6 Popular Dressings That Can Make Your Salad Even Tastier

A dressing is a type of sauce that can be added to salads, giving them a more enhanced taste and aroma. The simplest dressings are prepared based on vegetable oil and spices, while more complex options can include up to 10 ingredients.

5-Minute Crafts collected the recipes of popular salad dressings that can be cooked at home.

1. Vinaigrette dressing

Vinaigrette is a simple salad dressing that is made by mixing vegetable oil with spices and a sour base, such as vinegar or lemon juice. A traditional vinaigrette dressing consists of 3 parts oil and 1 part sour base.

The word “vinaigrette” is the diminutive form of the French word, “vinaigre” (“vinegar”). Due to its origins, this salad dressing was called “French” in the nineteenth century. In classic French cuisine, vinaigrette is added to various salads or served as a cold sauce for artichokes, asparagus, or leeks. In addition, the dressing is often used as a marinade.

To prepare a classic vinaigrette salad dressing, you’ll need:

• 3/4 cups of extra-virgin olive oil or any other unrefined vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper

How to make it:

1. Mix all the ingredients with a fork, whisk, or blender.
2. Try the dressing by tasting it. If necessary, add more oil to make the taste softer, a bit of vinegar or lemon juice for more tartness, and spices if you want a brighter taste. Mix all the ingredients once more.
3. Add the dressing to the salad right before serving.
4. Put the leftover dressing into a jar or food container with a lid and store it in the fridge for 3-5 days. Shake well before use.

❗ Apart from basic ingredients, you can also add 1-2 additional ones, like 1 minced shallot, 1 minced or grated garlic clove, 1/2 to 1 tsp of grainy mustard, 1 to 2 tbsp of minced herbs, 1 to 2 tbsp of finely grated cheese, or 1/2 to 1 tsp of honey.

2. Honey mustard dressing

Honey mustard dressing combines the sweetness of honey, the spiciness of mustard, and the pleasant sourness of vinegar and lemon juice. It is commonly used in leafy or vegetable salads, as a dip for fried chicken wings, or as a marinade for meat dishes.

To prepare honey mustard salad dressing, you’ll need:

• 3 tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of red vinegar
• 2 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp of grainy mustard
• 1.5 tsp of honey
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup of olive oil

How to make it:

1. Mix lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender or with a whisk. Blend on medium speed for 5 seconds.
2. If you are mixing the dressing in a blender, decrease the speed to medium or low, remove the plug from the lid, and gradually stream in the oil to other ingredients. Put the plug back in and slowly increase the speed of the blender to high. Blend the ingredients for 10 to 15 seconds until the dressing is emulsified.
3. Try the dressing by taste and add more salt, pepper, or honey if necessary.
4. Store the dressing in the fridge in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.

3. Caesar salad dressing

Caesar dressing is made for the salad of the same name. Initially, the salad was a simple dish with croutons and romaine lettuce, seasoned with a sauce of lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and Parmesan. Today, we can see numerous variations of the famous salad. For example, one of the most widespread versions has fried chicken and cut tomatoes.

To make the dressing for Caesar salad, you’ll need:

• 1 (2 ounces) can of oil-packed anchovy fillets
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of some other vegetable oil
• Ground black pepper as per your taste

How to make it:

1. Mince the anchovies and garlic together until the mixture becomes smooth and the garlic gets the consistency of a paste.
2. Put the egg yolks into a medium-size bowl and whisk them until smooth.
3. Add Dijon mustard and whisk the yolks together with the mustard once again.
4. Add the mixture of anchovies and garlic and whisk the dressing again.
5. While whisking, pour in the lemon juice.
6. While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil. Keep whisking until you get a thick emulsion. Once all of the olive oil is added, whisk for another minute to let the mass thicken.
7. Add the second vegetable oil to the dressing in the same way.
8. Add grated cheese to the dressing and season with black pepper as per your taste.
9. Add the dressing to the salad and serve right away.
10. Store the leftovers of the dressing in an air-tight container in the fridge and use it within 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and whisk again before using.

4. Ranch dressing

Ranch is a creamy, mayo-based salad dressing made from buttermilk, garlic, onion, herbs, and spices. Ranch dressing is also used as a sauce for snacks.

To prepare ranch dressing, you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup of mayo
• 1/2 cup of whisked buttermilk
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp of dry mustard
• 2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/8 tsp of fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper

How to make it:

1. Mix mayo and buttermilk in a small bowl.
2. With a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and onion with the fine sea salt to create a paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a big knife to mince the veggies and mash them with salt into a paste.
3. Add the garlic-onion paste and dry mustard to the buttermilk mixture. Whisk all the ingredients well to combine.
4. Add the chives, parsley, dill, and freshly ground black pepper. Also, whisk well to combine.
5. Try the dressing by taste and season it with an additional portion of fine salt if necessary.
6. Store the dressing in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

5. Blue cheese dressing

Blue cheese dressing is cooked based on blue cheese. It is used as a salad dressing and as a filling for sandwiches and rolls, as well as a sauce for spicy chicken wings or fresh vegetables.

To prepare blue cheese salad dressing, you’ll need:

• 2 ½ ounces of blue cheese
• 3 tbsp of buttermilk
• 3 tbsp of sour cream
• 2 tbsp of mayo
• 2 tsp of white grape vinegar
• 1/4 tsp of sugar
• 1/8 tsp of dry garlic
• Salt and ground black pepper as per your taste

How to make it:

1. Mash blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork in a small bowl until it starts to look like cottage cheese curds.
2. Add mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder. Mix well.
3. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
4. Store the dressing in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

6. Thousand Island dressing

Thousand Island dressing is a pink sauce based on mayo and ketchup. It is often used not only as a salad dressing but also as a sauce for burgers in fast-food restaurants.

To prepare Thousand Island dressing, you’ll need:

• 1.5 cups of mayo
• 1/2 cup of tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 tbsp of crushed onions
• 3 to 4 tbsp of sweet pickle relish
• 1 large hard-boiled egg
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

How to make it:

1. Mix mayo, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, onion, pickle relish, salt, and ground black pepper in a deep bowl. Mix well.
2. Press the egg through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl and mix well.
3. Store the dressing in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.