You’ve already heard about the bad reputation store-bought salad dressings have. You get it, store-bought dressings give your salad some actual flavor, but they have large amounts of fat and sugar in them.
Pouring large amounts of fatty and sugary store-bought dressings can sabotage all your health efforts, but spending hours at the grocery store to find the healthiest dressing isn’t the best strategy either. Whether you’re on the go or wanting to try something new, make one of these healthy salad dressing recipes to give your salad some personality and understand exactly what you’re eating.
1. Creamy Avocado Cilantro Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut an avocado and spoon out the avocado into a blender or directly into a jar or bowl.
Add olive oil and white wine vinegar.
Blend or mix the ingredients together in a blender or with a spoon.
Add in lemon juice and dried cilantro, and then blend or mix again.
Add salt and pepper based on your taste preferences.
2. Sweet Mango and Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut the mango in half and spoon the flesh into a blender.
Add fresh lemon and lime juice.
If juicing the fruits by hand, cut the lemon and lime in half. Hold the lemon/lime over the blender with one hand, and then place the other hand underneath the lemon/lime. The hand underneath will catch the seeds as you squeeze out the juice (shoutout to Giada for this tip).
Add white wine vinegar and olive oil. Blend.
Add paprika and garlic salt. Adjust the salt based on taste preference.
3. Mediterranean-Style Dressing
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut tomato(es) and throw them into a blender or mash with a fork in a bowl.
Add olive oil and white wine vinegar.
Stir and add in Dijon mustard.
Add in dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir.
4. Strawberry Mint Dressing
Ingredients
Instructions
Slice strawberries and mint leaves and throw them into the blender. Blend.
Add olive oil and vinegar to the jar.
Add the blended strawberries and mint to the jar.
Mix and add in dried basil.
Add salt and pepper. Stir.
5. Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Instructions
Mix the olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
Add the honey and Dijon mustard to the mixture.
Add lemon juice to the mixture.
Add salt and pepper to the mixture. Stir.
Choosing to eat a salad over a warm, cheesy pizza is already a big sacrifice. But you shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not your sacrifice went to waste because of the salad dressing you used. Your salad dressing should not be taking you a step back from your health goals. With these healthy salad dressing recipes, your efforts should pay off and may even lead to making more healthy choices in the future.