We’ve already mentioned nutritious ways to top your salad, including salad dos and don’ts and some healthy salad swaps, as well as how to choose a healthy salad dressing. One of the best ways to dress your salad is with a homemade dressing. It’s quicker & easier than you think to whip up your own! If you’re looking to eat more whole foods, with fewer additives, such as sodium, artificial flavorings & preservatives, then DIY salad dressings are the way to go.
For each of the following real food salad dressing recipes, the ingredients are simply guidelines. Experiment with the amounts of each ingredient until you find your favorite homemade dressing!
Creamy Caesar-Style Dressing:
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About 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
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2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
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Dash of Worcestershire sauce
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Minced garlic (to taste)
Fresh Vinaigrette:
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Olive oil (make a lower-fat version by replacing some oil with vegetable stock)
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Any vinegar, such as balsamic, champagne or red wine vinegar
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Honey
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Minced garlic (to taste)
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Salt, pepper, & herbs (such as oregano)
Asian Dressing:
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Soy sauce
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Toasted sesame oil
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Honey
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Minced garlic
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Minced ginger
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Sesame seeds
Ranch-Style Dressing:
(from $5 Dinner Mom)
Blend the following dry ingredients. Keep this master mix on hand in your pantry or spice cabinet. When you need to whip up some fresh homemade Ranch-style dressing, mix 1 tablespoon of mix with 1/2 cup of low fat yogurt or sour cream.
- 2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
As featured on the Charlotte Today Show (April 2012):
