Get ready to elevate your salads with this irresistible homemade Italian Dressing Recipe! Bursting with authentic Italian flavors, this dressing will transport your taste buds to the streets of Rome. Say goodbye to store-bought dressings and hello to a fresh, zesty, and homemade dressing that will take your salads to a whole new level of deliciousness as you drizzle, toss, and savor every bite!

Someone holding a jar of Italian dressing.

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Why you’ll love making homemade Italian Dressing

When you need a salad dressing made fast, this is the recipe for you! Our go-to Italian Dressing is ready in 10 minutes or less.
Salad dressings are so simple to throw together! Just add everything to a bowl and mix it up. Easy and so much better than a store-bought dressing!
A great thing about making an oil and vinegar-based dressing is that it lasts a week or more in the fridge. Meal prep is a breeze!
Whether it’s a tossed green salad or pasta salad, this fantastic zesty Italian dressing recipe is perfect for any salad. Get creative and use it as a marinade as well.
This recipe is so much better than store-bought. It’s healthier because the ingredients are all natural and the flavor is much more powerful. This truly is the BEST Italian dressing recipe!

Ingredients you’ll need

You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.

Ingredients needed; lemon juice, honey, pepper, mustard, garlic, olive oil, basil, thyme, parsley, salt, white wine vinegar, and oregano.

How to make Italian Dressing with step-by-step instructions

A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

It couldn’t be more simple to make this easy homemade Italian Dressing recipe!

Whisk together all of the ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, honey, oregano, parsley, Dijon mustard, thyme, basil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl.

Someone adding olive oil to a bowl, with other ingredients surrounding it. — Add olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and honey, to a small bowl or mason jar.

Dried ingredients added to the olive oil. — Add all the dried ingredients.

The Italian dressing stirred with a spoon in the jar and lemon slice near it. — Stir to combine.

Taste the dressing and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve immediately at room temperature, or save the salad dressing in a jar or bottle for later.

Recipe notes and expert tips

Double batch: We like having this homemade dressing recipe on hand for salads throughout the week. Make a double (or even triple) batch and save the rest for later.
Vinegar: You can switch out the white wine vinegar for red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or even apple cider vinegar if needed.
Add a little heat: If you like it spicy, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes is amazing in this Italian Salad dressing recipe. The heat will intensify as it sits in the dressing, so don’t add too much!
Garlic: We used fresh garlic as it packs a punch of flavor and tastes incredible. In a pinch, garlic powder or even onion powder can be substituted.
Oil: If you’re not a fan of the slightly bitter taste of extra virgin, switch the oil for light-tasting olive oil or avocado oil.
Shake it up! You’ll find that the olive oil and vinegar separate in the container when stored. Make sure your container has a tight lid and shake vigorously before drizzling Italian Dressing over your salad.
Make it vegan: Substitute the honey for maple syrup to make this delicious dressing recipe vegan.

A jar of Italian seasoning with a spoon in it.

How to store leftover Italian Dressing

Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container (like a mason jar or a glass bottle) in the fridge for up to a week.

Pro tip: Olive oil can sometimes turn solid and cloudy in the fridge.

This is natural and perfectly edible; however, you may need to allow it to sit out of the fridge or run the container under warm water to melt the oil back to its original state.

Drizzling Italian dressing over pizza salad.

What to serve with Italian Dressing

This great Italian Dressing recipe is delicious on green salads (of course!). Try it with our Pizza salad, Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad or Beetroot and Grilled Halloumi Salad.

Make an Italian Pasta Salad with pasta, fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella or freshly grated parmesan cheese, drizzled in delicious Italian Dressing.

This idea is great for sharing as a side dish at potlucks or even for meal prep!

Italian Dressing also makes a delicious marinade. Marinate mushrooms, tofu, or halloumi in this homemade salad dressing overnight before cooking.

The flavors are simply incredible.

A teaspoon with Italian dressing on it over a jar full.

More easy homemade dressing recipes for you to try

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