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These easy homemade healthy salad dressing recipes are all super simple to make, packed with whole real ingredients and are all dairy-free! They come together in minutes and are perfect for meal-prep. A fantastic finish to any healthy salad.
These 4 easy healthy salad dressing recipes are my go-to to have on hand whenever I am craving a salad, which is pretty much a daily occurrence.
I just love a big hearty salad. I love all of that nutrition you can pack all into one big bowl.
Salad’s daily or even a few times a week can get pretty boring unless you have a creative way to jazz them up. Enter in, these crazy good dressings that will take any salad from boring to yummy.
I have been into making my own salad dressing for years since store-bought salad dressings have a crazy list of scary-unpronounceable ingredients and are typically also packed with added sugar.
So here are my absolute favorites as well as a few of my weekly salad prepping tips that you must try as well!
Easy Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes – 4 ways
When it comes to salad dressing these are my top 4 that I make all the time.
Ready to go whenever I need to make a quick salad or even need a marinade or topping for buddha bowls or sandwiches. These are also show-stoppers when I am entertaining my large family, which is pretty much weekly.
These dressings have been known to convert even the most skeptical non-veggie/non-salad lover into a salad eating enthusiast.
- Creamy Dijon Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- Tangy Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Bright Orange Vinaigrette
- Bold Balsamic Vinaigrette
Why you will love these healthy salad dressing recipes
- All made from Simple, whole, real ingredients
- Less than 5 minutes to make each
- Packed with crazy good flavors to add excitement to any boring salad
- Great for meal prepping since all 4 can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Variety, variety, variety!!!
These salad dressing recipes all contain real, feel-good ingredients that we all know and love and will have you eating salad every day, they are that good!
Expert tips for making great salad dressings
Start with a good base like oil or tahini paste if you are craving a super creamy dressing. Here are some suggestions for a base you can start with.
Add an acid like vinegar or citrus to add a little bit of tang to the dressing. Here are a few suggestions.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Champagne Vinegar
- Balsamic Vinegar
- White Wine Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Lime Juice
- Orange Juice
Then add a flavor enhancer to bump up the taste a bit. Here are some suggestions.
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Onions
- Parsley or Cilantro
Finally, adding a bit of sweetness to cut through the acid and the oil really will give any salad dressing that rounded out flavor that we all love. Here are some of my fav’s.
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Brown Sugar
- Stevia
- Dates
- Munkfruit
Now onto the good stuff….how to make these incredible healthy salad dressing recipes.
Creamy Dijon Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing
Creamy, slightly tangy with a hint of dijon and a touch of sweetness. My favorite salad dressing for kale salads.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (optional)
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar, tightly seal with the lid and shake well to emulsify. You can also add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend or pulse on high for 30 seconds.
- Serve cold as a healthy salad dressing on salads.
- Store in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tangy Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Fresh vibrant red raspberry notes mixed with a bit of tanginess and a hint of sweetness.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
- Serve cold on salads or spread on sandwiches or wraps.
- Store in a mason jar fitted with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Orange Vinaigrette Dressing
Creamy, slightly tangy with a hint of orange and a touch of sweetness. A great addition to any salad or use as a marinade for chicken or fish.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar, fitted with a lid and shake well for 30 seconds to emulsify. You can also add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
- Serve cold on salads or use as a marinade for chicken or fish.
- Store in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Bold Balsamic Vinaigrette
Incredible savory flavors of balsamic and garlic with a perfectly smooth luscious texture that is great for salads or marinades.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds until fully emulsified into a smooth, creamy dressing.
- Pour onto salads to add a vibrant taste to your veggies or use a marinade.
- Store in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Salad Prepping Tips
- Prep your greens (usual kale for me), rinse them, salad spin, wrap them in a paper towel, seal them in a ziplock bag, and store them in the fridge in your crisper drawer. They will last for at least 5-7 days.
- Chop up some fresh veggies like carrots, red onion, cucumber, and bell peppers and store those in airtight containers in the fridge as well. Also great for healthy snacking.
- Prepare some proteins like chickpeas, crispy baked tofu, or some grilled or baked chicken breast and store that as well.
- Of course, make a couple of these healthy salad dressings and you are all set for a quick salad for any meal all week long!
Did you try these recipes? If you did then please leave a comment and rating below. I would love to hear from you!
4 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes You Need to Try!
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 13 reviews
- Author: Amy
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 people for each 1x
Description
These easy homemade healthy salad dressing recipes are all super simple to make, packed with whole real ingredients and are all dairy-free!. They come together in minutes and are perfect for meal-prep. A fantastic finish to any healthy salad.
Ingredients
Scale
Creamy Dijon Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- a healthy pinch of salt and pepper
Tangy Raspberry Vinaigrette
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- a healthy pinch of salt and pepper
Bright Orange Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup orange juice (can use store-bought or fresh squeezed)
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- a healthy pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
Bold Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove of garlic
- a healthy pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
To make the Creamy Dijon Honey Mustard
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar, tightly seal with the lid and shake well to emulsify. You can also add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend or pulse on high for 30 seconds. Serve cold as a healthy salad dressing on salads. Store in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To make the Tangy Raspberry Vinaigrette
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Serve cold on salads or spread on sandwiches or wraps. Store in a mason jar fitted with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To make the Bright Orange Vinaigrette
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar, fitted with a lid, and shake well for 30 seconds to emulsify. You can also add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Serve cold on salads or use as a marinade for chicken or fish. Store in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To make the Bold Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds until fully emulsified into a smooth, creamy dressing. Pour onto salads to add a vibrant taste to your veggies or use a marinade. Store in a mason jar fitted tightly with a lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Select a good quality olive oil for making salad dressings of any kind – this is so important since olive oil is such a huge component to salad dressings.
- Mix up the fresh fruit – Use strawberries in place of the raspberries in the raspberry dressing to make a strawberry vinaigrette. Omit the orange juice in the orange dressing and add in fresh lime juice (¼ cup) plus some fresh cilantro (½ cup) to make a creamy cilantro lime dressing.
- All of these dressings can be made ahead and stored for 4-5 days in the fridge. How great is that!
- Use the orange, honey mustard, or Balsamic vinaigrette’s as marinades for chicken or fish as well!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
