Italian Dressing

By Dan Pelosi

Published May 16, 2025

Italian Dressing
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(83)
Comments
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Ever-popular Italian dressing has endless commercial versions available, but you probably have everything you need to make it at home in your pantry. Here, earthy herbs, tangy vinegar and sweet honey are blended with the Italian culinary staples of garlic and olive oil, creating a perfectly balanced dressing that is ready to drizzle over a classic “pizza shop” salad of crisp romaine, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, olives and cubes of provolone, or soak into chunks of almost-stale bread, ripe tomatoes and sliced onions for a perfect panzanella salad. Of course, it can enhance much more than just salad. Use it as a marinade for chicken, drizzle it over roasted vegetables or toss it with pasta salad. Feel free to make your own Italian seasoning mix (see Tip) instead of buying it, and you can easily swap out the red wine vinegar for white wine or balsamic varieties.

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Ingredients

Yield:¾ cup
  • ½cup olive oil
  • 2tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1garlic clove, smashed and peeled for easy blending
  • 1teaspoon Italian seasoning, store-bought or homemade (see Tip)
  • 1teaspoon honey
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

177 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 1 gram protein; 65 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To a blender, add olive oil, vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, honey and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Blend until combined and creamy, making sure the garlic is fully incorporated, about 15 seconds. Pour dressing into a container and whisk in Parmesan. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week.

Tip
  • To make your own Italian seasoning, in a small bowl, mix together 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, and ½ teaspoon each dried basil, dried rosemary and dried sage until combined. Store in an airtight container.

Ratings

4 out of 5
83 user ratings
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Comments

PK

Caution: Olive oil in a blender for much longer than a few seconds can turn it bitter. A microplane grater for the garlic, and a whisk to blend is my method. Or put it in a jar and shake. Honey and garlic help oil and vinegar stay mixed. If you are so inclined, an extra clove or half teaspoon of good Dijon mustard will emulsify even better, and punch up the flavor (though Italian dressing purists might object to French mustard). Avoid the GP Dijon, often bitter; Maille is my go to.

Lisa

Oh good heavens. I touch of *gasp* sugar or honey isn't going to hurt anyone and is actually quite delicious.

Lukas

To the commenters complaining about adding “sugar”: the honey isn’t there primarily as a sweetener (it’s just 1 teaspoon), it’s the emulsifier. Good luck mixing a dressing without it, and the other usual choice is mustard, which will definitely affect the flavor.

Paul D Gillen

1 tsp dried mustard

Elizabeth K

Add a few spoons of aqua faba or any canned beans to emulsify the dressing--it won't change the flavor.

LEE

My dressing trick? Sub in 3 tablespoons Chickpeas aqua faba for that amount of oil or water if the recipe calls for water. The lecithin in the Chickpeas is a great emulsifier stopping the oil and water from separating too quickly. It also gives a nice thicker feeling to the dressing.

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