This homemade Greek salad dressing is delicious as well as simple to throw together. Once you start making your own salad dressings, you won’t go back!
Salads are a great part of a healthy diet. However, they can quickly become high in calories and fat when they are topped in heavy dressings. Dressing gives the vegetables flavor and, let’s face it , sometimes helps us eat more vegetables. This Greek salad dressing is my go to recipe for topping my salads. In fact, I probably make this dressing weekly because I love it that much. It is light, full of healthy fats, and flavorful.
Bottled dressings purchased in grocery stores are loaded with unnecessary fat and salt. If you’ve ever made a vinaigrette you know that homemade versions typically have less than 10 ingredients. In contrast, the store bought ingredient list could be double or triple that number.
Most store bought dressings are made with processed oils, added sugar, or high fructose corn syrup. Even worse, water is one of the first ingredients which means they diluted the dressing’s flavor in an effort to cheaply produce more product. To compensate for this lack of flavor, they add sweeteners and unnecessary chemicals to thicken the dressing. As a result, this leads to bottled dressings that are high in saturated fat, sodium, and sugar.
Also, additives and preservatives are used to stabilize, thicken, and create a product with a long shelf life. Researchers are still looking into the effects of these additives and preservatives in relation to gut health. The best thing to do is read the ingredient list and be aware of what is in the products you are purchasing. Making your own is so easy, why not give it a try? Once you do I promise you won’t go back!
Once you get the ratio down for a dressing you can play with different vinegars, oils, and herbs to modify the flavor to your liking.
A basic vinaigrette has 3 components:
- Oil
- Vinegar or acid (balsamic, red wine, apple cider, and lemon juice)
- Emulsifier* (Dijon mustard, honey, maple syrup)
- Plus seasonings (fresh or dried herbs)
*An emulsifier is just an ingredient that helps combine the oil and vinegar
The oil to vinegar/acid ratio I use in homemade salad dressings is usually 2:1. I know some people do 3:1, but I prefer a more acidic dressing. This dressing is a bit more acidic because it has lemon juice in addition to red wine vinegar. You can play based on your taste preference. Then I add mustard, honey or maple syrup to balance out the acidity. Adding fresh herbs really enhances the flavor, but dry herbs are just as good!
When you make your own salad dressing, the flavor and freshness of the vegetables will be enhanced. You can make this homemade Greek salad dressing and put leftovers in a container or glass jar in the refrigerator to have all week. It will really take your boring salad up a notch!
This homemade Greek salad dressing will not disappoint! Check out my refreshing Lemon Honey Vinaigrette dressing which is great for a light summer salad.
Greek Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Olive oil
- 2 TBSP lemon juice freshly squeezed (is best), but can use bottled juice
- 4 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- basil 2 frozen cubes or 1 1/2 tsp dried
- ½ TBSP Oregano
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until well combined. Serve! Can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1 week.
Nutrition Facts
What’s your favorite salad dressing?
Homemade Greek Dressing
NEVER MISS A RECIPE! Sign up for free recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up below
