This list of healthy homemade salad dressing recipes will bring your salad game to the next level. Filled with healthy ingredients like greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil and avocado, these dressings bring a pop of flavor while keeping your health goals in mind!

A collage of eight homemade healthy salad dressing recipes.

Easy Homemade Salad Dressing

Making your own healthy homemade salad dressings is so much easier than you’d expect and it’s the perfect way to level up your meals. With the recipes outlined below, you’ll see that it doesn’t take much to make a homemade dressing; many use simple ingredients you already have on hand, so you can whip them up in a matter of minutes!

They’re a lifesaver when you need a tasty topping for a specific salad or meal, and they’re so flavorful, you’ll want to keep them in your fridge all the time!

Ingredients for the healthy, homemade salad dressings on a counter.

Why We Love Homemade Salad Dressings

No thickeners, preservatives, or gunk: Many store-bought dressings are loaded with additives to give them the perfect texture and consistency. You don’t need propylene glycol or guar gum in your salad! These healthy salad dressings are made with minimal ingredients, so you can enjoy the purity of the flavor without any additives or preservatives.

Quick and easy: This is the best reason to make your own dressing—it’s seriously easy! Most recipes require you to add everything to a jar and either shake it by hand or blend it. There is no trip to the store or fancy gadgets. Once you see how simple they are, you’ll never go back!

Fresh flavor: Store-bought salad dressings have nothing on these healthy homemade salad dressings. They’re incredibly fresh and flavorful!

Dietitian-approved: As a registered dietitian, I love creating healthy salad dressings that help people achieve their health goals. Each recipe below is designed to have the perfect balance of flavor while reducing the calories whenever possible.

Best Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes

Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing

Most Caesar salad dressings are extremely high in calories due to lots of creamy mayo, but this from-scratch version uses low-fat Greek yogurt for all the creaminess without the calories. Don’t be afraid of the anchovy paste, either. It’s a must for adding that salty, umami tanginess you find in the best Caesar dressings!

Caesar Dressing

1/3 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, whisking to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Serving Suggestions:

Use this dressing on my classic Caesar, chicken Caesar salad, Caesar wraps, and more.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic vinaigrette is a classic option that you can truly use on countless salads. This version is lightly sweetened with honey to mellow out the sharpness of the balsamic vinegar, and I always add a little Dijon to make the vinaigrette nice and creamy. It’s ideal with hearty proteins and fresh fruits and berries!

Balsamic Dressing

⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid, shake vigorously. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Serving Suggestions:

Pair this dressing with your favorite side salad or fruit-forward options, like my Arugula Nectarine Salad, or try my strawberry-infused balsamic vinaigrette on my Strawberry Avocado Salad.

Poppyseed Dressing

Who doesn’t love poppyseed dressing? It’s sweet, tangy, and just creamy enough to coat the fresh fruits, proteins, and nuts in your favorite salad recipes. However, most store-bought options are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which you do not need. Instead, make this honey-sweetened version for tons of flavor without the sugar rush.

Poppyseed Dressing

¼ cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon grated sweet onion
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until fully combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Refrigerate until ready to use. Before serving, whisk the dressing to bring it all back together.

Serving Suggestions:

I love the sweet, tangy flavor of this DIY healthy salad dressing on my Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad, but it’s a great alternative to the lemon vinaigrette on my Blueberry Walnut Salad or the orange-infused dressing on my Grape Quinoa Salad.

Maple Dijon Dressing

This fall-inspired apple cider vinaigrette has a sweet maple flavor with a little heat from the Dijon. It’s a rich, hearty alternative to honey mustard with plenty of tanginess to keep your salads or grain bowls light and refreshing. I like to pair it with roasted veggies, apples, pears, toasted pecans, and more!

Maple Dijon

⅓ cup light olive oil
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, top with a lid and shake until well combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Set aside.

Serving Suggestions:

This dressing is the perfect topping for my Healthy Waldorf Salad, Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Salad, or this festive Christmas Wreath Salad.

Peanut Lime Dressing

This is one of my favorite salad dressings and we make it all the time! It’s a twist on Thai peanut sauce with refreshing lime juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and more. It adds tons of flavor to salads, but is also wonderful served as a dipping sauce with grilled chicken skewers or spring rolls, drizzled over noodle bowls and chicken wraps, and more!

