Healthy Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is homemade Italian dressing good for you? ›

Is Italian Dressing Healthy? Yes, this Italian dressing is healthy! It's made with extra-virgin olive oil, which has heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (MUFAs). MUFAs and herbs—including the herbs in this recipe—have been shown to calm chronic inflammation.

A few of the unhealthiest salad dressings include creamy Caesar, creamy Italian, ranch, and Russian dressing. For example, two tablespoons of store-bought creamy Caesar dressing contains 190 calories and 20 grams of fat,4 as compared to 90 calories and 9 grams of fat in the same serving of balsamic vinaigrette.

Distilled Vinegar, Vegetable Oil (Soybean And/Or Canola), Water, Sugar, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Garlic,* Garlic, Red Bell Pepper,* Onion,* Onion, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural Flavor, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Annatto Extract (Color).

Lower-Calorie Alternative to Creamy Dressings

Italian dressing makes a better alternative than many other higher-calorie options. It adds taste to salad and offers good fat. Though many calories come from fats, it is better than primarily cream-based dressings like ranch, a thousand island, or blue cheese.

As you can see, Italian dressing is generally the most calorie-dense, with French and honey mustard close behind. In terms of sugars, honey mustard packs the most, with 6 grams of sugar in a single 2 tablespoon serving! French dressing also loads the sugar into the same size serving.

Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.

Crunchy Noodles, Wontons, and Tortilla Strips

All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams). Same goes for tortilla strips or wontons.

Try a little lemon juice, lime juice, or a light vinaigrette. I have a bottle of walnut oil in my pantry which is very nice on salads, along with white wine vinegar and a little salt and pepper. You can also add yogurt or mustard and some fresh or dried herbs to your dressing.

Oil and vinegar.

“This is a great option, because it won't have any added sugar or salt,” says Allers. “But the type of oil is important. Opt for olive or avocado oil over an alternative like canola or soybean oil.” These healthy oils are packed with antioxidants, and can even help lower cholesterol.

What is the healthiest vinegar for salad dressing? ›

The best way to dress your salad is with a little olive oil (healthy fat!) and lemon juice, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar contains beneficial antioxidants, no fat, and very few calories.

Italian dressing is one of the healthier salad dressings out there - even store bought. Its base is oil and vinegar, instead of cream, so it's inherently healthier, with a heart healthier fat profile (low saturated fat, and higher monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats).

FAQs. What's the difference between Italian dressing and zesty Italian dressing? Regular Italian dressing and zesty Italian dressing use the same base recipe, but the zesty version has added flavor for more zing.

Nutrition Facts

Soybean Oil, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Garlic,* Xanthan Gum, Onion,* Red Bell Pepper,* Spice, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Beta Carotene And Oleoresin Paprika (Color).

A truly authentic Italian flavored dressing, Ken's Golden Italian Dressing combines garlic, onion, and sweet tangy lemon notes to deliver remarkably robust flavor. An excellent marinade, this deep orange, non-seperating dressing has universal appeal, making it an ideal choice for every type of operator.

Italian dressing is one of the healthier salad dressings out there - even store bought. Its base is oil and vinegar, instead of cream, so it's inherently healthier, with a heart healthier fat profile (low saturated fat, and higher monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats).

In addition to adding flavor and heart-healthy nutrients to your food, Italian dressing can work well for those on high fat and high-calorie diet. Since it provides a high percentage of calories from fat people on a keto diet for weight loss can also rely on this dressing.

Many creamy dressings include a high amount of fats and increase cholesterol levels in the heart. On the other hand, Italian dressing is the best choice as it contains a slighter amount of unwanted fat and also increases the good cholesterol in you for better heart health.