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If you aren’t making your own homemade salad dressing yet, I hope that this post gets you motivated to do so.
‘Cause I have another super simple salad dressing recipe that should be on your table.
Soon.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I purchased salad dressing.
Hmmmm….maybe way back there in my college days before I was into making my own just about everything.
In those days I was on a “if it’s low fat it’s healthy” diet.
But I was also on the “I don’t have any money” diet so likely I didn’t buy much salad dressing then either.
I didn’t buy much of anything.
I remember shopping the discount produce racks in college trying to keep to my $100 per month budget (and I shudder to think that that included my rent. Really? Did I live that frugally?)
Anyway – back to the dressing.
My favorite dressing growing up was the low fat French dressing at Wendy’s salad bar.
I grew up in a family that occasionally went out for fast food as a treat and I since I was “healthifying my life” I would get the All You Can Eat salad bar and would top my huge heap of greens with that low-fat-full-of-sugar-and-corn-syrup-and-artificial-food-coloring- and-flavor-enhancers-and-you.name.it stuff and would call it healthy.
Things are different now.
Now I know that you might not be as excited about making your own stuff as I am, but I hope you catch the bug.
By making your own salad dressings, you can:
1. Use only wholesome whole food ingredients (none of that icky stuff listed above)
2. Save tons of money
3. Reduce the impact on the environment by buying less packaged stuff.
Anyway, you can jump on this saving money, healthier for you and the environment bandwagon too with this dressing.
So come along with me.
The inspiration for this dressing came from Oh She Glows, a fabulous vegetarian blog. We made her Adzuki Bean Quinoa Tabbouleh, grabbed her dressing and made it our own.
My kids quickly pushed aside the Moroccan Vinaigrette and our Favorite Salad Dressing – Five Ways and ate this one voraciously for the next few weeks.
And I’m finally getting around to sharing it with you.
Five Ingredient Salad Dressing – Our New Favorite
Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients
Method
1. Pour olive oil and apple cider vinegar in serving container.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Stir to combine. Stir again to redistribute ingredients before serving.
4. Store in refrigerator.
We use this not only as a salad dressing, but to top all kinds of things. For example:
- on top of beans and rice for a jazzed up last minute meal
- atop cooked veggies. Marinate in the dressing for about 2 hours for added flavor
- as a dip for fresh veggies in a little bowl or cup
We’re trying to add more and more veggies to our diet and sometimes it’s just plain hard. It’s great to have things like this dressing to make it that much easier.
This dressing now has it’s place at our lunch and dinner table almost every day, along with
- Chat Masala (an amazing Indian Spice)
- Moroccan Vinaigrette
- All Purpose Seasoning
- Nutritional Yeast. This stuff is nutty and cheesy tasting. Great for those who can’t have dairy.
If you haven’t tried those, you really should.
Oh, and if you really have to stop at Wendy’s, maybe throw a container of this in your bag first 
.
Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclaimer.
Shared at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs, Coastal Charm, and Cybele Pascal.
We have a favorite salad dressing we have been using for years and everyone loves is! Here it is if you’re interested ~
http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-homemade-salad-dressing.html
People tell me they could drink it out of the bottle!
Lori recently posted..The Curse Of Being First Born
That looks great – but my oldest is deathly allergic to eggs. Wonder if I could sub that….
We use organic eggs and have never had a problem with it in the many years we have been making this dressing. You can make it without the eggs but it is just not as creamy.
I am not saying you’d have a problem. Just saying my son would die if he ate it.
. It’s hard to rinse the white off the yolk enough. Looks good!
I love making my own dressing. I learned a while back if you add a spoonful of Dijon mustard to your o/v dressing it will bind the oil and vinegar together so it’s all nice and blended.
I’ve seen dijon in a lot of dressings. Love it but it’s pricey. I’ve been trying to make my own “Dijon” additive to recipes. ‘Cause I make everything, remember
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I make my own mustard. It’s super easy! I have the spicy mustard down pat, but I’m still working on a milder version.
Well, if it’s good, please share! I’ve had a few flops and hubby is loathe to try more !
Hi Adrienne – what are the health benefits of nutritional yeast?
Well, it depends what kind you buy. It doesn’t affect candida. It is high in protein (about 8 grams per 2 Tbsp), and some have added B-vitamins to them. It’s great on popcorn, but I like our popcorn seasoning a little better
Will do as soon as I get a chance. I’m taking care of a sick and needy child at the moment.
Oh please – no hurry at all. Thanks and hope your little one feels better soon.
your dressing looks delicious – but I’ve never heard of using nutritional yeast. I’m definitely going to have to give this a try. I really enjoy making dressings as well
Heather recently posted..Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Breakfast Biscuits
I am really enjoying using it again – PC Choc Chip Biscuits – wow
.
I love this Adrienne. I have never used nutritional yeast in a dressing, but it sounds like a great idea. I’m absolutely trying this.
France recently posted..Natural Beauty Recipes – How to Naturally Whiten Your Teeth
Thanks, France. I’d love to hear what you think!
