This vegan Italian dressing is bright, full of flavor and easy to make. Take your salads to the next level. Olive oil and white wine vinegar are seasoned with fresh garlic and dried herbs. A hint of lemon juice and maple syrup help balance out the acidity.
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Say goodbye to store bought Italian dressing that is full of preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients and make this homemade Italian dressing recipe instead. It’s so easy to make your own salad dressing full of wholesome ingredients and amazing flavors.
❤️ Why you’ll love this dressing
- This zesty Italian dressing is great on salads (of course) and you can make a big jar of it to store in the fridge and always have on hand.
- Vegan, vegetarian and dairy free
- Gluten free, quick and easy and budget friendly
- Full of simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
🥗 Ingredients
- Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil will have the best flavor, but use whatever you can find at your grocery store. Vegetable oil would work if you’re in a pinch, but olive oil will be much more flavorful.
- White wine vinegar – Champagne vinegar tastes amazing in this recipe as well. The secret to a good dressing is to use a high quality vinegar. I’ve also used apple cider vinegar and it turned out great.
- Minced garlic – adds an amazing pop of flavor.
- Onion powder & Garlic powder – I love adding additional garlic and onion powder on to of fresh garlic because it adds a different depth of flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – This adds a nice burst of bright flavor.
- Italian seasoning – Instead of having to buy a bunch of different herbs, I like to use Italian herbs to make this easier. If you have fresh herbs like oregano, thyme and sage, feel free to use them as well.
- Dijon mustard – This adds a bit of creaminess and thickness to the dressing.
- Maple syrup – You can also use white sugar. This is a secret ingredient that helps to balance out all of the acidity in the dressing.
- Salt
- Nutritional yeast – You can also use vegan parmesan cheese in this. It’s optional though.
👩🍳 Helpful tips
- When the dressing has been sitting for a while, make sure to give it a good shake or stir before drizzling it over your green salads.
- The oil might solidify if it’s been in the fridge for a long time, let it come to room temperature (or microwave it for 10 seconds) and it will go back to its normal consistency.
Directions
Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and instructions!
Step one – Grab a mason jar and put all of the ingredients in there.
Step two – Cover with a lid and shake until it’s well mixed. Look how fast and easy that was!
🥗 Serving suggestions
Italian dressing goes great on any big salads or cold pasta salad. I love topping my fresh greens with sunflower seeds, kalamata olives, white beans and cherry tomatoes.
This goes really well as the dressing in this southern cucumber salad as well.
Serve the salad with a nice bowl of minestrone soup.
You can also marinate some tofu or plant based chicken or vegan meat in it and bake or grill it.
This also works great as a sandwich spread.
❓ FAQ’s
This homemade salad dressing will last about two weeks in the fridge in an airtight container like a mason jar.
Yes! Red wine vinegar also tastes delicious in this recipe. It will have a more bold flavor. Apple cider vinegar would work too.
It depends on the brand, so it’s important to read the ingredients. Some store bought Italian dressings have cheese in them, but a few don’t. You can easily make your own dairy free Italian dressing at home by using vegan cheese or just keeping the dairy out, like in this recipe.
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If you loved this recipe, leave a 5 ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and comment below!
📖 Recipe
Easy vegan Italian dressing
Ingredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup (or sugar)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Add all ingredients in a glass mason jar. Seal with a lid and shake.¾ cup olive oil, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon maple syrup, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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