Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings

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Healthy homemade salad dressing recipes that are super easy to make — from a basic balsamic vinaigrette to peanut, honey mustard and cilantro lime. All dressings are gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

Regular readers know that I could practically live on salads because I love them so much. They’re such an easy option for healthy eating because you can literally toss a protein and healthy fat over a bed of greens with a ton of veggies or a whole grain and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal. (Check out my tips here –> how to build a meal-sized salad.)

And honestly salads are all about the toppings! Yes, the greens are important, but if you have a ton of flavorful toppings you might not even need a dressing. A drizzle of good balsamic vinegar, a scoop of hummus or even hot sauce will do the trick. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I put hot sauce on everything… even salad.

6 homemade dressings in glass jars on a gray countertop.

That said, there are definitely times when I’m in the mood for a salad with actual dressing. For times like this I like to whip out one of my homemade salad dressing recipes. The six I’m sharing are my go-tos. I make them all the time, but they’ve never really been featured on the blog because they’re all hidden within different salad recipes. Now they’re all are in one spot for easy reference.

Why Make Homemade Salad Dressing?

Many store-bought dressings are loaded with processed ingredients, preservatives and sugar so making your own dressing is much healthier. Plus, it’s cheaper! And once you get started making your own you’ll figure out what ratios you like best and it becomes so easy to whip up different variations.

As you’ll notice most of these healthy homemade salad dressings I’m sharing have recurring ingredients — garlic, apple cider vinegar, tamari, maple syrup, sea salt and pepper. So once you have these items in your pantry/fridge you can make a bunch of different dressings!

All of the dressings are made with whole ingredients and yield about 3/4 cup, which is about 12 Tablespoons and 6 servings. Each serving size is 2 Tablespoons. Oh, and if you’re looking for sugar-free options, check out the zesty tahini and the apple cider vinegar dressings.

6 jars spread out on a grey countertop with a lime, ginger, cilantro, and garlic.

How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing

Each of these recipes are made with minimal ingredients. There are a few ways to mix up homemade salad dressings:

  • Put all of the ingredients in a mason jar and shake it up! I like using this method for oil-based dressings like vinaigrettes. 
  • Put all of the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend! I like using this method for creamier dressings that use ingredients like avocado but it also works great for vinaigrettes!

How to Store Homemade Salad Dressing

I recommend storing your homemade dressing in a glass container in the refrigerator. I like to use mason jars! One thing to note: homemade dressings made with olive oil tend to harden and separate when stored in the fridge. This is completely normal! Take the dressing out of the fridge about 20 minutes before using so it can come to room temperature and then give it a quick shake to recombine the ingredients. 

How Long Does Homemade Salad Dressing Last?

When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, your homemade dressing will last about two weeks. 

Zesty tahini salad dressing in a glass jar with ingredient text on the side.

Garlic Tahini Dressing

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 84 calories, 5g fat, 5g carbs, 0g sugar, 2g fiber, 6g protein, 30mg sodium

Healthy homemade apple cider vinegar salad dressing in a glass jar with ingredients listed down the side of the image.

Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

My go-to apple cider vinegar salad dressing recipe. If EBF has a house dressing, this would be it! Get all the health benefits of apple cider vinegar with this delicious dressing! Use it for this Brussels Sprout Chopped Salad or as a marinade for grilled chicken.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 163 calories, 18g fat, 1g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein, 434mg sodium

Healthy homemade cilantro lime salad dressing in a glass jar with ingredients listed down the side of the image.

 Cilantro Lime Dressing

One of my favorite zesty dressings to use for Mexican themed salads. Try it on my Deconstructed Guacamole Salad or as a marinade for grilled shrimp.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 87 calories, 9g fat, 2g carbs, 1g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein, 394mg sodium

Healthy homemade Basic Balsamic Salad Dressing in a glass jar with ingredients listed down the side of the image.

Basic Balsamic Dressing

Everyone needs a go-to balsamic vinegar dressing and this one is absolutely delicious and works on just about any salad imaginable. Try it on my Detox Salad or for a Salad in a Jar.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 103 calories, 9g fat, 5g carbs, 4g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein, 217mg sodium

Healthy homemade Honey Mustard Salad Dressing in a glass jar with ingredients listed down the side of the image.

