Homemade Italian dressing is a lifesaver when you need a quick vinaigrette style sauce for your Italian sub, Submarine Sandwich or a salad. All you do is combine the ingredients, shake and you are ready to go!

This oil and vinegar based dressing is really easy to make at home and uses homemade Italian seasoning for the perfect flavor. This is not a Golden Italian dressing type, which is far sweeter and heavier.

red cloth underneath the oil and vinegar based Italian Dressing in a transparent container

More Homemade Salad Dressings

I love a good homemade salad dressing! Try some of these reader favorites!

Homemade Italian Dressing

As I mentioned above, this is not the sweet Golden Italian dressing, this is an oil and vinegar based dressing that gets the flavor from the Italian seasoning, lemon juice and some Parmesan shredded into it. You can adjust the sweetness by using more or less sugar, and I use vegetable oil in mine.

Ingredients in Italian Dressing

The biggest choice you have to make in this dressing is if you are going to use vegetable oil or olive oil. Olive oil is far healthier for you, but it’s bitter in this type of dressing, so be warned ahead of time. Get the lightest that you can find for the best flavor. Other than that, all you need is:

vegetable or olive oil
Italian seasoning
lemon juice
red wine vinegar
garlic
sugar
shredded Parmesan
salt and pepper

close up oil and vinegar based Italian Dressing in a transparent container

How Long Does Homemade Vinaigrette Last in the Fridge?

If you use all dry ingredients, subbing in the garlic for garlic powder, this will last up to two weeks in the fridge. However, if you use fresh herbs and garlic and the Parmesan cheese, this will only last one week in the fridge. Store it in a closed container until you use it.

Adjust the Seasonings to Taste

Making an Italian dressing is really up to you when it comes to the sugar, the lemon juice, the garlic, and the Parmesan. I can give you the basic ingredients, but everyone’s tastes vary so widely that the best thing to do is use the recipe as a guideline then taste test as you go along!

I personally like my dressing to have a little more garlic, more salt, and a little more sugar, but that’s definitely not the norm! So here is a great basic Italian dressing recipe that you can customize to your liking!

The basic oil and vinegar ratios are bang on, so adjust the herbs and spices as you see fit!

Hope you enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn