Grandma’s Homemade French Dressing Recipe

My Homemade French Dressing includes only the best ingredients. It’s sweetened with honey and contains no preservatives or dyes. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you’re topping your salads with a healthy condiment! You can make it ahead of time and have it waiting to top salads all week.

This recipe comes from my Grandma, but I tweaked it to fit my family’s lifestyle. This dressing is creamy, rich, and perfectly sweetened. It has just the right amount of tang. Whether you use it as a dip for meat or to top veggies, you’re in for a treat!

Table of Contents:

1. Toxins in Store-Bought Dressings
2. Healthy Dressing Ingredients 101
3. Make Homemade French Dressing

Toxins in Store-Bought Dressings

Store-bought dressings may be convenient, but they contain many ingredients that are detrimental to your health. Here are a few things you’ll avoid by making my Homemade French Dressing.

Sugar

Leading brands of French dressing contain multiple forms of sugar. The most common sweetener is high-fructose corn syrup. This toxin can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. (1) It also triggers inflammation, which can cause a myriad of symptoms that can turn into a chronic disease. (2) You can sweeten homemade French dressings with alternatives that are good for your health; no sugar needed!

Canola Oil

Many dressings include canola oil, a genetically modified base. (3) Unlike olive or avocado oil, this oil goes through a rigorous process that eradicates healthy omega-3s. (4) The omega-3s you usually find in oil get transformed into trans fatty acids, the worst kind of fat out there! Who wants to top their veggies with that? It’s entirely possible to create a delicious dressing with healthy oils. Your body will thank you!

Red Dye 40

Store-bought French dressing gets its color from red dye 40. This ingredient is banned in many countries! The first warning sign is that this dye is made from petroleum. (5) Yuck! As you can expect, an ingredient derived from petroleum can wreak havoc on your body, especially if you’re a child. Many children are sensitive to dyes, and they’ve been linked to behavioral problems.

These issues aren’t because the dye contains sugar but because this toxin can change chemical levels in the brain. (6) That’s one risk we can’t afford to take on ourselves or our children!

This list is just the tip of the iceberg! Even if you could find a store-bought dressing without these additives, it would be expensive. Homemade dressings save you a lot of money, and you don’t have to read labels. Plus, you can make multiple recipes with this set of ingredients. Win-win! You can purchase top-of-the-line items and still come out ahead.

Healthy Dressing Ingredients 101

This dressing uses just six common ingredients. The best part? You know precisely what you’re putting in your body. I’m sure you have most of these ingredients in your pantry!

Homemade Ketchup: This homemade ketchup recipe was born out of necessity. I had no access to healthy ketchup, so I shopped my pantry and made my own version. It was a hit with my family, and I’ve been making it ever since!

Don’t let the thought of DIY condiments scare you. This recipe is as simple as blending a few ingredients. If you prefer, you can use organic, unsweetened ketchup. Our favorite ketchup comes from Primal Kitchen.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Every good dressing needs a slight tang, but regular vinegar would make it too bitter. Apple cider vinegar is sweet and mild, making it the perfect addition to any salad dressing!

Apple cider vinegar can help manage diabetes, and if you purchase the kind with the “mother,” you’re feeding your body good bacteria. (7)

Sweetener: There are a lot of healthy sweeteners out there, but not all are created equal. Each one has a specific flavor profile. After experimenting, I found that syrupy sweeteners work best for this dressing.

You can use raw honey or Grade A Dark or C maple syrup. If you’re having trouble finding this particular kind of maple syrup, you can purchase it from Thrive Market. They have a superb selection of healthy ingredients. Learn more about how we use Thrive Market to achieve our health goals here 

If making more than one batch of French dressing, I recommend using more than one sweetener to diversify the flavor.

Sea Salt: Traditional white salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that leaves it stripped of trace minerals. Your body needs these minerals to thrive. We recommend using Colima sea salt. This salt is hand-harvested, which leaves the good stuff intact. Plus, it tastes great and adds gourmet flair to any recipe!

Olive Oil: Olive oil is one of the best healthy fats, and it’s full of omega-3s. Not all olive oils are the same, though! Many bottles on the shelf are so contaminated that they don’t resemble the real deal.

We recommend purchasing the best olive oil you can buy. This is one ingredient where you get what you pay for. Real olive oil does solidify in the fridge, so when you’re taking your French Dressing out of the fridge, be sure to give it about 30 minutes to liquefy.

Make Homemade French Dressing

This recipe comes together in minutes. You can prep it at the start of the week to use in your salads! You should note that the dressing needs about 20 minutes to let the flavors mesh.

We love getting our kids involved in cooking, and homemade dressings are right up their alley! Even little ones can pour (pre-measured!) ingredients and use a whisk. It makes them feel grown-up, giving them a love for healthy living.

Step One: Combine the Ingredients

In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, honey, sea salt, and dried onion. Let sit for 15-20 minutes, so the flavors mesh. This also gives your dried onions a chance to rehydrate.

Step Two: Add Olive Oil

Add the olive oil and stir to incorporate. Pour the dressing into a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. We prefer using plastic mason jar lids because the oil tends to eat metal lids over time.

Use it as a dip, on tacos, pour on salads, dress shish-kabobs, marinate meat and more! You can also mix this dressing with vegan mayonnaise to make your own thousand island dressing.

Swapping unhealthy ingredients for nourishing alternatives is just a tiny part of your health journey. Sometimes, it can be hard to know where to begin! Abundant living encompasses all aspects of life; emotional, financial, mental, spiritual, and physical.

Dr. Z and Mama Z’s Toxic-Free Healthy Home Makeover takes you on a tour of our home. We give you practical tips and solutions to everyday problems. You’ll learn exactly what we did to eradicate toxins and create a healthy haven.

This free screening simplifies healthy living, and it can even save you money on cleaning products, body care items, and so much more.

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