It’s been quite warm around here lately, so we’ve been eating a lot of salads. I decided to switch it up and make this easy citrus vinaigrette recipe I found on Simply Scratch, instead of my go-to Fran’s simple vinaigrette. The sweet, tangy salad dressing is so easy to make and tastes fantastic on any greens from spinach and romaine to butter lettuce and endive.

Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (white wine vinegar will also work)
• Zest from half a lemon + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Zest from 1 mandarin + 1 tbsp fresh mandarin juice (can also use a Clementine)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½-1 tsp honey, to taste
• 1 small clove of garlic, finely grated
• ⅛ tsp onion powder
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

How to Make a Citrus Vinaigrette:

Combine the oil, vinegar, zest & juice from the lemon & mandarin, Dijon, honey, garlic, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste in a small glass jar. Seal with a lid and shake well. Taste & re-season if needed.

Set aside to let the flavors mingle for at least 15-30 minutes before using.

Store in the airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy.

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Citrus Vinaigrette

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Allow flavors time to mingle: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Small Glass Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar White wine vinegar will also work
• Zest from half a lemon PLUS 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Zest from 1 mandarin PLUS 1 tbsp fresh mandarin juice A Clementine will also work
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½-1 tsp honey to taste
• 1 small clove of garlic finely grated
• ⅛ tsp onion powder
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Combine the oil, vinegar, zest & juice from the lemon & mandarin, Dijon, honey, garlic, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste in a small glass jar. Seal with a lid and shake well. Taste & re-season if needed.
• Set aside to let the flavors mingle for at least 15-30 minutes before using.
• Store in the airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy.

I had a craving for a salad for lunch, and instead of making my go-to vinaigrette, I wanted to try something different. I ran across the viral recipe video for Chipotle’s signature salad dressing, and thought it sounded delicious. This quick & easy chipotle honey vinaigrette recipe is sweet, smoky, and spicy, making a delicious salad dressing that makes any salad extra tasty, especially a Southwestern salad.

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette (Copycat Recipe)

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3-4 tbsp water, to taste, depending on desired spiciness & consistency
• 3 tbsp sauce from adobo pepper, to taste
• 2½ tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup vegetable or avocado oil

How to Make Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette (Copycat Recipe):

Place the red wine vinegar, water, adobo pepper sauce, honey, oregano, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste in a blender. Blend until well-combined.

Gradually pour in the olive oil while blending. Taste and re-season if needed.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette (Copycat Recipe)

Course Condiment

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup +/-

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Blender, Food Processor, or Immersion Blender

Ingredients

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3-4 tbsp water to taste, depending on desired spiciness & consistency
• 3 tbsp sauce from adobo pepper
• 2½ tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ½ cup vegetable or avocado oil

Instructions

• Place the red wine vinegar, water, adobo pepper sauce, honey, oregano, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste in a blender. Blend until well-combined.
• Gradually pour in the olive oil while blending. Taste and re-season if needed.
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I made a simple spinach salad to pair with some homemade shake and bake pork chops and loaded mashed potatoes, and I wanted a different salad dressing from my go-to vinaigrette or creamy dill. After looking at some food blogs, I decided to make the best honey mustard dressing from Love and Lemons. This recipe for homemade honey mustard dressing was simple to prepare, tasted perfectly tangy and sweet, and paired nicely with the spinach salad.

Honey Mustard Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 small garlic clove, grated or very finely minced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to Make Honey Mustard Dressing

In a small glass jar, whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Set aside to allow the flavors some time to mingle for 20-30 minutes, if possible.

Perfect for salads, as a veggie dip, or for dunking chicken nuggets.

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Honey Mustard Dressing

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Allow flavors time to mingle: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Small glass jar

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 small garlic clove grated or very finely minced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a small glass jar, whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper, to taste.
• Set aside to allow the flavors some time to mingle for 20-30 minutes, if possible.
• Perfect for salads, as a veggie dip, or for dunking chicken nuggets.

Instead of my go-to vinaigrette, I made a creamy feta dressing recipe from All Day I Dream About Food. The dressing had lots of fresh dill and chunks of crumbled feta, making it thick, hearty, and extra delicious. This easy creamy feta dressing recipe was made in minutes and tasted fantastic on my loaded garden salad.

Creamy Feta Dressing

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced, to taste
• 2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

How to Make Creamy Feta Dressing

In a small glass jar, whisk the mayonnaise, feta cheese crumbles, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, fresh dill, Dijon mustard, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste, together until well combined and creamy.

