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Zesty Homemade Italian Dressing

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Forget the bottled stuff: this zesty homemade Italian dressing is easy to make and packed with flavor.

Glass jar of zesty homemade Italian dressing.

This zesty Italian dressing is my go-to weeknight salad dressing. It’s a classic oil and vinegar salad dressing with lots of garlic and a few surprise ingredients, like Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup. Sounds strange, I know, but it works. It’s a cinch to make, too: simply combine all of the ingredients in a jar, give it a shake, and you’re done. The recipe makes enough dressing for one large head or three hearts of romaine.

What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Italian Dressing

ingredients for homemade Italian dressing

How To Make Homemade Italian Dressing

combining all of the ingredients in a jar

Simply combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake to emulsify.

emulsified Italian dressing in jar

As always, when dressing salads, be sure greens are completely dry so the dressing doesn’t get watered down.

Glass jar of zesty homemade Italian dressing.

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Zesty Homemade Italian Dressing

Forget the bottled stuff: this zesty homemade Italian dressing is easy to make and packed with flavor.

Servings: Makes 1 ⅓ cups

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Colavita or Lucini
  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, best quality such as Pompeian Gourmet or Domaine des Vignes
  • 1½ tablespoons real maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 small garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a jar. Seal tightly with lid and shake vigorously to emulsify. Toss gently with the romaine lettuce right before serving. Store extra dressing in refrigerator for up to a week. As the dressing sits, it will separate (and solidify in the fridge), so be sure to shake well before using.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Serving size: 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 155
  • Fat: 16 g
  • Saturated fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 3 g
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Fiber: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Sodium: 151 mg
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • This is now my go-to recipe for dressing salads. I can finally get rid of the 10+ bottles of dressings taking up room in my fridge now that we’ve found one that’s good on just about any salad combination.

  • So yummy. Thanks for the recipe!

  • I purchased all of the ingredients for this 2 weeks ago. Finally made the dressing last night and my husband and I both give it a thumbs up. We eat a salads frequently, but I always purchased SASS sesame ginger dressing in Austin (local brand). Since moving to Seattle I’ve been unable to find something we like. Looks like I’ll be keeping your dressing on hand. Thanks Jenn.

  • I made this for my mom for mothers day! She loved it!

    • — Emily Pedersen
    • Reply
  • Can’t wait to try this recipe looks great

    • — Cheryl Wheeler
    • Reply
  • very easy to make! Great Taste.

  • Love the dressing. Keep a jar ready in the refridge. Found that it is also good on grilled fish and grilled or roasted vegatables. Passed recipe onto my daughter who gave it rave reviews also. Thanks

  • The Bonne Maman jar is a must to achieve the perfect flavor.

  • This dressing has become my new house dressing.

  • I have made many homemade Italian dressings using red wine vinegar and they are always so bitter…this recipe is OUTSTANDING! Adding maple syrup instead of sugar added the perfect subtle sweetness that made this recipe a hit with my family. Thank you !

  • Unsual recipe, looking forward to trying it!

  • My family absolutely loved this dressing! Will make it again.

  • I usually make fresh dressing each night but this one is great as I can leave it in the fridge and have it on hand. It is terrific. Remember to take it out of the fridge 10 minutes before you need it as the EVOO will be congealed.

  • sorry – my comment was actually at the quiche with the leeks and parmesan reggiano cheese. But this dressing looks great – if you haven’t tried the quiche make it ahead for a bake while you cut up fresh fruit this weekend – you’ll be a hit!

  • This is a delicious dish – the leeks & cheese combo really makes it – of course, though you couldn’t do without the cream either!!!

  • I’m eager to try this one! My husband is a big fan of Italian dressing and I’m sure it will be a bit hit at our house. Thanks!

  • This was so easy and soooo scrumptious!!!

    • — Dorothy Ruffin
    • Reply
  • Looks great! I’m going to try it as a marinade for chicken cutlets

  • Made this dressing last weekend and loved it. I bought the olive oil you recomended and I could really tell the difference.