Peanut Lime

¼ cup natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sriracha (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
4-6 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients except for the water until fully combined. Add warm water 2 tablespoons at a time until you reach a smooth dressing consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions:

Drizzle this peanut dressing on my Spicy Thai Chicken Wraps or make a similar version for my Thai Mango Chicken Salad.

Healthy Ranch Dressing

You can’t talk about salad dressings without mentioning this most popular one —creamy ranch. This homemade version reduces the calorie count by using low-fat yogurt and mayo, but the fresh herbs and seasonings make it incredibly light and fresh. It’s what storebought ranch dressing wishes it was!

Ranch

⅓ cup low fat greek yogurt
¼ cup light mayo
½ cup 2% milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 green onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until fully combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions:

We like to keep a batch in the fridge at all times for dipping fresh veggies, making simple salads, and more. It would taste great on this tossed green salad too!

Creamy Avocado Dressing

This creamy dressing has a bright, fresh flavor thanks to garlic, lime juice, and cilantro. It pairs perfectly with Mexican-inspired recipes as the cool avocado mellows out the heat of your favorite taco meat, fajita veggies, and more. Drizzle it on fish tacos or serve it on taco salad!

Creamy Avocado

¾ cup ripe avocado, smashed well with a fork
½ cup low fat Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1-2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until fully combined. For an even creamier dressings you could put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions:

The creaminess of this avocado dressing tastes wonderful on this Steak Avocado Salad and is the perfect topping for Green Goddess salads!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

For people who prefer sweet dressings, this raspberry vinaigrette has a punch of berry flavor without added sugar! A little honey will mellow out the tartness of the raspberries, while the red wine vinegar offers a mild tanginess to keep the dressing from being too sharp. It’s perfectly balanced and tastes heavenly over grilled chicken and fresh summer fruits or a simple green salad.

Strawberry vinaigrette dressing in a jar on a counter next to the lid.

A pitcher of strawberry vinaigrette dressing on a table.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1-2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Push raspberries through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, making sure to use a spoon or rubber spatula to push through as much pulp as possible, discarding the leftover seeds. Add the raspberry puree into a mason jar along with the remaining dressing ingredients, top with a lid and shake until well combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Set aside.

Serving Suggestions:

Pair this light vinaigrette with fruit-infused salads, like my Chicken Spinach Strawberry Salad. It’s a great option for mild proteins, like grilled chicken, and tastes wonderful with blue cheese or goat cheese.

Honey Mustard

Honey mustard dressing is an iconic dressing usually loaded with sugar. Like the other sweet dressings on this list, it usually contains high fructose corn syrup for lots of sweetness to brighten up the spiciness of the Dijon mustard. This homemade version uses real honey, not corn syrup, and the Greek yogurt makes it nice and creamy without tons of oil.

Honey Mustard

½ cup low fat greek yogurt
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until fully combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions:

Your homemade honey mustard is a must for dipping French fries or grilled chicken nuggets, drizzling over your favorite salads, and so much more!

A birds-eye view of the healthy, homemade salads dressings in open jars on a counter.

Storage Guidelines

All dressings can be stored tightly covered in the fridge for up to 7 days. Avocado dressing would be best if used within 48 hours, as it will brown the longer it sits.

Expert Tips

It is best to use a whisk to mix the thicker and creamier dressings as the ingredients do not combine in a jar as well as the vinaigrettes.

Avocado oil is a great healthy alternative to olive oil if you prefer a lighter flavor.

In place of honey, you could use agave or maple syrup, but keep in mind that these will change the overall flavor slightly.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, which is recommended, you can use ⅓ to ½ of the amount of dried herbs.

For the raspberry vinaigrette, we used frozen raspberries because they release a lot of juice and are available all year round. You can use fresh, but you might need more to get the same amount of juice.

More Recipes You’ll Love

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A collage of four homemade salad dressings.

Course condiment

9 Homemade Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes

By: Elysia Cartlidge

Servings 9 dressings

This list of healthy homemade salad dressing recipes will bring your salad game to the next level. Filled with healthy ingredients like greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil and avocado, these dressings bring a pop of flavor while keeping your health goals in mind!

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10