Homemade Salad Vinaigrette 101

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.

Perhaps like you, I love salad! Salad greens are incredibly healthy and important to incorporate into anyone’s diet. And the infinite types of salad you can create by adding protein, fruits, and veggies make salad a super versatile meal. As you probably are aware, though, the thing that has the potential to turn a fresh, nutritious salad into a fattening, additive-full dish is the salad dressing we put on it.

What’s in Restaurant Salad Vinaigrette?

Back when my last baby was brand new and having all kinds of tummy troubles, I eventually figured out that soy and dairy in my diet were causing the problems. Like a lot of babies with this problem, he was extremely sensitive, requiring me to be very strict with my diet since I was nursing. One of the most surprising things I discovered during this time was how many restaurant salad dressings use soybean oil as the main ingredient. And I don’t just mean pre-packaged versions. The VAST majority of restaurants I went to reported back to me that soybean oil, or a blend, was the main ingredient in their house-made dressings.

With so many healthy oil options out there, like olive oil, grapeseed oil, and avocado oil to name a few, it came as a surprise to me that so many use soybean oil. After just a bit of research, though, I realized a couple of things. 1) Soybean oil is much cheaper than the higher quality oils ( not a surprise), and 2) Restaurants go through a TON of oil. They use it in sauces, on grills, in marinades, and in baked goods. I still think that restaurants should at least “splurge” on quality oil for their salad vinaigrette, but that’s not often what happens. (Also, nobody asked my opinion. ?)

Bottled salad dressing isn’t much better. Most contain soybean oil as well as preservatives and additives to make the dressing shelf-stable. If you make your own, you can avoid all the unnecessary stuff and choose your own healthy, quality ingredients to top your salad.

The Basic Formula For Homemade Salad Vinaigrette

To make a basic vinaigrette, you will need vinegar, oil, and an emulsifier. The emulsifier is just an ingredient that will help the oil and vinegar blend nicely together instead of immediately separating. My favorite emulsifier to use in salad dressing is dijon mustard, but you can also use dry mustard powder, mayonnaise, or honey. In addition to these three mandatory ingredients, you can customize your vinaigrette with other seasonings and such.

Once you start making your own vinaigrettes at home, you will be able to easily adjust the ingredients and experiment with your own recipes, depending on what salad you’re making. If you stick with the basic formula of oil, vinegar (usually half the amount of oil you use), and an emulsifier, it’s hard to mess up! Here are a few of my favorite, basic recipes.

Whether you want to make a healthy swap for store-bought, you’re wanting to save money, or you just like the taste of homemade better, you should definitely try out one of these three easy and delicious salad dressings! You might never go back to store-bought!