15 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes You Can Make in Minutes
Everyone raves about salads being a healthy way to get in some of your daily vegetables, but have you ever looked at the back of a salad dressing bottle and wondered what all of those weird ingredients are, or why there's so much added fat and sugar? Even if you make yourself a bowl of fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients, the dressing can quickly derail any goals you had of enjoying a healthy meal. If this is a problem you run into often, there are thankfully plenty of recipes out there for healthy salad dressings you can make on your own, all in under 10 minutes.
With the 15 healthy salad dressings listed below, you'll know exactly what's in them. Most of them have an olive oil base, some are made creamy with plain Greek yogurt or tahini, and some are sweetened using honey—which is a natural sweetener. But what these salad dressings don't have is a long list of ingredients you can't even pronounce, which is arguably the best part.
Read on for some easy salad dressing recipes. Then, for more healthy cooking tips, check out 77 Best Healthy Lunch Ideas for Weight Loss.
Keep this in mind when storing homemade salad dressings
The one perk of those store-bought bottles is that the dressing will always last longer because of the shelf-stable preservatives. When you're making your own dressing with simple ingredients, it won't last as long before going bad.
Some of the recipes below use ingredients that act as "natural preservatives," such as lemon juice or different types of vinegar. These ingredients will extend the life of your dressing a little bit, but you should still aim to consume them within a one-week period if possible. However, we did attach a note to each recipe about how long they last.
Also, something that commonly happens with oil-based salad dressings is that they can congeal in the fridge—which is another reason manufacturers will use additives in their products. Because of this potential issue with your homemade recipes, we recommend pulling the dressing out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you're going to use it to give it time to come to room temperature. And, not all of the recipes mentioned below require you to store the dressing in the refrigerator, so you'll find notes made about how to properly store each one.
Honey Mustard Dressing
To be honest with you, this honey mustard dressing works really well as a thick salad dressing and a healthy dipping sauce. If you find the Dijon mustard to be overpowering, you can always add more honey to it to sweeten up. So make sure to give it a taste and see if it's to your liking!
In order to make this dressing, whisk together the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Store this dressing in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3-4 tbsp. honey
- 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Dash of pepper
Green Goddess Dressing
Do you know the best part about this green goddess dressing? It will use up those herbs in the fridge! You can use all kinds of fresh herbs in this dressing—and even use a mix, if you'd like.
Ingredients:
- 1 container plain Greek yogurt (about 2/3 cup)
- 1 cup fresh herbs (mix what you have on hand)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Before the parsley or basil goes bad, throw them into a blender with these other green goddess dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth.
For this green goddess dressing, we mixed together a large handful of parsley, fresh basil, and a little bit of thyme. But you can also add cilantro, dill, mint, or chives, as well.
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Greek Vinaigrette
While this Greek vinaigrette is great on essentially any fresh garden salad, it's especially delicious on a Greek pasta salad. To make it, throw all of the ingredients together in a bottle and shake it up!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 6 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 3 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Since there isn't anything in the bottle that will go bad, you can keep this dressing on the shelf for a few weeks.
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
Are you also obsessed with Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette from Chipotle? We are, too! So, we had to make our very own copycat version of it.
This Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette is spicy and flavorful, the perfect dressing to top on your fresh vegetable salads or even your homemade burrito bowls.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 lime, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Dash of pepper
To make this one, just whisk everything together in a bowl. Store this chipotle honey vinaigrette in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Use up the cilantro that's about to go bad in your fridge and make a delicious cilantro-lime vinaigrette! This is a great topping for any of your favorite Mexican dishes.
Ingredients:
- 2 limes, freshly squeezed
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
All you have to do is blend up the ingredients and pour them into an air-tight mason jar or bottle. This cilantro-lime vinaigrette should be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
If you're a huge fan of sesame and ginger-flavored foods, then you will absolutely obsess over this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. freshly minced ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp. Sriracha
To make, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl. While it does call for a teaspoon of Sriracha, you can always skip it if you're not into a spicy salad dressing.
This sesame ginger vinaigrette can be stored at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Italian Vinaigrette
Have you ever found an Italian dressing that's not overloaded with added sugars? We understand this salad dressing unicorn might be hard to find—so we're happy to suggest this recipe so you can make your own at home!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Dash of pepper
This dressing does have fresh-squeezed lemon juice, so you should probably store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To use, make sure you take it out of the fridge and let the oil come to room temperature.
Healthy Ranch
Is there really such a thing as a healthy version of ranch dressing? Yes! This ranch dressing is made with Greek yogurt and thinned out with a bit of water. It doesn't add any fatty buttermilk or other hidden ingredients, and yes, it tastes extremely good without them. The key to a great ranch dressing is all the seasonings and spices, so make sure to have these on hand; you don't want to skip any of them.
Ingredients:
- 1 5.3 oz. container plain Greek yogurt (about 2/3 cup)
- 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes)
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill
- 1/2 tsp. dried chives
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Dash of pepper
This ranch dressing should be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Lemon Vinaigrette
If you're having any kind of salad that calls for some kind of seafood—fish, tuna, salmon, you name it—this is the dressing you want to pair it with. This lemon vinaigrette complements all kinds of seafood dishes nicely, and can even work well as a marinade. Make sure to store this one in the fridge, and it should last you a few weeks.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Dash of pepper
Make sure to store this one in the fridge, and it should last you a few weeks.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
This classic three-ingredient balsamic vinaigrette is the one to always have on hand. For an easy and delicious side for dinner, it goes well with a simple bed of greens or on top of a simple Caprese salad.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
If you're on the hunt for healthy salad dressing recipes that will last you a long period of time, this is one you can easily shake up. It can store at room temperature for quite some time—but as previously mentioned, still try to finish it within about a week to ensure the best level of quality.
Tahini Dressing
Tahini is a creamy, earthy sauce made from sesame seeds, and because it's made from just one ingredient, it can make for a healthy base to tons of creamy dressings. This tahini dressing uses garlic and coconut aminos to add flavor, and it works great with the Abundance Kale Salad from the Minimalist Baker. You can store this dressing in the refrigerator for about a week.
Get the full recipe from the Minimalist Baker.
Vegan Caesar Dressing
There are many plant-based dressings that vegans and vegetarians can enjoy, but a classic Caesar dressing is not usually on that list because it uses anchovies, cheese, and eggs. Thankfully, this vegan spin on Caesar dressing still gives you the bold flavor and creamy texture, without any animal products. You can store this dressing in the refrigerator for 5 days to one week.
Get the full recipe from The Minimalist Baker.
Ginger Salad Dressing
A simple ginger dressing can work wonders for any chopped Asian-inspired salad or tender salmon filet. Aside from providing a burst of flavor, ginger has been shown to have powerful antioxidant effects, help control blood sugar, and reduce menstrual pain. This recipe is best with freshly grated ginger, but if you know that you'll really be in a crunch for time, you can buy pre-grated ginger as well.
Get the original recipe from Cookie + Kate.
Basil Pesto Dressing
With something as flavorful as a basil pesto dressing, you can turn the simplest of salads into a masterpiece. Just use Cookie + Kate's suggestion of romaine, spring greens, and asiago cheese, and top with their delicious basil dressing. You'll have a bowl full of flavor, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Get the original recipe from Cookie + Kate.
Shallot Vinaigrette
A vinaigrette is a great solution for a quick and healthy salad dressing because it doesn't require a lot of ingredients and has an olive oil base. This recipe from Gimme Some Oven uses shallots, garlic, and Dijon mustard for added flavor, without the added calories.
Get the full recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
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