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This 5-minute homemade Italian dressing is fresh, zesty, and way more flavorful than store-bought. Fresh garlic, lemon juice, herbs, and good olive oil come together in a simple shake-and-serve dressing that’s perfect for salads, marinades, and more. Made with pantry staples you probably already have and perfect for meal prep.
Look, I just want my salad to be the star of the show.
I want my Italian dressing to be zippy and zingy and herby and garlicky. I don’t want it creamy, but I do want that luscious olive oil to cling to my salad and add richness and I want the vinegar to bring a pop of acidity that keeps me coming back for more.
Am I asking a lot from a salad dressing? Sure, maybe if it’s store bought, but homemade salad dressings can deliver!
This homemade Italian dressing, for example, is fresher, zestier, and more flavorful than anything in a bottle – and it takes about 5 minutes to whisk together.
You probably already have everything you need if your spice cabinet looks anything like mine (read: overflowing and chaotic).
A few dried herbs, some olive oil and vinegar, and a quick shake in a jar, and you’ve got the Italian salad dressing recipe of my dreams. Between this and my easy garlic dressing, we’re never going back to store bought.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Italian Salad Dressing
- It’s ridiculously quick. 5 minutes, one jar, done. Perfect for meal prep or last-minute salad situations.
- It tastes fresher than bottled. No weird aftertaste, no mystery ingredients – just herbs, garlic, lemon, and good olive oil doing their thing.
- Super flexible. Don’t have fresh parsley? Skip it. Want to use Italian seasoning instead of individual dried herbs? Go for it. This recipe adapts to whatever you’ve got in your pantry.
Ingredients & Swaps
Fresh vs. dried herbs: If you’re using fresh herbs instead of dried, use 2-3 times the amount. Fresh basil, oregano, and parsley all work beautifully here.
Italian seasoning shortcut: Don’t want to measure out individual herbs? Use 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning blend instead of the oregano, basil, and rosemary.
Vinegar swaps: Red wine vinegar works great if you don’t have white wine vinegar on hand. You can even use white distilled vinegar, but go easy and add to taste. It packs more of a punch.
Parmesan: You’ll want to use the powdered Parmesan cheese. I like the kind from the cheese counter, but no one is going to know if you use the green shaker can. I certainly won’t tell.
Adjust the garlic: Love garlic? Add an extra clove. Not a huge fan? Scale it back to one clove or use garlic powder instead (about ½ teaspoon).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Make It Creamy
If you prefer a creamy Italian dressing, whisk in a spoonful or two of mayonnaise with the oil and vinegar. It will add more body and creaminess to the Italian dressing.
Step by Step Instructions
Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl or shaker jar.
Whisk the dressing together until smooth and combined. Alternately, place the lid on the jar and shake well.
Pour your dressing over a green salad or use it as a marinade for chicken or vegetables before throwing them on the grill.
Tools for Making Salad Dressing at Home
It honestly doesn’t take any special tools to make salad dressing at home, but here are a few of our favorite things that do make it easier, quicker, and just more pleasant of a task.
Citrus Juicer – We love fresh lemon in salad dressings to make things zippy and bright. A hand juicer makes this so easy.
Microplane Grater – While you could finely mince the garlic, it’s quicker to grate it and the garlic melts into the dressing better without the risk of big chunks in your dressing.
Shaker Bottle – Make the dressing, store the dressing, and serve the dressing all in the same bottle. I have multiple of these! They make a great gift too.
Salad Spinner – This one isn’t for the dressing, but I’d never make salad at home without this guy. Makes cleaning your greens so easy.
Storage
- Store in a sealed jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Shake well before serving – the oil and vinegar will separate naturally.
- If the olive oil hardens in the fridge, run the sealed jar under hot water for a minute or let it sit in a bowl of warm water while you finish prepping dinner.
- Do not freeze. This is best made fresh.
Serving Ideas
Green Salad – Chop your favorite vegetables, toss in a bowl, sprinkle on some air fryer croutons and shaved Parmesan, and then toss in this dressing. The perfect simple side salad.
Chicken Marinade – Place the Italian dressing in a ziptop bag along with 2 pounds of chicken breasts or thighs. Marinate for 4 hours, discard the dressing, and grill.
Pasta Salad – Our cold pasta salad was made for this dressing! Full of rotini, pepperoni, cheddar, and olives.
More Homemade Dressings
Italian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic grated on a microplane grater
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth and emulsified. Alternately, add everything to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.
- Taste and add additional salt or vinegar, until the dressing suits your tastes.
- Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
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