My Homemade French Dressing recipe 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:
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 recipe.
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 many symptoms that can become a chronic disease. (2) You can sweeten homemade French dressings with natural alternative sweeteners 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 undergoes 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!
Healthy 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 making your own condiments scare you. This recipe is as simple as blending a few ingredients. If you prefer, you can use organic, unsweetened ketchup.
Organic Unfiltered 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 many healthy sweeteners out there, but not all are created equal. Each one has a specific flavor profile. My favorite option is Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Traditional white salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that strips it of trace minerals, which your body needs 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! You can also use pink Himalayan salt.
Extra-Virgin 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 solidifies in the fridge, so when you’re taking your French Dressing out of the fridge, give it about 30 minutes to liquefy.
My Homemade French Dressing Recipe
This recipe comes together in minutes. You can prep it at the start of the week to use in your salads! 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 and gives them a love for healthy living.
Grandma’s Homemade French Dressing (Vegan)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Healthy Homemade Ketchup OR organic unsweetened ketchup
- ⅓ cup organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup organic coconut sugar, Christmas Cookie Blend, OR Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 2 tablespoons organic dried minced onion OR 1 organic onion, grated
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the ketchup, vinegar, maple syrup, sea salt, and onion in a medium bowl. Let sit for 15-20 minutes while the flavors mesh. This step also allows the dried onion to rehydrate.
- Add the olive oil and stir to incorporate. Pour into a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Healthy Homemade Ketchup (Vegan)
Supplies
- Blender OR food processor
Ingredients
- 1 (6-8-ounce) can organic tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic OR Christmas Cookie Blend, OR 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 1 teaspoon organic garlic granules OR 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 teaspoon organic onion powder
- 1 serving (1/16 teaspoon) organic powdered stevia OR 1 dropperful plain liquid stevia
- ¼ teaspoon organic allspice
- ⅔ cup purified OR distilled water
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Place the tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, stevia, allspice, purified water, and cayenne pepper (if using) in a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks in a tightly covered container.
Notes
Christmas Cookie Blend (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic coconut sugar
- 11-16 ounces organic date sugar (based on your available container sizes)
- 6 ounces organic maple sugar
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly.
- Place mixture in a blender and blend until powdery. I prefer milling this recipe in a Vitamix dry goods container. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir, and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of regular sugar in all your favorite baked goods. Store in a glass jar.
Notes
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 and the dried onions can 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 plastic mason jar lids because the oil eats through metal lids over time.
Use it as a dip, on tacos, pour it 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.
This is just one example of how you can create healthy versions of common household pantry staples with recipe ingredient replacement.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24493081/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC3492709/
- https://www.canolacouncil.org/download/2042/canola-watch/14597/20110309_fpj_aut11_beckie-et_-al_-2
- https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/the-great-con-ola/
- https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/color-additives-history
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23590704/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27213723/
