• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • About
  • Contact
  • Podcasts
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Classes
    • Gift Certificates
    • Testimonials
  • Videos
  • Articles
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Cooking Classes
    • Gift Certificates
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Grilled Figs Stuffed with Blue Cheese and wrapped with prosciutto on a white platter surrounded by pink flowers.
      Grilled Figs Stuffed with Blue Cheese
    • A Gluten Free Angel Food Cake filled with whipped cream and fresh berries, garnished with yellow and purple pansies sitting on a glass pedestal tray.
      Gluten Free Angel Food Cake
    • A bowl of Gluten Free Grilled Perogies with Sausage and onions, all grilled and tossed with a mustard dressing.
      Gluten Free Grilled Perogies with Sausage
    • Grilled Salmon with White Barbecue Sauce on top of cooked asparagus with a purple pansy garnish.
      Salmon with White Barbecue Sauce
    • A pedestal tray with gluten free Mocha Cheesecake Brownies decorated with pansies.
      Gluten Free Mocha Cheesecake Brownies
    • A platter with skewers of Lemongrass Chicken surrounded by lemongrass, carrots, cucumber and lemon wedges.
      Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Skewers
    • A plate divided in four showing whole almonds, almond flour, quinoa seeds and quinoa flour.
      How To Use Almond Flour and Quinoa Flour
    • A hand holding one perogy above a counter covered in circles of dough ready to make more perogies.
      Gluten Free Perogy Dough Recipe
    • Three piles of flour in shades of yellow; cornmeal, corn flour and masa harina.
      How To Use Corn Flour, Cornmeal and Masa Harina
    • A dish of gluten free Lobster Macaroni and Cheese decorated with the head and tail of the lobster.
      Gluten Free Lobster Mac and Cheese
    • An egg just dropped into a pile of millet flour.
      How To Use Millet Flour and Sorghum Flour
    • Gluten free Strawberry Shortcake on a plate filled with strawberry sauce and whipped cream; with a bowl of strawberry filling beside it.
      Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake
    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Homemade Salad Dressing (Basic Vinaigrette)

    Published: Jun 16, 2024 by Cinde LittleThis post may contain affiliate links1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Switching to homemade salad dressing is a smart move for gluten free cooks. They’re quick and easy to make, with or without a recipe, and you probably have the ingredients on hand. No label to read, no additives or preservatives. You can't beat that!

    Olive oil being poured into a Mason jar with a hand blender in it, surrounded by lettuce, garlic and a whisk.

    Beyond this basic recipe I make many dressings like this Tomato Cumin Dressing, Peanut Dressing and an Asian Dressing, just to name a few. These are some of the unique combinations that I love and repeat year after year. Some more often than others.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • 7 Reasons To Make Homemade Salad Dressing
    • The Best Emulsifier for Salad Dressing
    • Top Tip for Homemade Salad
    • Homemade Salad Dressing

    Ingredients

    By knowing the ratio you can whip us a delicious vinaigrette dressing in the time it takes to read a label. This is a skill that comes in handy every day of the week and even when you're away.

    The basic ingredients to make salad dressing; oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper with a hand blender beside it all.
    • wine vinegar or lemon juice
    • olive oil (extra virgin or any oil of your choice)
    • Dijon mustard
    • salt & freshly ground pepper

    See recipe card for exact amounts.

    Instructions

    The basic salad dressing recipe is 3:1, three parts oil to one part acid. Once you know the ratio you can measure it in tablespoons or cups.

    For a small recipe mix 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. To make a big batch of dressing use ¾ cup oil and ¼ cup vinegar. I like to measure it right into a Mason jar.

    Some mornings I eyeball it into a tiny plastic container for my lunch even though I know it's better when I properly measure it.

    Substitutions

    Your taste buds ultimately determine the best of anything. Simple recipes with few ingredients is where quality shines.