If possible, seal with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flavors time to mingle before serving on your salad of choice.

Store any remaining creamy feta dressing in the sealed, airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Creamy Feta Dressing

Course Condiment

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Allow flavors time to mingle: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by All Day I Dream About Food

Equipment

• Small Glass Jar with a Lid

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced, to taste
• 2 tsp fresh dill chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a small glass jar, whisk the mayonnaise, feta cheese crumbles, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, fresh dill, Dijon mustard, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste, together until well combined and creamy.
• If possible, seal with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flavors time to mingle before serving on your salad of choice.
• Store any remaining creamy feta dressing in the sealed, airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I made a huge salad for lunch recently and decided to make this simple balsamic vinaigrette recipe instead of my go-to Fran’s Vinaigrette.  I found an interesting recipe on A Spicy Perspective because it used thyme in the vinaigrette and that’s something I’ve never tried before, and I loved that she used equal parts oil and vinegar, which is the way we like it. This zesty balsamic vinaigrette was really flavorful and I enjoyed trying something new.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup good aged balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4-1/2 tsp thyme, to taste
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Honey, to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

How to Make a Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Combine the aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, thyme, garlic, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste in a small glass jar. Seal with a lid and shake well to combine; set aside for 30 minutes (if possible) to allow flavors time to mingle.

Drizzle the well-shaken balsamic vinaigrette over your favorite green salad. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

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Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Glass Jar with an Airtight Lid

Ingredients

• ¼ cup good aged balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup good olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ - ½ tsp thyme to taste
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• Honey to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste, optional
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Combine the aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, thyme, garlic, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste in a small glass jar. Seal with a lid and shake well to combine; set aside for 30 minutes (if possible) to allow flavors time to mingle.
• Drizzle the well-shaken balsamic vinaigrette over your favorite green salad. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

A French vinaigrette is traditionally whisked together in the bottom of a large salad bowl, then lettuce is added to the bowl and gently tossed to evenly coat the greens, while leaving any excess dressing at the bottom of the bowl. You can also make the vinaigrette in advance and drizzle over your salad too. This simple and delicious French vinaigrette paired nicely with a mixed spring green salad with toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan.

French Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp good olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar, to taste
• 1 tbsp shallot, finely minced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Pinch of sugar, to taste, if desired

How to Make a French Vinaigrette

Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallot, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and sugar together in a small glass jar. Seal with an airtight lid and shake well; set aside until needed.

Shake well before serving over your favorite salad. Enjoy.

Store the remaining French vinaigrette in a sealed air tight jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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French Vinaigrette

Course Condiment

Cuisine French

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Small glass jar

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp good olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar to taste
• 1 tbsp shallot finely minced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
• Pinch of sugar to taste, if desired

Instructions

• Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallot, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and sugar together in a small glass jar. Seal with an airtight lid and shake well; set aside until needed.
• Shake well before serving over your favorite salad. Enjoy.
• Store the remaining French vinaigrette in a sealed air tight jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

I found this easy Asian sesame dressing recipe years ago on Recipe Tin Eats and I usually have some on hand for green salads, noodle salads, or slaw. I love that it uses five pantry staple ingredients and it’s so easy to throw together. I like to use this as a base Asian salad dressing recipe and will sometimes add herbs, garlic, or ginger depending on what I’m using it for.

Asian Sesame Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar

How to Make an Asian Sesame Dressing

Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and sugar together in a glass jar. Seal with a lid and shake well before drizzling on your salad, noodles, or slaw, to taste.

Store sealed with an airtight lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Bring to room temperature and shake well before using.

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Asian Sesame Dressing

Course Condiment

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Recipe Tin Eats

Equipment

• Small Glass Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 ½ tsp sugar

Instructions

• Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and sugar together in a glass jar.
• Seal with a lid and shake well before drizzling on your salad, noodles, or slaw.
• Store sealed with an airtight lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Bring to room temperature and shake well before using.

We often use ranch seasoning packets for a simple veggie dip, a quick salad dressing, or most usually, in my Mississippi pot roast recipe. I stumbled upon a recipe on Fork in the Kitchen that sounded simple and tasty so I decided to give it a try. I adapted the recipe a little bit to work with what I had on hand but it was so easy to throw together and I love that it uses up spices I always have on hand.

