My Favorite Homemade Creamy Salad Dressings
There’s something about the utter simplicity of a crisp salad dressed with just the right amount of flavor in the form of a delicious dressing. When the temperature warms up each spring, I find myself craving something fresh and bright, a welcome change from the heartier meals we make and eat during our long New England winter.
Lately I have been making a salad using fresh greens topped with a lightly fried egg from our chickens or ducks and a bit of creamy homemade salad dressing. It’s such a simple yet delicious way to celebrate the end of winter. I can’t wait until we have fresh lettuce growing in the garden to add to the mix.
Making your own salad dressing is amazingly simple, much easier than you might expect. You can vary the ingredients based on what you have on hand, what you are harvesting from your garden, and flavors that you love. You can also easily avoid ingredients that you don’t care for or accommodate food allergies and sensitivities with delicious results.
For a few years, we had an egg allergy to contend with here at the farmhouse. During those years, I learned a few tricks to making quick homemade salad dressings since we couldn’t use store bought dressing that contained eggs. Since then, I have used that knowledge to make a variety of homemade dressings. Two of them are my go to favorites: Creamy Buttermilk Dill Dressing, and Creamy Lemon and Herb Dressing.
Both of these dressings are foolproof thanks to using prepared mayonnaise as their base. Because the mayonnaise is creamy, smooth, and emulsified, it creates a luxurious dressing and will resist separating. It’s such a simple shortcut and makes the work of mixing up a batch of delicious homemade dressing a project that comes together in mere minutes.
These dressings are very versatile and a great building block to have on hand in the refrigerator. I love to use homemade dressing as a way to add delicious flavor to cold pasta salad or potato salad. A few tablespoons can also be used to deliciously enhance a cream sauce for pasta. Simply add a few tablespoons to a cream sauce, reduce the heat to low, and stir until it is fully incorporated.
I like to mix my fresh salad dressings in a pint size Mason jar with a plastic, reusable lid. I add the ingredients, tighten the lid, and shake until smooth. If you prefer, you can whisk the ingredients in a small bowl and then transfer to a lidded container for storage. Because these dressings contain no additional preservatives and fresh herbs, it should only be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. If you won’t be able to use a full recipe in that span of time, you can easily reduce the recipe in half.
I hope that you’ll give these recipes a try in time to enjoy them with garden fresh greens this summer. I have my heirloom lettuce varieties chosen for planting and can’t wait until the weather warms up enough for me to plant them!
Creamy Buttermilk Dill Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill , minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a Mason jar with a tight fitting lid or a small bowl. Shake or whisk until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Store covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
- This recipe can also be made into a delicious dip for fresh vegetables by using about 2 tablespoons less buttermilk which will create a thicker mixture perfect for dipping.
Creamy Lemon and Herb Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon fresh tarragon or thyme , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a Mason jar with a tight fitting lid or a small bowl. Shake or whisk until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Store covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
- This recipe can also be made into a delicious dip for fresh vegetables by using about 2 tablespoons less buttermilk which will create a thicker mixture perfect for dipping.
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