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Salads are one of my things. I love to make them. I love to serve them. I love to eat them. Every once in a while I’ll try something new or store-bought, but mostly I stick to a few tried-and-true everyday salad dressings that I can whip up using a few simple ingredients that I always have on hand.
A few notes before you start:
Invest in a good EVOO drizzling bottle. And by invest I mean go to your local TJ Maxx or the like and spend $8 on one like this. It makes the whisking part easier when you can control the amount of oil that is going in.
Make your own mayo. I make my own mayo – sometimes it’s because I’m feeling weird about chemical preservatives and sometimes it’s because we don’t have regular mayo but we DO have an egg, some olive oil, and a lime. (Spoiler alert: I include “my” mayo recipe below).
Keep Coconut Aminos in stock – ALWAYS. Coconut Aminos is one of my secret weapons in the kitchen. I add it to a lot of things – it adds a salty sweetness in a way that isn’t aggressive. It does not taste like coconut. It’s more of a background flavor that brings all the other flavors to life.
I never measure any ingredient. Obviously I needed to measure in order to relay the recipe to you, but keep this in mind as your trying out each everyday salad dressing. Keep it casual. Tweak it to fit your taste. Have fun with it.
Dijon Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 3/4 cup EVOO
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except EVOO into a bowl/ measuring cup/ container.
- Slowly begin whisking and add the EVOO gradually until the dressing is emulsified.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- Salt + Pepper (to taste)
- 1/2 cup EVOO
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except EVOO into a bowl/ measuring cup/ container.
- Slowly begin whisking and add the EVOO gradually until the dressing is emulsified.
Champagne Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Champagne Vinegar (If you can't find this, you can sub sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp Coconut Aminos
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp celery salt
- Fresh ground pepper (to season)
- 1/2 cup EVOO
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except EVOO into a bowl/ measuring cup/ container.
- Slowly begin whisking and add the EVOO gradually until the dressing is emulsified.
Spicy Asian Dressing
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Optional: squeeze bottle
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Mayo (use your own, or see bonus recipe below)
- 4 tbsp Sriracha or Hot Sauce (I prefer Sriracha)
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into a measuring cup/ bowl/ container and whisk to combine. Use immediately or chill in the fridge for better flavor.
Mayo
Equipment
- Immersion blender
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp lime juice (this is a rough estimate – 1-2 limes worth, depending on the lime)
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup light olive oil (any oil will do, but the lighter the flavor the better)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in the bottom of a measuring cup (I use the container that comes with the immersion blender).
- Fully immerse the immersion blender to the bottom of the container and turn it on.
- Leave it there for 10-15 seconds. You will see the mayo begin to form from the bottom up.
- Slowly pull the immersion blender up to incorporate all the oil. When the oil is no longer visible, you're done!
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge. Use the same expiration date as the one for the egg used to make it.
Have you tried any of these everyday salad dressings? Which one is your favorite? Got any of your own? Tell me in the comments below!
