Easy Italian Dressing Recipe

With this easy Italian dressing recipe, you can create your own homemade Italian dressing in minutes. Use it on salads, sandwiches, as a marinade or in pasta salad.

Italian salad dressing is so versatile! It adds great flavor not only to green salads, but also to sandwiches, pasta salads, and so many other foods. 

It’s also great for use in cooking. It makes a delicious marinade for chicken that helps it turn out moist and flavorful. 

While you can of course buy bottled Italian dressing, homemade tastes SO MUCH BETTER and it’s really not hard to make at all. 

The dressing gets loads of flavor from oregano, basil, chili flakes, and parmesan, plus that extra zing from the vinegar.

Another benefit to making your own dressing, especially if you just need a little bit for a recipe, is that you can make just a small amount of dressing and not end up with a partially used bottle that takes up space in your refrigerator until it’s way past its expiration date and you finally throw it out. 

The recipe below makes a couple cups of dressing, but you can easily divide up the recipe and only make one half or one quarter, or even less. 

Before we get on to this recipe, be sure to check out our other homemade salad dressing recipes:

• Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
• Homemade Thousand Island Salad Dressing Recipe

In our homemade Italian dressing recipe, we use red wine vinegar, but it also tastes great if you use white wine vinegar. It’s really up to your own personal preference or which one you happen to have in your kitchen. 

This recipe also calls for fresh basil and parsley. If you don’t have them available, you can substitute a teaspoon of dried basil for the fresh and/or one tablespoon dry parsley for the fresh.

Now it’s time to actually MAKE that Italian Dressing! If you try the recipe, please come back and leave a comment letting me know how it turned out and how you used your homemade dressing.

Italian Dressing

Makes: 1 Pint Jar
Serves: 16 servings of 2 Tablespoons each

Ingredients Needed:
See Recipe Card Below for Amounts and Instructions

• red wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• dry oregano
• fresh basil (see note above for using dried)
• fresh parsley (see note above for using dried)
• red pepper flakes
• sugar
• finely grated parmesan cheese
• salt
• cracked black pepper
• olive oil

How to make Italian Dressing:

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, and parmesan.

Add in oregano, basil, parsley, red pepper, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk well.

Place in a jar. If you place this in the fridge and it’s too cold, the oil will become solid. Just bring it back to room temperature before using.

How to Store Homemade Italian Dressing:

If you’re not using it all right away, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to two weeks. If you find the oil becoming solid after being chilled, just bring to room temperature again before using. Also be sure to shake well before using.  

Can I make a Vegan Italian Dressing?

Yes! To make this Italian Dressing recipe vegan, just substitute vegan parmesan cheese for the dairy version.

How to Use Extra Italian Dressing:

Besides using it as a salad dressing, on a sandwich or as a marinade, it makes an excellent dipping sauce for bread sticks, raw veggies, or chunks of grilled chicken breast!

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