When it comes to restaurant salads, the right dressing makes all the difference.
Pairing a seasonal salad with a new dressing can completely transform the dish.
Fortunately, there are endless opportunities for innovation with salad dressings.
In this blog, we've gathered our favorite salad dressing recipes for all types of salads.
How to Select the Perfect Salad Dressing
Finding the perfect salad dressing recipe is never a one-size-fits-all approach.
The ideal dressing depends on the contents of the salad as well as your own personal needs and preferences.
1. Flavor Balance
First, consider the makeup of your salad.
Creamy salad dressings like ranch and Caesar pair well with baby iceberg lettuce, romaine, and other crispy greens.
Vinaigrettes, on the other hand, go better with arugula and spring mixes.
If your salad has plenty of flavorful ingredients, such as pickled veggies, candied nuts, or fruits, a simple and mild dressing may be best.
If your salad consists mainly of simple raw vegetables, consider using a stronger dressing to add some kick.
2. Texture and Thickness
If you like rich, creamy dressings, choose one with a base of mayo, sour cream, or yogurt.
If you prefer lighter and thinner dressings, a vinaigrette may be a better choice.
3. Health Considerations
Creamy dressings tend to be higher in fat than vinegar-based dressings.
While some people might try to avoid creamy dressings for this reason, using a high-fat dressing on your salad can actually help your body absorb the nutrients better.
Vinaigrettes typically contain olive oil, a heart-healthy fat that also helps your body absorb the vitamins in the salad.
You might also need to narrow down your search based on your dietary restrictions.
Fortunately, there are plenty of salad dressing options that are vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
The Best Salad Dressing Recipes To Try
Classic Vinaigrettes
1. Balsamic Vinaigrette
Overview: Made with just a few simple ingredients, this dressing is a sweet and tangy go-to for a wide variety of salads.
Recipe: Hitchcock Farms' balsamic vinaigrette recipe calls for balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, shallots, oregano, salt, and pepper pureed together in a blender.
Best For: Roasted vegetable salads, Caprese salads, mixed greens, and pasta salads.
2. Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette
Overview: Ina Garten's mustard vinaigrette is a tasty testament to the culinary concept that less can be more. This dressing is the perfect balance of creamy and tangy and adds just the right amount of kick to a salad.
Recipe: Champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, olive oil, egg yolk, salt, and pepper.
Best For: Mixed greens, spinach salads, and cabbage slaw.
Creamy Dressings
3. Classic Ranch Dressing
Overview: Ranch is a beloved creamy dressing with herby notes. It's an American classic and likely the most popular salad dressing in the United States.
Recipe: This delicious ranch recipe uses mayo, buttermilk, white vinegar, salt, MSG, chives, parsley, dill weed, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Best For: Dipping for veggies like carrots and broccoli, chopped salads, and garden salads.
4. Caesar Dressing
Overview: Caesar dressing is bold and garlicky with a touch of umami. Although anchovies and egg yolks might sound off-putting, these ingredients are the key to a tangy, briny, and creamy Caesar dressing.
Recipe: Bon Appetit's classic Caesar dressing uses anchovy fillets, garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
Best For: It goes without saying that Caesar dressing is perfect for Caesar salad, but you can also put it on roasted vegetables, wraps, and even pizza.
Tangy and Fruity Dressings
5. Honey Mustard Dressing
Overview: Honey mustard offers a combination of sweet and tangy flavors with a mustard kick. While honey mustard sauce is usually made with a base of mayo, the dressing is made with a base of oil or vinegar, which allows for easier drizzling onto salads.
Recipe: Alton Brown's honey mustard dressing is about as easy as it gets, requiring only honey, Dijon mustard, and rice wine vinegar.
Best For: Chicken salads, kale salads, and grain bowls.
6. Raspberry Vinaigrette
Overview: This vinaigrette is light and fruity with a pop of berry flavor, making it perfect for spring and summer recipes.
Recipe: This recipe uses fresh raspberries, red wine vinegar, honey, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Best For: Green salads with fruits, arugula salads, and salads with toasted or candied nuts.
Asian-Inspired Dressings
7. Sesame Ginger Dressing
Overview: Sesame ginger dressing is a nutty, slightly spicy dressing with a hint of sweetness that will make your salads burst with flavor.
Recipe: This recipe from Spend With Pennies uses Sriracha, soy sauce, oil, rice wine vinegar, lime, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds. All you have to do is shake up the ingredients in a Mason jar.
Best For: Asian slaw, noodle salads, or ramen noodles.
8. Peanut Dressing
Overview: A go-to for many Asian-inspired dishes, peanut dressing is creamy, savory, and slightly spicy.
Recipe: Our peanut dressing recipe uses natural peanut butter, garlic, Sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.
Best For: Thai-style salads, stir-fries, cabbage slaw, and grilled vegetable salads.
Unique and Bold Dressings
9. Horseradish Vinaigrette
Overview: The bold, sharp flavor of horseradish isn't for the faint of heart, but horseradish vinaigrette is an excellent choice if you want to add a strong kick to your salads.
Recipe: This recipe uses prepared horseradish, champagne vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, scallions, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Best For: Roasted vegetables, potato salad, and arugula salads.
10. Turmeric Tahini Dressing
Overview: This vibrant dressing tastes earthy, creamy, and slightly nutty. Drizzling this dressing onto your favorite salad is a great way to take advantage of turmeric's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Recipe: This recipe uses tahini, ground turmeric, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
Best For: Grain bowls, kale salads, and roasted veggies.
Quick and Easy Dressings
11. Classic Italian Dressing
Overview: Italian dressing is one of the most popular and versatile dressings, and you can whip it up in under two minutes.
Recipe: This simple recipe uses olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, onion powder, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Best For: Pasta salads, chopped salads, and garden salads.
12. Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Overview: This is a fresh, zesty, and light dressing that complements almost any salad.
Recipe: Simply whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make this quick and delicious recipe. To enhance the flavors, you could also add parsley, basil, shallots, or garlic.
Best For: Mediterranean-inspired salads, bean salads, or grilled vegetables.
Stay Inspired in the Kitchen
Here at Hitchcock Farms, we're always looking for new recipes to make the most of our fresh prod.
A flavorful dressing can turn a bland salad into a delicious, healthy masterpiece.
If you're looking for inspiration, we hope you give some of these recipes a try.
FAQ
How long do homemade dressings last?
Most homemade dressings should be consumed within three or four days of preparation.
What's the best way to store homemade dressings?
Store your salad dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Mason jars make perfect salad dressing containers.
What's the healthiest salad dressing option?
Balsamic vinaigrette is a healthy salad dressing option because it provides healthy fats from the olive oil and antioxidants from the balsamic vinegar.
However, as long as your salad is packed with healthy ingredients, we recommend topping it with whichever dressing you like best!