Honey Mustard Dressing

One of my favorite salad dressings growing up was honey mustard and I still love it to this day. This version is lighter than regular honey mustard but still just as flavorful! Try it as a dipping sauce for my Baked Paleo Chicken Tenders.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 106 calories, 9g fat, 7g carbs, 6g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g protein, 219mg sodium

Healthy homemade Peanut Salad Dressing in a glass jar with ingredients listed down the side of the image.

Peanut Dressing

The most amazing peanut dressing to use for Asian salads! Try it on my Kale Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing, Kale Sweet Potato Brown Rice Bowls and as a dipping sauce for fresh spring rolls.

Nutrition per 2 Tablespoons: 107 calories, 7g fat, 13g carbs, 6g sugar, 0g fiber, 3g protein, 345mg sodium

Healthy homemade salad dressings in a glass jars spread across a counter top with fresh garlic, lime, ginger and cilantro in the background.

More Salad Dressing Recipes?

My Best Salad Recipes

No time to make your own dressing?

Be sure to check out all of my healthy salad dressings as well as my favorite healthy store-bought salad dressings.

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4.17 from 79 votes

Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings

Healthy homemade salad dressing recipes that are super easy to make — from a basic balsamic vinaigrette to peanut, honey mustard and cilantro lime. All dressings are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and paleo-friendly.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients  

Apple Cider Vinegar 

  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt + more if needed
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more if needed

Zesty Tahini 

  • ¼ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce, or coconut aminos
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic

Peanut 

  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
  • water, to thin

Honey Mustard

  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons honey, or maple syrup for a vegan version
  • 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ground pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Cilantro Lime

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • ½-1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Balsamic

  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon dijon
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and/or thyme, optional

Instructions 

  • Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until combined. Add water to thin if needed.
  • Alternatively some of these dressings (balsamic, cilantro lime, apple cider vinegar, etc)  work fine without blending. simply add to a mason jar and shake until all the ingredients are well combined.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition info reflects Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 434mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dressinig
Cuisine: American
Keyword: salad dressing
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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118 Comments

    1. So glad you enjoyed the cilantro lime dressing, Francie! Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!

    1. Yay! So glad you are enjoying these dressings, Lindsay! Thanks for leaving a review. I really appreciate it!

  1. I’ve been making my own dressing for many years. I have such a distaste for store bought because they taste like a chemical concoction. I can always tell if someone has used a store bought dressing. Homemade is easy to make and tastes so good! I especially like controlling what goes into my food. I generally make everything from scratch. Homemade soup is right up there with homemade dressing. The homemade versions are too good to give up.

    Thanks for the recipes. I can’t wait to try the peanut dressing.

  2. Love all your dressings! Does tahini dressing need to be refrigerated? If so, how long will it last in fridge? Thank you kindly.

    1. Hi, Susan. I suggest storing the tahini dressing in an air-tight container in the fridge. It should last for a week or two!

  3. Hi! I noticed in the nutrition facts for each dressing the sodium count was missing. Do you know how much sodium is in each dressing?

    1. Hey Krista,
      So sorry for the delay! The nutritional info has been added to this blog post for each of the dressings. 🙂

  4. 5 stars
    Im excited to find this web site. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and i also have you book marked to check out new stuff in your website.

  5. Thank you, thank, thank you! I have just started getting your emails, and I am so glad I did! I have been needing some good some tahini and peanut dressing recipes and I am tired of scrolling through Pinterest to find them. Now I have even more recipes to choose from. Thank you for your time to send out emails!

    1. Yay! I am so glad that you are enjoying my recipes, Danni. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.

  6. Excellent cider and olive oil recipe. thank you. Does it have to be refrigerated? I ask because it gets extremely thick in the jar in the fridge. It’s delicious.

    1. Hi Chris! So glad you’re enjoying this recipe. I would recommend keeping in the fridge, bit when you are ready to use, you can either leave out for a bit or run it under warm water to re-liquify the oil. Enjoy!

  7. This has charged me up for eating healthy, and I love to cook/bake/assemble.
    Thanks for sharing your gift.
    Most sincerely,

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