Salad Dressing Recipes
These salad dressings come from the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a family collection of typed recipes kept in a well-used binder. They are the dependable, everyday dressings that make a salad worth eating: creamy Russian, a big batch of bleu cheese, ranch made with real buttermilk, a light cucumber-buttermilk, a sweet tomato French in the Catalina style, an Italian vinaigrette and a lemon-honey poppy seed.
Every one is stirred or shaken together in a few minutes, most in a jar with a tight lid, and kept in the refrigerator. Homemade dressings have no preservatives, so keep them cold and plan to use them within about a week. Bleu cheese and Russian go with a steakhouse wedge salad, cucumber-buttermilk is lovely with fish, and poppy seed is made for spinach and strawberry salads.
7 salad dressing recipes
Russian Dressing5 min total | About 1 1/2 cupsA creamy, tangy Russian dressing of Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, chili sauce, white vinegar, Worcestershire and garlic powder, thinned with water. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Bleu Cheese Dressing10 min total | About 1 1/2 quartsA big-batch creamy bleu cheese dressing of mayonnaise, buttermilk and small curd cottage cheese with Worcestershire and garlic, finished with crumbled Roquefort or bleu cheese. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.
Ranch Dressing10 min total | About 2 cupsHomemade ranch dressing of mayonnaise and buttermilk with fresh chives, parsley, onion and garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Makes about 2 cups.
Cucumber-Buttermilk Dressing10 min total | About 1 1/2 cupsA light, fresh buttermilk dressing with grated cucumber, green onion, parsley, dill, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Sweet Tomato-y French Dressing10 min total | About 2 1/2 cupsA sweet and tangy tomato French dressing, similar to Catalina, shaken together from ketchup, oil, sugar, red wine vinegar, minced onion and garlic. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Italian Vinaigrette10 min total | About 2 cupsA classic Italian vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and olive or vegetable oil with garlic, dry mustard, parsley, dried basil or oregano, salt and pepper. Makes about 2 cups.
Poppy Seed Dressing5 min total | About 1/2 cupA bright lemon and honey poppy seed dressing with Dijon mustard, a pinch of cayenne and a blend of olive and vegetable oils. Makes about 1/2 cup.
Common questions
- How long do homemade salad dressings keep?
- Most keep about a week, covered, in the refrigerator. Creamy dressings made with buttermilk or cottage cheese are best used within a week; shake or stir before serving.
- Why does my vinaigrette get thick in the refrigerator?
- Olive oil firms up when cold. Let the dressing stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes and shake it, or use part vegetable oil.
- What is the best dressing for a wedge salad?
- Bleu cheese is the steakhouse classic. Russian and ranch are popular too.