French Dressing From Scratch

Last Updated on March 5, 2022 by Jess

Salads are life. I decide on a restaurant by the quality of the side salad I can get on a regular basis. They don’t have to be anything special: I am always down for some leafy greens, onion, tomato, carrot, and cucumber salad. Add a few black olives, croutons and french dressing and I am happy as a clam. I often get made fun of for this. Our best couple friends quote the Simpsons, “You don’t make friends with salad.” Maybe not , but I’ll be your friend if you have a strong salad game. 

French dressing has been my go to for as long as I can remember. After I made my health a major priority a few years ago, I tried to change over to a vinaigrette. Every change makes a difference, right? Ugh, it was so hard though. Don’t get me wrong, I do love some good vinaigrettes, but in the end my loyalty lies with French dressing. 

The search for a homemade recipe begins

I set out to find a recipe that I could make from scratch to cut out some of the “yuck” that comes with the dressings found in the inner isles of the grocery store. Namely, I wanted to cut the added, refined sugars and maybe the oil. It just feels good to know what is in the food you are eating. At first, I called this recipe “a work in progress” on Instagram. And while all recipes will always be work in process (Isn’t everything? That’s my growth mindset and fitness lover talking), I have been digging on this one more and more. It’s simple to put together with many “on hand” ingredients, which is a constant focus of mine. So here’s my work in progress, delicious, cut the sugar French Dressing. I hope you love it as much as I do!

YOur Ingredients

• ¼ cup ketchup 
• ¼ cup olive oil 
• ¼ cup honey 
• ½ teaspoon onion powder 
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic/garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Your steps

Using a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, measure out the ketchup, olive oil, and honey. (I am all about the least amount of dishes possible, so I like to do ketchup to the ¼ cup, olive oil to the ½ cup line, and then the honey to the ¾ cup line). Add onion powder, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. Whisk together until well blended. It might take a little longer than you think it should because of the honey and ketchup. Once well mixed, pour into a container with a lid to be stored in the refrigerator. For best results, remove from the refrigerator 5-10 minutes prior to using and shake well just before pouring.

A few notes…

The flavors get better the longer you let them mingle, so if you have enough forethought, mix this up the night before. But if you’re anything like me, you’ll be mixing this 5 minutes before you put your salad together. Oh well, live and learn 😉 

Also, you may have noticed that I have a sweet mixer bottle for my dressings. I actually have two and they are almost always full of my own homemade dressings. They are the Kolder Salad Dressing Mixing Bottles and you can get them for yourself by clicking here or the picture below.

They clean up easily and are great for an even pour of your dressings. Notice, they also have recipes on them. Some I love, some I don’t. As a person who loves to experiment in the kitchen, I usually use them more for storage, but maybe the recipes will speak to you. Only way to know is to try them out!

Looking for some made dishes to go with your sides? Check out the links below or the cooking page for some inspiration!