This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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’m always looking for easy, new dressing recipes that I can make at home!
I love this salad dressing!! Thank you for sharing! Does it need to be refrigerated? I usually consume within 5 days or so anyway, jus wondering if I can leave it in the cupboard?
I never know when a recipe says olive oil is it regular or evoo? Which one should I use for this recipe?
Thank you 😊
For this salad dressing you can use either. I specifically call out to use only light in creamy dressings but this dressing works well with either.
This has become one of our favorite go-to salad dressings and marinades. Thanks!
We really love the dressing! Added about a teaspoon or so of marinara. Better than a restaurant.
This is a fantastic dressing. We had it tonight and decided to serve it for our family’s Christmas dinner. Thanks for another great recipe.
I’m happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for that great review!
This is delicious! I got tired of reading all the mystery ingredients on dressing labels and wanted one with no sugar/fructose. I didn’t have any wine vinegar but had plenty of the apple cider variety and it came out great with the substitution.
This is the best Italian dressing. So much flavor light and yummy sure to save this one!
I found this a couple of weeks ago and tried it. Great stuff. I tend to use red vinegar, but like you find it tastes good either way.
Oh, and I tried this with a tablespoon of Tapatio hot sauce to make it a bit spicier and that worked very well too.