How to Make Ranch Seasoning Mix

Combine together the buttermilk powder, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, chives, minced onion, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, dried mustard, and celery seed together in a small jar. Seal with a lid and shake until well combined.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to six months (be sure to check the buttermilk powder’s container to confirm its expiration date).

1 Packet of Ranch Seasoning Mix = 2 Tablespoons

How to Make Ranch Dressing:

Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup sour cream with 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix. Add approximately 1/4 -1/2 cup of milk to thin to desired consistency & taste, plus a splash of lemon juice, vinegar, or soy sauce for a bit of umami and zing. Seal with a lid and place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow flavors time to mingle. 

How to Make Ranch Dip:

In a small jar, stir together 1 cup of sour cream with 1-2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix, to taste; mix until well combined. Add a splash of lemon juice, vinegar, or soy sauce as desired, to taste. Seal with a lid and place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow flavors time to mingle.

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Ranch Seasoning Mix

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Fork in the Kitchen

Equipment

• Small Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• ¼ cup buttermilk powder **You can substitute nutritional yeast for a non-dairy version
• 1½ tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp dried dill
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 1 tsp minced onion
• ½-1 tsp sea salt, to taste
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ¼ tsp dried mustard
• ¼ tsp celery seed

Instructions

• Combine together the buttermilk powder, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, chives, minced onion, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, dried mustard, and celery seed together in a small jar. Seal with a lid and shake until well combined.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to six months (be sure to check the buttermilk powder's container to confirm its expiration date). 

1 Packet of Ranch Seasoning Mix = 2 Tablespoons

• How to Make Ranch Dressing:

  Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup sour cream with 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix. Add approximately 1/4 -1/2 cup of milk to thin to desired consistency & taste, plus a splash of lemon juice, vinegar, or soy sauce for a bit of umami and zing. Seal with a lid and place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow flavors time to mingle. 
• How to Make Ranch Dip:

  In a small jar, stir together 1 cup of sour cream with 1-2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix, to taste; mix until well combined. Add a splash of lemon juice, vinegar, or soy sauce as desired, to taste. Seal with a lid and place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow flavors time to mingle. 

I’ve always loved the creamy pesto salad dressing at The Old Spaghetti Factory, so when I stumbled upon a copycat recipe for their creamy pesto dressing on CopyKat Recipes, I had to give it a try. I was pretty skeptical because the dressing used dried basil but it ended up tasting just like the restaurant’s version! We all enjoyed this creamy pesto dressing and it will be on regular rotation in our house from now on.

How to Make a Creamy Pesto Dressing

In a jar or bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, oil, buttermilk, parmesan cheese, dried basil, garlic, hot sauce, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, until well combined.

Seal with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors time to mingle. Enjoy.

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Creamy Pesto Dressing

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Allow flavors time to mingle 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 ¼ cup +/-

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Small Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup +1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup +1 tbsp buttermilk
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
• Hot sauce, to taste **I used two dashes of Frank's RedHot
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

• In a jar or bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, oil, buttermilk, parmesan cheese, dried basil, garlic, hot sauce, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, until well combined.
• Seal with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors time to mingle. Enjoy. 

I found this simple creamy Italian dressing recipe on The Busy Baker and it sounded tasty and easy to make with ingredients I always have on hand. My all had their own obligations recently one evening so I made a simple spinach salad topped with this flavorful creamy Italian dressing and it was a delicious meal.

How to Make a Creamy Italian Dressing

Combine the mayonnaise, olive oil, white wine vinegar, finely grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, minced garlic, honey, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a small jar. Seal with the lid and shake until very well combined.

Place into the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to allow flavors time to mingle.

Shake well and drizzle over your green salad. Enjoy.  Side Note: The dressing keeps for up to 5 days in an airtight sealed jar stored in the refrigerator. 

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Creamy Italian Dressing

Course Condiment

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Refrigerate to allow flavors time to mingle 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup +/-

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by The Busy Baker

Equipment

• Glass Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• ½ cup good mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup good olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup fresh parmesan, finely grated
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• ½-1½ tsp honey, to taste
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Combine the mayonnaise, olive oil, white wine vinegar, finely grated parmesan cheese, lemon juice, minced garlic, honey, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a small jar. Seal with the lid and shake until very well combined.
• Place into the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to allow flavors time to mingle. 
• Shake well and drizzle over your green salad. Enjoy.  Side Note: The dressing keeps for up to 5 days in an airtight sealed jar stored in the refrigerator. ¼