Creamy Italian Dressing (with Video)
Today we’re back with another delicious homemade salad dressing, this time a Creamy Italian Salad Dressing that packs a zesty, flavorful punch. Drizzle on your favorite salads (be they vegetable-based or pasta-based), use as a sandwich spread or marinate chicken with this versatile pantry staple.
Italian Salad Dressing Recipe
I’ve never been a big fan of Italian salad dressing – until I tried a house made version in a restaurant’s pasta salad.
While I found store-bought versions too acidic and oily, I discovered that a great Italian salad dressing should be zesty, bright and a little bit creamy – and that’s exactly how I would describe today’s homemade Italian salad dressing.
Often when you buy store-bought salad dressings, you are not only getting a lot of hidden sodium and sugar in the bottle, the ingredients used are not top quality – which results in a less than stellar salad or recipe when you use it.
By making your own Italian salad dressing, you can use good quality olive oil, real Parmesan cheese and swap out the high-fructose corn syrup for honey to create a salad dressing that makes you excited to use it. (And don’t worry, the honey doesn’t sweeten the salad dressing but acts to balance out the acidity of the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and garlic.)
There are two ways to prepare this Italian salad dressing:
- simply shake or whisk all ingredients together for a lighter dressing that has Parmesan cheese and seasoning sprinkled throughout
- puree the dressing ingredients in a blender for a creamy salad dressing
You will need to shake the salad dressing bottle or container each time you use it as the heavier ingredients will sink to the bottom.
Looking for recipes to use your homemade Italian salad dressing? We’ve got you covered with these ideas:
- drizzle on the inside of the bread in a homemade Italian sub or sandwich
- use as a dressing for a cold pasta salad
- Chopped Italian Salad from Fantabulosity
- use to marinate chicken, beef, pork or even fish
- use to swap out the Italian dressing used in our Crockpot Olive Garden Italian Chicken Pasta recipe
- drizzle over roasted veggies for a new flavor dimension
How do you make Italian dressing creamy? There are a couple ways to achieve a creamy Italian dressing. One is to puree the ingredients in a smoothie-style blender to emulsify the oil and break down the Parmesan. Another is to whisk in mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt – or even a generous dash of dijon mustard.
Storage: Our Italian salad dressing lasts for 2 weeks in the fridge, if kept in a sealed container like a mason jar or salad dressing bottle.
More Homemade Salad Dressings:
Check out our quick recipe video to see how to make this creamy Italian salad dressing for yourself – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:
Italian Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic, minced
- Honey
- Italian Seasoning <– grab our recipe for homemade Italian seasoning here
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sweet Bell Pepper, diced
- Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: be sure to taste and adjust this recipe according to your personal preferences. For a twist, you can stir in 1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Smoothie-style Blender
- Mason Jar, to store salad dressing
How to Make Italian Salad Dressing
Pour oil into a jar or small bowl.
Add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and honey.
Whisk to combine and distribute the honey evenly.
Add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, sweet bell pepper and Parmesan cheese.
Whisk or shake up the jar to distribute.
If desired, puree the salad dressing in a smoothe-style blender for a more uniform and creamy texture.
Pin this Italian Salad Dressing recipe to bring some flavorful zest to your next salad:
Grab your free printable recipe card for our Italian salad dressing recipe:
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Creamy Italian Dressing
A super simple Creamy Italian Salad Dressing that packs a zesty, flavorful punch. Drizzle on your favorite salads (be they vegetable-based or pasta-based), use as a sandwich spread or marinate chicken with this versatile pantry staple.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Honey, or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet Bell Pepper, diced
- 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Pour oil into a jar or small bowl.
- Add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and honey.
- Whisk to combine and distribute the honey evenly.
- Add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, sweet bell pepper and Parmesan cheese.
- Whisk or shake up the jar to distribute.
- If desired, puree the salad dressing in a smoothe-style blender for a more uniform and creamy texture.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Sugar, Spice and Glitter.
Creamy Italian Dressing
A super simple Creamy Italian Salad Dressing that packs a zesty, flavorful punch. Drizzle on your favorite salads (be they vegetable-based or pasta-based), use as a sandwich spread or marinate chicken with this versatile pantry staple.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Honey, or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet Bell Pepper, diced
- 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Pour oil into a jar or small bowl.
- Add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and honey.
- Whisk to combine and distribute the honey evenly.
- Add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, sweet bell pepper and Parmesan cheese.
- Whisk or shake up the jar to distribute.
- If desired, puree the salad dressing in a smoothe-style blender for a more uniform and creamy texture.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 165mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope you love this easy Italian salad dressing as much as I do! I’d love to hear what recipes you end up using it in.
For more homemade pantry staples, check out our full pantry staples recipe collection here:
For more delicious salads, check out our full salad recipe collection here:
Good post, really. I recently ran onto your blog and just wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying trying your recipes. In any case, I’ll be signing up for your feed and I look forward to reading more of your posts. Thank you very much for the insightful information.
Aw, thank you – that’s so nice to hear!