This fresh and flavorful Italian Vinaigrette tastes great on everything! From pasta salads to green salads or for marinating vegetables, meats and seafood, you can’t go wrong. The dressing is so easy to make you’ll never want to purchase a store-bought version again.
Italian vinaigrette is an easy, homemade dressing that is perfect for any salad. This versatile dressing can be made with either red or white wine vinegar, and it is packed with flavour. Best of all, it only takes a few minutes to prepare.
So, if you are looking for a delicious, healthy dressing to add to your repertoire, look no further than our delicious Italian vinaigrette recipe!
For other Italian-inspired dressings, you could try our Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette, our tangy Lemon Caper Dressing, or our simple Lemon Basil Vinaigrette or our super creamy Parmesan Dressing.
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Why Make Your Own Italian Salad Dressing
The quick answer is because it TASTES SO GOOD!
Homemade vinaigrettes have so much more flavour, and you have complete control of the quality of the ingredients, which means you can tailor them to suit your tastes - don't like garlic, then leave it out, don't like parsley, use mint or another soft herb instead.
They are preservative and chemical free, therefore so much better for you. Well worth the few minutes it will take to blitz it up in your blender.
Let's Talk About Olive Oils
When choosing olive oil, always choose “virgin” or “extra virgin” varieties as this means that the oil has been extracted by mechanical and not chemical means. This ensures the flavour and health benefits are not compromised during processing.
Olive oil does not improve with age and is at its peak when young. It is rich in monounsaturated fats that are better for you and contain a wide variety of valuable antioxidants.
Choosing and Storing Your Olive Oil
As oils are sensitive to heat, light and exposure to oxygen, it is best to choose dark glass or metal cans; if it’s in clear glass, select a bottle from the back of the shelf, as these will have less exposure to light.
Olive oil can be kept up to 12 months but must be stored properly in sealed dark, coloured bottles or cans in a cool, dark place.
Let's Talk Ingredients
The key to this homemade Italian vinaigrette recipe is choosing good quality ingredients.
- Olive Oil - choose a good quality olive oil; either a virgin or an extra virgin oil blend are ideal. Taste your oil and make sure that it is not bitter or rancid.
- Wine Vinegar - for some tangy flavour, either red wine or white wine vinegar is great.
- Lemon Juice - always use fresh lemon juice, as bottled varieties don’t have the same flavour and may contain additives.
- Fresh Parsley and Basil - will add fresh flavour to our Italian dressing.
- Garlic - we have used fresh for its pungent aroma and for the added health benefits.
- Dried oregano - adds some warm, peppery flavour if you can buy Greek oregano 'rigani' from a good deli as it is much more flavoursome.
- Paprika - Made from dried red peppers that have been ground to a powder. It has a vibrant colour and full-bodied flavour.
- Salt flakes - because of its larger size and ability to blend well and enhance the flavour,
- Pepper - add flavour and heat.
- Consider adding a tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan cheese for
You Will Need
How to Make It
- Wash your parsley and basil stems, then shake to remove excess water and pat dry.
- Pick the leaves from the stems, then roughly chop them. You will need one tablespoon of basil leaves and two tablespoons of parsley leaves.
- For a rustic dressing - finely chop your herbs, then place them in a glass jar with the remaining ingredients and shake well to emulsify.
- For a smooth dressing - place all your vinaigrette ingredients in a small food processor or high-speed blender and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Blitz the ingredients until the herbs are broken up, and the dressing is well combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
- Store it in a sealed container such as a glass jar and keep it in the fridge for up to one week.
What Can I Use it On?
- Mix it in with potato or pasta salad.
- Toss it with a green salad.
- Spoon it on fresh vegetables.
- Use it as a marinade for steaks and grilled chicken.
- Try it as an alternative dressing to classic Caprese salad.
We Have Used It On
Try It As An Alternative Dressing On...
People Also Ask
This recipe makes approximately just over half a cup which equates to approximately ten tablespoons which is enough vinaigrette for one salad that serves four people.
The nutritional information has been calculated per tablespoon.
You can store your Italian vinaigrette in a tight jar with a lid so that it’s easy to shake when you need to mix it up before serving. The vinaigrette can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days in your fridge.
It doesn't contain added sugars, starches, grains, dairy, and processed flavour-builders like MSG and sulphites. So you can consider it suitable for all diets - paleo, whole30, low-carb, keto, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Each serve contains zero net carbs and 76 kcals.
(Please note we use a nutritional database to calculate the nutritional information, and it should be considered as an estimate).
Italian dressing is a vinaigrette style of dressing that is oil and vinegar based, so in this instance, they are the same thing.
However, I usually define my dressings as having a thicker consistency and my vinaigrettes as having a lighter texture and a more runny nature.
More Dressing & Vinaigrette Recipes
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil (either virgin or extra virgin olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons wine vinegar (either white or red wine vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash your parsley and basil stems, then shake to remove excess water and pat dry.
- Pick the leaves from the stems, then roughly chop them. You will need one tablespoon of basil leaves and two tablespoons of parsley leaves.
- Place all your vinaigrette ingredients in a small food processor or high-speed blender, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Blitz the ingredients until the herbs are broken up and the dressing is well combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
- Store it in a sealed container such as a glass jar and keep it in the fridge for up to one week.
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