salad dressings

Tools & Resources › Recipes › Salad Dressings
NuStart · Recipes · Salads

Salad Dressings

6 mix-and-match dressings · Use on vegetable salads, roasted vegetables, and meats

Download PDF

Make Your Own Dressing

A fresh salad is packed with nutrients to fuel your body, and a good dressing makes it even more enjoyable. Making your own gives you control over the ingredients and flavor. The formula below builds a dressing that’s delicious, nutritious, and satisfying.

Dressing / sauce = unsaturated fat + acid + flavor.

Healthy fats

Olive oil, flavored olive oil, sesame oil, avocado oil, avocado, nuts, seeds.

Acids

Balsamic, apple cider, rice, or red/white wine vinegar; lemon or lime juice; mustard.

Flavorings

Garlic, honey, hot sauce, fruit, maple syrup, sriracha, soy sauce, ginger, fresh or dried herbs and spices.

How to mix. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste. These dressings double as marinades: use them on vegetable salads, roasted vegetables, and meats.

Strawberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Walnuts
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Strawberries

Directions

Tap a step to mark it done.

  1. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together.
  2. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste.

Blueberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Walnuts
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Honey
  • Blueberries

Directions

Tap a step to mark it done.

  1. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together.
  2. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste.

Sweet Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Mustard
  • Honey

Directions

Tap a step to mark it done.

  1. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together.
  2. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste.

Tangy Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Mustard
  • Honey

Directions

Tap a step to mark it done.

  1. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together.
  2. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste.

Asian Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • Sesame oil
  • Rice vinegar
  • Reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • Honey
  • Sriracha (optional)

Directions

Tap a step to mark it done.

  1. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together.
  2. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste.

Tangy Asian Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • Sesame oil
  • Rice vinegar
  • Reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • Honey
  • Sriracha (optional)

Directions

Tap a step to mark it done.

  1. Mix equal parts of each ingredient together.
  2. Adjust the ratios or add spices to suit your taste.
Note. This is a reference page rather than a single recipe, so it does not carry per-serving numbers. Dressings are flavor accents: a drizzle adds richness that helps you enjoy (and eat more) vegetables.

No reduced-sodium soy sauce in the house? You do not need to buy a second bottle. Mix 3 parts regular soy sauce with 2 parts water; that lands within a few milligrams of the reduced-sodium version and keeps the liquid the recipe is built around, which is what you want in a dressing or a marinade. If you would rather not add water, use a scant 2 teaspoons for every tablespoon called for. That is the simpler move and it works well in a stew or a stir-fry, where a little less liquid will not be missed. Either way, taste before you add more.

Per-serving values are approximate and vary with brand, variety, and preparation.