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Want a fast and delicious Italian dressing you can make at home? You’re going to love this! Just shake everything together in a jar. That’s it! Ready in just 1 minute! No cooking, no chopping, no blending, no nothing.
Update: This recipe was originally published in 2017 and has been republished with all new photos.
I’m a huge fan of homemade salad dressings. They’re so easy! Plus a homemade dressing is more flavorful than store-bought dressings but made with far better ingredients. All the ingredients in this easy homemade Italian dressing are clean. No junk. No artificial anything. Just the good stuff.
This is one of my very favorite dressings and it’s been my most popular recipe on this site for years! Everyone loves its big zesty flavor. But the best part? You likely have all the ingredients you need already. Just shake everything together in a jar and you’re done. It’s that simple!
It’s the perfect way to elevate a green salad, it’s an excellent marinade for chicken or pork, and it can transform any pasta salad into something truly special. Talk about a versatile dressing, right?
If you have dietary concerns you’ll be happy to know this dressing is also Whole30 compliant, gluten free, and dairy free.
Easy Homemade Italian Dressing Ingredients
- Olive oil: I recommend extra-virgin olive oil in this dressing.
- Red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar: Both red and white wine vinegar work beautifully. Feel free to go with whichever you have on hand. I tend to select the red more than the white but I couldn’t say that it makes a difference other than creating a dressing that looks (in terms of color) more like what you see in stores.
- Lemon juice: A little fresh lemon juice adds a brightness to this zesty Italian dressing.
- Seasonings: The incredible taste comes from a blend of simple but powerful seasonings. We’re also using a few dried herbs because they pack more flavor than fresh herbs. For this recipe you’ll need dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
How to Make Easy Homemade Italian Dressing
Ready to make this homemade italian dressing recipe? Add all ingredients to a jar. Place the lid on the jar. Make sure it’s a tight-fitting lid so we don’t make a mess. Now give it a good shake. That’s it!
This dressing is pretty perfect as is and this is how I enjoy it. If you want to make it more like the dressing you’ll find at Olive Garden, simply add a little grated parmesan cheese and a bit of honey or sugar for a touch of sweetness. Those are optional adjustments you can make based on your own personal preference.
How to Serve this Italian Dressing
Now you’ve made your own salad dressing. What are we going to do with it? The obvious answer is of course to pour it over leafy vegetables. It will add a burst of flavor to a simple side salad or entree salad. But we can get a bit more creative, can’t we? Here are some of my favorite uses for this recipe.
- Drizzle over vegetables like my Easy Roasted Broccoli or Grilled Vegetables.
- Toss in a pasta salad like my Make Ahead Italian Pasta Salad.
- Use it as a marinade for chicken, pork, or turkey. My Italian Marinated Grilled Chicken is a huge hit!
- Spread on sandwiches or in wraps. My son would tell you this is the best way to use this dressing. I add it to his sandwich every morning before school! It’s so much cheaper than buying a sandwich dressing from the grocery store. Those little bottles are pricey!
How to Store Leftover Italian Dressing
Store your leftover dressing in the refrigerator in an airtight container with a lid. I like to use a jar with a tight seal. I like to use a glass bottle or mason jar. This dressing can keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The oil may solidify in the cold but it will return to normal if you leave it at room temperature for a few minutes. You’ll see some separation so shake before using.
Easy Homemade Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a jar, place the lid on the jar, and give it a good shake!
- Just like with all vinegar based dressing you'll need to shake it up again before pouring to eliminate separation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make my own dressing all the time. Mine is much too potent for most people (lots of raw garlic) so I tried this recipe for family and it was very good. They all liked it.
Id love to know your garlicky recipe! 🙂
Easy and yummy.
Best dressing ever.
So happy to hear that!
I first made it with the wine. I didn’t care for it. I made it a second time without the wine and added 3 minced garlic cloves. I rate it a 5 this way.
This dressing is AMAZING!!!! My husband and I are on Whole 30 and all of the “approved” dressings were either too expensive or didn’t taste great. This dressing is so good that my 17 year old daughter prefers this to any other dressing out there (and she is really picky). I find that I am making a double batch every week. I substituted balsamic vinegar for the wine vinegar (because it was what I had) and it gives it that little extra something. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I know that it will be a family favorite for years to come!
Note: I have found that the dressing hardens in the fridge, so I started leaving it on the counter.
Love this! Thanks for the comment!
This recipe is very delicious and doesn’t require refrigeration. You can also do 1/2 canola or safflower oil to 1/2 olive oil. I also added a 1/4 tsp sugar. Thus one’s a keeper
Such a great dressing! My husband even liked it and that says a lot! 😉
Delicious dressing! I made mine with red wine vinegar. Not too zesty, but with the perfect blend of Italian flavors. This makes an excellent marinade or dipping sauce as well. Thank you for sharing!
I used this marinade for chicken tenders the other night. Marinated them for a little less than an hour and my husband grilled them to add to a pasta dish I was making. Both my husband and 9 & 11 year old boys raved about the flavor of the chicken… we will definitely be adding this to our list of must haves!!
Absolutely delicious! Decided to make this because the store bought Italian expired and I had a salad all prepped for dinner. I honestly don’t think I will ever buy dressing from the store again!