6 Flavorful Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the 5 most popular salad dressings? ›

Oil and vinegar.

“This is a great option, because it won't have any added sugar or salt,” says Allers. “But the type of oil is important. Opt for olive or avocado oil over an alternative like canola or soybean oil.” These healthy oils are packed with antioxidants, and can even help lower cholesterol.

“The most important thing about any dressing is to strike a proper balance of salt, fat and acid,” writes Samin Nosrat in her book on the elements of cooking, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.” Individually, those three components are the most basic of seasonings for all food, working to enhance flavor as it hits our tongue and ...

French dressing is the oldest one on our list, but vinegar and oil dressing goes back nearly two-thousand years to ancient Babylonia.

Pick an oil-based vinaigrette over creamy options. Creamy salad dressings are usually made with mayonnaise, sour cream, egg yolks, and added sugar. As a result, they are high in saturated fat and calories. These are the types of dressing that are going to sabotage your otherwise healthy salad.

Crunchy Noodles, Wontons, and Tortilla Strips

All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams). Same goes for tortilla strips or wontons.

Simple balsamic vinaigrette. Balsamic vinegar is full of flavour and olive oil is full of unsaturated fats which, when consumed in moderation, are good for your heart health.

The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you. My simple system is: In a small screw-top jar, place vinegar and a pinch of salt; cover and shake (this helps to dissolve the salt).

An appetizer salad should stimulate the appetite and have fresh, crisp ingredients such as cheese, ham, salami, shrimp, crabmeat, or vegetables lightly coated with a tangy, flavorful dressing (that will 'wake up the mouth'). Appetizer salads should be substantial, but not filling.

What primary ingredient is used in most salad dressing? ›

Salad dressings are vegetable-oil-in-water emulsions containing vinegar, sugar, an emulsifier, and flavors. Addition of 0.25% xanthan provides stability to the emulsion for periods up to 1 yr.

Keep in mind that freezing food suspends it in the state it's already in so it can't save dressing that's going bad. When done properly, your frozen salad dressing will last up to three months in the freezer. However, just as anything, there are some exceptions to the rule to keep in mind.

"Botulinum spores can be quite harmful and are a serious foodborne illness matter, and many illness outbreaks over decades have been traced to home-prepared vinaigrettes and vegetables in oil." The best way to prevent these spores from growing is refrigeration.

Like other vinegars, balsamic vinegar is extremely high in acid. This means that it is very resistant to bacterial growth that causes other products to have a short shelf life. When properly stored (emphasis on the “properly”), balsamic vinegar can last anywhere between three to five years.

The four main salad dressings are vinaigrette, emulsified vinaigrette, mayonnaise-based, and mayonnaise. An emulsion is the permanent blending of unlike ingredients, such as oil and vinegar. Vinaigrettes are lighter dressings used on more delicate ingredients, like salad greens.

Most of the basic salad dressings used today can be divided into three categories: Oil and vinegar dressings; Mayonnaise-based dressings; Cooked dressings.