Simple Salad Dressing with Olive Oil, Ready in 5 Minutes

What Makes a Simple Italian Salad Dressing So Good

This simple salad dressing is light, versatile, and built entirely on high-quality ingredients. In Italy, the classic salad dressing is nothing more than extra virgin olive oil, salt, and wine vinegar — that is it. Our version adds a few more elements: smashed garlic steeped in oil, anchovy, dijon mustard, and a touch of honey. It is still fundamentally Italian in character, just more complete for everyday use.

Salads are one of the best ways to let great olive oil speak for itself. Because the oil is raw and undiluted, whatever it tastes like is what the dressing tastes like. This is one of the core principles of Italian salad-making — for more context on that tradition, our complete guide to Italian salads covers how Italians approach vegetable-based dishes from region to region.

Store-bought bottled dressings often contain high fructose corn syrup, canola oil, artificial colors, and preservatives. Making your own takes under five minutes and produces something genuinely better.

The Benefits of Making Your Own Salad Dressing

Better Ingredients

When you make your own dressing, you control what goes in. This version uses extra virgin olive oil, anchovies, vinegar, and herbs — real food, nothing processed. The olive oil alone makes it worth doing.

Customizable Flavors

Once you know the ratio (three parts oil to one part acid), you can swap the vinegar for lemon juice, add different herbs, or dial up the garlic. The base works with almost any variation.

Saves Money

A bottle of decent vinaigrette costs three to four times what this recipe costs to make, and the homemade version tastes better. The ingredients are pantry staples.

How to Make Simple Italian Salad Dressing

The key is starting with high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Add the smashed garlic to the oil and let it steep for at least a few hours — this gently infuses the oil without the sharpness of raw garlic. Then add the anchovy, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and freshly cracked pepper and mix well.

If you are using a mason jar, put the lid on and shake well. This can also be made ahead and left at room temperature for an hour or two to let the flavors come together. Just before serving, pour over your salad and toss to coat.

Should You Blend the Salad Dressing?

If you prefer a gentle garlic note, remove the clove and do not blend. Pour directly over the salad.

If you want a fully emulsified, intensely garlicky dressing, blend the entire mixture in a small blender or food processor until smooth. The dressing will lighten in color and become creamy. Both versions are excellent — it comes down to preference and what you are dressing.

Can I Use a Different Oil?

For this recipe, no. A high-quality extra virgin olive oil is essential. It provides depth, flavor, and a generous amount of polyphenols that neutral oils cannot offer. Avocado oil is a reasonable substitute if needed, but the flavor profile will be different.

Can I Use Different Types of Mustard?

Yes, but use dijon or whole grain — not yellow mustard. If you use honey mustard, skip the added honey in the recipe.

Can I Add Vinegar?

Yes. We do not add vinegar in this recipe because we prefer a richer, fat-forward flavor. But a splash of red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar works well if you want more acidity.

What Lettuce Works Best?

Romaine and little gem are our favorites — they have clean, subtle flavor that does not compete with the dressing. Butter lettuce also works beautifully. Avoid heavily dressed bitter greens like radicchio with this dressing; those pair better with a leaner vinaigrette.

How Much Dressing Should I Use?

About 1/4 cup for a large bowl of salad, serving two to three people. Start with less and add more after tossing — you want the leaves to glisten, not swim.

How Long Does Homemade Dressing Last?

Best made fresh since the garlic is raw. Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it keeps for up to one week. The oil may solidify when cold — bring to room temperature and shake before using.

We wrote a book called The Olive Oil Enthusiast. Order your copy today.

Every recipe in our kitchen starts with our family's extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed from groves along the Ionian coast of Calabria that have been in Giuseppe's family since 1927. It is what we use every day — and it makes a genuine difference in dishes like this one. Shop our olive oil here.

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Guide to Italian Salads

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