Creamy Italian Dressing

If you’re looking for your new favorite homemade salad dressing, this Creamy Italian Dressing recipe just might be the one! It is a perfect blend of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, dried oregano, celery seed, and red pepper flakes. It’s the best creamy Italian salad dressing that we’ve ever had, and we think it rivals any restaurant version out there.

This creamy Italian salad dressing recipe takes less than 10 minutes to throw together, so it’s great to make for lunchtime or dinner salads.

This Creamy Italian Salad Dressing recipe is my riff on a salad dressing that was served at a local restaurant that no longer exists. I was completely hooked on their chopped Italian salad that was tossed with an amazing creamy Italian dressing. I asked the owner how it was made and all he told me was that it was a 2:1 ratio for olive oil to vinegar and to add just 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise for every 1/4 cup olive oil to make the dressing a little creamy, but not so creamy that it becomes a mayo-based dressing. We’ve addd a little Parmesan cheese to the mix for good measure… because Parmesean cheese makes everything taste better! This recipe is one of my family’s favorite homemade salad dressing recipes. Once you make it, you’ll understand why.

Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe Ingredients

• Olive Oil. Use extra-virgin or light olive oil for this recipe.
• Red Wine Vinegar. We use red wine vinegar for this dressing.
• Dijon Mustard. Dijon mustard adds a little flavor and helps to emulsify the dressing.
• Seasoning. We use dried oregano, basil, parsley, celery seeds and red pepper flakes for seasoning.  
• Garlic. A little fresh garlic adds flavor to the mix.
• Mayonnaise. Just a few tablespoons of real mayonnaise adds a little creaminess to this dressing.
• Parmesan Cheese. Adding Parmesan cheese to this dressing adds to the great flavors in this dressing.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon or two of water if you want to mellow the flavor of the vinegar.
• Blend in another clove of garlic.
• Add another tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make a thicker dressing.

A clear mason jar filled with Creamy Italian Salad Dressing.

How To Make Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

1. Blender. Add all of the ingredients except the oil to a blender and pulse a few times to blend the ingredients. Gradually  add the oil in a stream to blend. 
2. Whisk. You can also add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together using a wire whisk, adding the oil last in a gradual stream as you whisk it all together.
3. Storage. Store the dressing in a mason jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, it should last up to 5 days.

Why You Will Love This Creamy Italian Salad Dressing 

• It’s Better Than Store-Bought.  Making any dressing at home from scratch is always a better idea than buying the bottled stuff from the store. When you make dressings at home, you can choose fresh ingredients and you can control the amount of salt and sugar. Some of the bottled stuff may contain preservatives and artificial flavors – homemade doesn’t have any preservatives or artificial flavors.
• It’s Quick And Easy To Make. Making dressings from scratch literally takes just 5 minutes. Buy yourself some new mason jars so you can store your new favorite homemade dressings in them. Of course they’ll need to be stored in the refrigerator to stay fresh.
• It Tastes Amazing. This Creamy Italian Dressing is completely addictive! We make this dressing at least once a week to have with our salads.
• Make It A Habit. Once you get in the habit of making homemade salad dressings, you’ll be hooked for life, and you’ll forget all about your favorite bottled dressing from the store.

Serving Suggestions

This creamy Italian vinaigrette is a great dressing to toss with big leafy green salads, quinoa salads, bean salads and kale salads!

• Romaine Salad
• Berry Arugula Salad
• Spring Mix Salad
• Lemon Kale Salad
• Quinoa Kale Salad
• Chopped Kale Salad

More Easy Salad Dressing Recipes

• Greek Salad Dressing
• Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing
• Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Italian Salad Dressing
• Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette
• Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 Servings

Creamy Italian Dressing

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

If you're looking for your new favorite homemade salad dressing, this Creamy Italian Dressing recipe just might be the one! It is a perfect blend of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, dried oregano, celery seed, and red pepper flakes. It's the best creamy Italian salad dressing that we've ever had, and we think it rivals any restaurant version out there.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flaks
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients except the oil to a blender and pulse a few times to blend the ingredients. Gradually  add the oil in a stream to blend. 
2. You can also add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together using a wire whisk, adding the oil last in a gradual stream as you whisk it all together.
3. Store the dressing in a mason jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, it should last up to 5 days.

Notes

Variations

• Add a tablespoon or two of water if you want to mellow the flavor of the vinegar.
• Blend in another clove of garlic.
• Add another tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make a thicker dressing.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 230Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.