    Olive Oil

    Treat yourself to a nice extra virgin olive oil just for salad dressings and see if you can notice a difference. Reserve stronger oils, like walnut oil or sesame oil, as a seasoning only. Substitute a small amount so the ratio is still 3:1 and it will work.

    Highly processed refined vegetable oils like canola, corn and sunflower have high levels of omega-6 fatty acids that contribute to inflammation and chronic disease. I'm trying to use olive oil in place of them as much as I can.

    Acid

    • Juices like lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit or tomato are all acidic and work well in dressing.
    • For gluten free it’s best to stick with plain, unseasoned vinegars like red wine, white wine, apple cider, balsamic, sherry or rice.
    • Avoid distilled white vinegar. It may be good for cleaning your coffee machine but it’s too harsh for a salad.

    Dijon Mustard

    Egg yolk, mayonnaise and mustard (I like Dijon mustard) are the most common emulsifiers used to make salad dressing. Whether your dressing is shaken or emulsified with a hand blender, it does make a nicer dressing.

    7 Reasons To Make Homemade Salad Dressing

    Here are 7 reasons you should make the switch to homemade vinaigrette dressing.

    1. You can make just enough dressing for a salad for two and do it in one minute.
    2. Make a jar that will last for a month, also in one minute.
    3. Vinaigrette dressing keeps forever in the fridge.
    4. You can vary the flavours to suit your taste and experiment to find flavour combinations you love.
    5. No reading salad dressing labels!
    6. Over time you’ll collect recipes that you can repeat for a lifetime. (Click on SALADS in the RECIPES tab to see some of mine.)
    7. Your dressing will never contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavours or the additives and preservatives that make it shelf stable.
    A 1-cup Mason jar filled with salad dressing surrounded by garlic cloves, cherry tomatoes and lettuce.

    The Best Emulsifier for Salad Dressing

    America’s Test Kitchen adds ½ teaspoon of mayonnaise for its' emulsifying power and ½ teaspoon mustard for the best flavour. If you're interested in understanding the science behind emulsifying here's how they explain it.

    YouTube player this gluten free recipe

    Top Tip for Homemade Salad

    Dry the lettuce, wet lettuce waters down the dressing and makes a flavourless salad. Then add just the right amount of dressing to avoid a soggy, disappointing salad.

    I can't resist adding edible flower petals to make salads look stunning. Check out How To Use Edible Flowers in the Kitchen for more ways to use them and what flowers you can eat.

    Olive oil being poured into a Mason jar with a hand blender in it, surrounded by lettuce, garlic and a whisk.

    Homemade Salad Dressing

    I love a simple homemade salad dressing, also known as a basic vinaigrette. Get the ratio down and you can vary the ingredients for a year of delicious salads with seasonal ingredients. Make this dressing in 1 minute; anywhere, anytime.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Canadian
    Keyword: homemade salad dressing
    Prep Time: 1 minute minute
    Total Time: 1 minute minute
    Servings: 4 salads
    Calories: 94kcal
    Author: Cinde Little

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin or any oil of your choice)
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    1 MINUTE SALAD DRESSING

    • Measure all ingredients into a Mason jar and shake. Or whisk in a bowl and transfer to a jar.
    • Store in the fridge. Keeps indefinitely.

    EMULSIFIED DRESSING

    • Put vinegar and mustard in a tall blender cup or 2-cup Mason jar. With the blender running drizzle in the oil in a slow, steady stream.
    • Season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Notes

    The acid for a basic vinaigrette dressing is typically lemon juice or vinegar and that gives you a lot of variety to choose from.
    • Juices like lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit or tomato are all acidic and work well in dressing.
    • For gluten free it’s best to stick with plain, unseasoned vinegars like red wine, white wine, apple cider, balsamic, sherry or rice.
    • Avoid distilled white vinegar. It may be good for cleaning your coffee machine but it’s too harsh for a salad.
    To get any other flavours you want simply add spices, herbs or any food to either the dressing or the salad.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Homemade Salad Dressing
    Amount Per Serving (15 ml)
    Calories 94 Calories from Fat 99
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 11g17%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 8g
    Sodium 14mg1%
    Potassium 3mg0%
    Carbohydrates 0.1g0%
    Fiber 0.1g0%
    Sugar 0.02g0%
    Protein 0.1g0%
    Vitamin A 1IU0%
    Vitamin C 0.03mg0%
    Calcium 1mg0%
    Iron 0.1mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    __________________________________________________________________________

    New here? I've got help to get you from overwhelmed and frustrated to confidently cooking gluten free food the whole family wants to eat. Subscribe and get your free resource, 29 Tips for GF flour.

    Send me those 29 Tips!

    🎉 I made it into the Top 100 Gluten Free Blogs for 2025 and the Top 40 Gourmet Food Blogs. To learn all the ways I can help you click here, Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    More Salads

    • A plate of Cranberry Orange Lettuce Salad.
      Cranberry Orange Lettuce Salad
    • A bowl of thinly sliced cucumber and grated carrot with a Thai dressing.
      Thai Cucumber Carrot Salad
    • Individual dishes of Apple Quinoa Salad on a blue napkin surrounded by Granny Smith apples and slivered almonds.
      Apple Quinoa Salad with Feta
    • A composed Salad Nicoise: hard boiled egg, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes and canned tuna.
      Classic Salad Nicoise
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Steshni Corea

      June 16, 2025 at 4:08 pm

      5 stars
      Another weekday staple!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Cinde Little, the Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet, in her kitchen holding a bowl of soup.

    Hi, I'm Cinde!

    As a foodie and health educator I'm here to help you learn to cook gluten free. Every gluten free journey is unique but we all need to eat. I share recipes that work, resources to learn about GF flours and tips for success in the kitchen. Subscribe NOW to get the help you need.

    More about me...
    Badge showing Top Gluten Free Food Blogs.

    Healthy Recipes

    • A green smoothie in a bowl, half covered with a garnish of cut up apple and kiwi, sprinkled with granola.
      Gluten Free Fruit Smoothie Bowls
    • Cinde in her kitchen surrounded by an array of 30+ fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and more.
      30 Plants a Week: A Gluten Free Food Challenge
    • A bowl with rice, falafel balls, hummus, chopped cucumber, roasted peppers, radish, olives and spinach. There is a bowl of pomegranate dressing on the side.
      Gluten Free Falafel Bowls
    • A bowl filled with brown rice, cucumber, spinach, cabbage slaw, mango and roasted peanuts; with peanut dressing on the side.
      Gluten Free Buddha Bowl

    HELP FOR GLUTEN FREE COOKS

    Someone holding a strainer with gluten free flour coming out onto a pile of flour.

    How To Use Gluten Free Flour

    Read more →

    Cinde in her kitchen set up for a virtual cooking class with lights, camera, laptop and pizza that just came out of the oven.

    Cooking Classes

    Class Calendar →

    A small tin of Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce with a dish of them beside it and a mound of chipotle chile powder beside it.

    GF Ingredients

    Pantry essentials →

    How To Start a Gluten Free Gourmet Dinner Club

    Dinner Club

    7 complete menus →

    GLUTEN FREE BAKING HELP

    • The word 'starch' drawn in a pile of tapioca starch.
      How To Use Starch in Gluten Free Baking
    • A sifter with rice flour coming out of it onto a pile of flour below.
      How to Use Rice Flour in Gluten Free Baking
    • A stack of gluten free Molasses Ginger Cookies on a clear plate.
      Gluten Free Molasses Ginger Cookies
    • Gluten Free Flour Conversion Chart showing cup measurements and the weight for each in grams.
      Gluten Free Flour Conversion Chart

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Cinde
    • New to Gluten Free?
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign up here for updates and free resources

    Cooking Classes

    • Class Calendar
    • Gift Certificates

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Disclosure Policy

    Copyright © 2025 Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.