    • — ROBERTA CHRISTOS
    • Reply
  • I made this and everyone in my Italian family loved it – even my 91 year old mother, who thinks her recipe is the ONLY one for Italian dressing. She LOVED it! Thank you!!

  • This was so easy and delicious! These are ingredients I always have on hand – never will I need to be buy Italian dressing again.

  • This dressing had a great zippy flavor… everyone commented how good it was. My youngest (pickiest) really liked it and said it tasted like “restaurant” dressing.

  • I loved your Asparagus Soup recipe. I have made several things and they are all good. Thank you for your help in making my dinners a bit more special

  • I love homemade dressing and this looks delish!

  • This was fantastic!!! I can use this for so many salads and on a few quinoa recipes I make!!
    Thanks you!

    BTW…I really WANT the cuttingboard:)

  • looks like it will be so good, going to try it this weekend

  • can not wait to try this-looks so good

  • I love this dressing! It is so light and fresh. I can make it up in no time!

  • Love this recipe! I made it in seconds, and love that it can be made and also stored in the same jar. Makes no mess and no cleanup! Great recipe, thanks so much!

  • Great !! – BUT, just gotta’ have a couple of shots of Tabasco or Crystal, too !!!

  • This is a refreshing addition to my multicolored lettuce salad to be served with an outdoor barbecue of salmon and salsa!

  • Fabulous taste. Thank you!

  • Easy and delicious. A winner.

    • — Selma. Tannenbaum
    • Reply
  • Is there something I could substitute for the pure maple syrup? That isn’t something I keep on hand.

    • — Melissa Crawford
    • Reply
    • Hi Melissa, You can use pancake syrup, sugar or honey. Hope that helps!

  • I have an easy pasta salad that I make but have to buy zesty italian dressing. I am so glad to find this so now I can make as much as I need. It sounds delicious and as simple as my salad.

    Thanks for sharing.

  • I know I’ve commented twice, but the third time’s the charm. My husband will use no other salad dressing since I made this. We love it!!!

    I would love to win the cutting board!!!

  • YUMMMY…love a good salad dressing! This one looks and tastes FABULOUS!! Thanks for sharing

  • can I use red wine that has turned to vinegar for recipes like this? is that then considered best-quality red wine vinegar? Thanks!

    • Hi Deb, I have never made homemade red wine vinegar but if this is something you know how to do, I imagine it would be very good. I do know it’s more involved than just letting wine turn. You need to add a “vinegar mother” (a bacteria to facilitate the process) to the wine, and then it takes several months to turn into vinegar. Hope that helps.

  • This was the absolute best; was even better the next day.

  • Made the dressing this morning and had it on my salad for lunch. It’s a winner!!! yummm

  • Had to try it and so glad that I did. The family loved it. A breeze to make.

  • That is DAMN good salad dressing! Thank you!

  • Hello to you and your family, Jenn.
    I am definitely going to make this salad dressing.
    I have spriing lettuce ready to pick and this will be great on it.

  • good one !

  • Jenn,
    Thank you for your website! I am sorry I don’t comment after every recipe of yours I make, but you might get sick of hearing from me! My recipe folder is full of your printouts. Thank you.
    I love how your food is healthy, unfussy, and family friendly — yet I still feel that I am preparing something “gourmet” and very special. A lot of love goes into your cooking and it shows!
    Kindly,
    frances

  • can I use red wine that has turned to vinegar for recipes like this? is that then considered best-quality red wine vinegar? Thanks!

  • Sounds great. Will definitely make it!!

  • Gotta try this one. Sounds ZESTY!!!

  • Our nightly salad is usually just tossed with olive oil, then given a few grinds of black pepper, salted a bit, and then tossed again with vinegar (usually white balsamic). We like it a lot. But I have to say, your Zesty Italian Salad Dressing looks fantastic! I’ll be giving it a try tonight. 🙂

  • Love your recipes…they have helped me brighten
    up my meals…and after 60 years of cooking, they
    were getting boring…Thanks…

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