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

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  • 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

  • Don’t question the ingredients — you’re in for an amazing dressing you won’t forget.

  • Excellent dressing, only thing I changed was the amount vinegar since I like a little more tang

  • This is a wonderful dressing! Everyone loves my salads and requests this recipe. It is now our house dressing.🤡

  • This salad dressing was delicious and a nice compliment to a pork tenderloin I made for dinner. Next time I made it, I might add a pinch of Italian seasoning.

    • — Lori Rasmussen
    • Reply
  • Was delicious. I did use sugar free maple syrup. Thank you!

  • This is one of my go to dressing recipes. I don’t change a thing, it’s delicious and super fast to make.

  • Nice zesty & also rich dressing alternative to winter salads!

  • This is the best Italian dressing I’ve made – lots of flavor and quick to make! The worcestershire sauce enhances the flavor, as well as the fresh garlic. Thanks to this dressing, my son will now eat salad!

  • I love having this made and in the Refrigerator. It goes over Meat & Salad & Vegetables. I really enjoy your recipes. It is so nice to see a picture of what is needed in the recipe before you begin.

  • Okay… I am NOT that home cook who gets all, “Oh, Jenn… this was great, but I increased the salt by 1/29th of a teaspoon, and now it’s perfect.” In fact, a review of the game tapes will reveal an almost sycophantic enthusiasm for Jenn’s recipes. Having said that, I added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to this and OMG.

    • — Rebecca Reynolds
    • Reply

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