Do you know how long nutritional yeast lasts? I’ve had some for about a year and never used it. Do you think it is still good?
I just read 18 mos to 2 years in a cool and dry place. But I keep mine in the freezer and fridge and I buy it in super bulk. And have never had it spoil.
I’ve been making my own salad dressings or vinaigrettes since I spent so many years abroad where bought salad dressings couldn’t be found. I learned from the French to make my own dressings, in which Dijon mustard was a frequent addition along with fresh garlic and a variety of herbs to taste. I usually use lemon juice and virgin olive oil although I have used many types of vinegars including apple cider vinegar. I have never tried nutrional yeast, that is a new one for me. I love new ideas, will definitely try it!
Love your site with all the ideas and recipes. Have made several of your beauty products as well! Thanks so much!!
Thank you for the kind words!!! I love Dijon mustard but it’s pricey!
Interesting article and interesting recipe for salad dressing too! now I don’t need to worry if my favorite salad dressing is out of stock in the market.
I felt like a secret agent…replaced our usual vinaigrette with this recipe and it was a total hit!!!
We even used some as marinade for grilled chix and it was ah-mazing! This will be a staple for our house, thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
Wow – so glad to hear it – you Secret Agent, you
. Ha!
I love that this dressing recipe includes nutritional yeast! It’s such a great source of B vitamins, and the flavor is fantastic. Thank you for sharing! If you haven’t already, I’d love if you’d come join my How To Tuesday link party, too.
http://housewifehowtos.com/link-party-2/how-to-tuesday-link-party-11/
Katie B. of HousewifeHowTos.com recently posted..Bathroom Spring Cleaning Checklist
Thanks! I hope you like it. We sure do! I was so glad to put it back in our diet.
Hi Adrienne, This sounds great!—and I LOVE using nutritional yeast. But just a quick Q. Approx. how long do you think this will last in the frige? And I’m sure once we try it and realize just how much we love it, this concern will most likely be moot, right?
But just curious anyway. Thanks!
Hmm.. I am not sure and I really can’t make a claim about it but I will say I have it on my table and don’t even bother putting it away b/c we go through it pretty fast. Folks leave out olive oil bottles and such, you know? And the salt can only help it keep.
Ok, cool. Makes sense. Thanks Adrienne.
I tried adding some EVOO to the bottom of a nearly empty bottle of dressing to use up the seasonings, and it got really thick in the fridge. No one would touch it. I ended up using it as a marinade so it wasn’t wasted. I suspect this one would be okay left out since it has salt, vinegar and the anti-bacterial garlic in it? My only concern would be the garlic breaking down, but maybe the salt and vinegar would preserve it? Unfortunately, most of my girls eat Ranch dressing like a food, rather than a condiment. (Teens, so there’s no going back. Stubborn critters. They avoid “organic” like the plague.) Hoping to find a good homemade ranch dressing to sneak into their bottle of Hidden Valley sometime…any ideas?
Gail recently posted..Awakening from the Nightmare
Yep – the olive oil turns solid in the fridge. I can’t speak to how long it will last but mine is doing OK. I dont know if I can replicate store bought ranch, but maybe have them read my post today on generational health issues and maybe they’ll listen to you
.
I love making my own dressings! I love how simple this one is!
Deborah recently posted..Destinations – Utah – Hotel Monaco
Love this recipe, Adrienne! So awesome.
I bet you have some great ones too!
WOW, sounds so yummy and its so simple! Love it! I hope you stop by Gluten Free Fridays this week to link up this yummy recipe! It will be live Thursday evening at 7:05 pm! We are having a Gluten Free giveaway this week to one lucky person! Hope to see you there! Cindy
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) recently posted..Messy Lime Popcorn – #glutenfree #vegan
I agree- haven’t bought dressing in years. I’ve never used nutritional yeast in my dressing- Where do you buy it?
Sherri recently posted..Energy Power Balls – Squared
There’s a link in my post but here is another one to Amazon. It is my affiliate link – hope that helps.
Most health-food stores sell nutritional yeast. At my co-op it’s available in the bulk section, where it looks expensive (price per pound) but because it’s so light and fluffy, it actually costs pennies per serving. I love nutritional yeast and look forward to trying this dressing!
‘Becca recently posted..My Coupon Organizer
Thanks for posting this recipe. With the weather warming up, I am ready for salads again. This will be perfect as a dressing. I have a Tuesday Greens linky at http://www.craftygardenmama.com and would love to have you link up some of your real food posts. Thanks and have a great week!
Becky recently posted..Garden Design with Jamie Durie App Review
Sorry if this is redundant (I did not read all the comments). What is the shelf life of this dressing would you say?
I can’t make any promises, but in my cool house I just leave it on the table. I feel the vinegars and salt keep it fairly stable.
I just wondered if you have ever tried running this through the blender? What it was like?
Thanks
I haven’t but I think it would be great. Not sure if it would stay emulsified, but perhaps.
Thank you