How To Make Salad Dressing

Learning how to make salad dressing from scratch is simple, yet there’s an art and a science to the process. Salads are a classic side dish or main that can be customized in a variety of ways, but a tasty dressing can instantly make your entire salad pop! When people complain that salads are ‘boring’, we’ll bet they’ve never explored the beauty and versatility of how to make salad dressing.

The Basics That Every Salad Needs

Photo: Anna Pelzer

We have a theory: in order for a salad to be delicious, you need at least six or seven toppings on your lettuce or dark leafy greens. These could include:

Crispy, crunchy and fresh veggies
Nuts or seeds (hemp seeds are a fave because it packs in anti-inflammatory omega-3s and you’ll barely notice them, or you could add something with a bolder flavour and crunch like candied pecans or almonds).
Beans and legumes (any variety is great and you can also roast the beans for extra crouton-like crunch)
Dried fruit
Fresh fruit (avocado is ultra-delicious, as are apples, strawberries and tomatoes)
Eggs
Meat, such as chicken, or fish
Fresh herbs
Nori strips (or any other seaweed)
Dairy-free cheese
Tofu or tempeh
Shredded coconut or toasted coconut chips
Cooked grains
Leftover veggie or meat burgers
And, of course, an awesome and flavourful dressing!

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How To Make Salad Dressing: Essential Components

If you’d like to make a salad dressing that’s solidly delicious, ensure you include the following components!

High-Quality Oil: 3 Parts

Use the best-quality oils that you can afford in your salad dressing recipes for maximum health benefits, texture and flavour. Some suggestions:

Extra virgin olive oil
Hemp seed oil
Flax oil
Chia oil
Pumpkin seed oil
Sesame or toasted sesame oil

Acid: 1 Part

Mixing in a bit of acidity is a way to add balance to your homemade salad dressing. Try:

Lemon
Lime
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Rice vinegar
Grapefruit

Fresh or Dried Herbs: About 1/4 tsp – 1 Tbsp Dried, 1 Tbsp – 1/2 cup Fresh

The amount of fresh or dried herbs will really depend on your taste buds! Try:

Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Cilantro
Parsley
Mint
Dill
Sage

Sweetness (Optional): 1 Part

Photo: Heather Gill

Like the acid component, a natural sweetener helps to balance out the flavour of salad dressings. It’s optional if you are completely omitting sugar from your life, but just a little bit of the following sweeteners will do: