olive oil is recommended. You could swap this out for a different type of oil but it may change the taste of the dressing.
Vinegar: instead of red wine vinegar, you could use any vinegar alternative: apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, white vinegar, etc. Lemon juice can also be substituted.
Honey: you could also use maple syrup.
Dijon: adds creaminess and a very subtle mustard flavor. You could add more or less depending on personal preference.
Herbs: these are a popular addition to this recipe! Add 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning or oregano to turn this into an Italian dressing.
What To Use This Dressing With
This dressing will go with just about any salad! It's most popular with leafy, green salads but is also tasty with grain-based salads or pasta salads. You could also drizzle it over a vegetable salad (cooked or raw).
The possibilities are endless! If you need a couple ideas to get started, this dressing would be especially tasty with our Italian Chopped Salad or Chickpea Salad.
How to Store Everyday Salad Dressing
Store leftover dressing in a glass airtight container in the fridge (like a jar).
This dressing will stay good for up to 2 - 3 weeks, or possibly slightly longer, if stored correctly.
My favorite brands of jars for storing salads are:
Top Tips
- Be sure to whisk, stir or shake your dressing until it is fully 'emulsified' or thickened. You'll notice that it will also look slightly creamier in appearance. I love using an electric whisk for this (so easy and can be used for many other things as well)!
- Feel free to experiment with adding more or less of the ingredients in this recipe to adjust it to personal taste. You could add more honey for sweetness, more vinegar for tanginess, or more dijon.
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment at the bottom of this page. And if you share a photo on social media, I'd love to see it! You can tag me on: Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
Print
Everyday Salad Dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: about 1 cup 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy, homemade everyday salad dressing is made with a classic combination of only 4 ingredients. It's so simple and tasty that it will be your new go-to dressing for every salad you make!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons dijon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk or stir until emulsified (fully combined and thickened).
- Add to your favorite salads! This dressing is very versatile and tasty with: green, leafy salads, grain-based salads (like quinoa), or even pasta salads.
- Store the dressing in an airtight container (like a jar) in the fridge. Properly stored, this dressing will stay good for 2 - 3 weeks.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad Dressing
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 81
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 84mg
- Fat: 8.9g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3g
- Carbohydrates: 1.1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: salad dressing, dressing, olive oil, honey, dijon, easy, everyday, basic, classic, simple
Barb
Odd question, do you think I could freeze this in small batches?
Megan
Yes, I think you can! I haven't tried it but it should be able to be frozen for about 3 months. You'll want to freeze it in an airtight container. And for small batches you could freeze it in a covered ice cube tray or small ziploc bags 🙂