Crunchy or tender, bitter or sweet, tangy or creamy, fresh or cooked, the variation of salad characteristics is almost unparalleled. There’s a good reason why entire swaths of cookbooks are dedicated to salads; because you can make a salad come to life from almost any combination of fresh ingredients. And while the salad ingredients are in themselves crucial, it is the salad dressing that takes a good salad and makes it fantastic. 

Peppery, clean, and vibrant, our organic olive oils from Italy are the key ingredient to making a delicious healthy salad dressing. Swap out overprocessed, sugary bottled dressings made with seed oils for simple, minimal ingredient salad dressings made using clean organic olive oil. We’ve put together a guide to some of our favorite healthy and flavorful salad dressing recipes to bring your creations to life. From zesty to creamy and bold vinaigrettes, these easy dressing recipes will transform how you think about salads forever. 

HEALTHY EVERYDAY SALAD DRESSING

Zesty and bright, this gorgeous olive oil and lemon dressing is packed with good-for-you fats while remaining light in texture and flavor. The best olive oil dressing for any kind of salad, our healthy everyday dressing is best used for green salads, drizzled over blanched asparagus, fresh tomatoes or an endive and avocado salad. 

Makes 8 oz 

▢ 1 tbsp dijon mustard 
▢ 1 tsp Lemon Honey
▢ 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
▢ 1/4 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
▢ 1/2 cup Heritage Blend Olive Oil
▢ Pinch of Sea Salt
▢ Freshly cracked black pepper 

Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake the jar until the ingredients are well combined. Add the olive oil and shake again until the dressing has emulsified. Save in the fridge for every day use. 

CLASSIC CAESAR DRESSING

Creamy, savory and deliciously bold, what’s not to love about a classic caesar salad dressing? Balanced and peppery, our Everyday Olive Oil adds the perfect amount of flavor while emulsifying into a luxuriously smooth caesar. We think this classic dressing is best served with crispy romaine, shaved kale, with grilled chicken or steak in a wrap, served with grilled salmon. 

Makes 8 oz 

▢ 3-4 anchovy fillets 
▢ 1 clove garlic (we love using roasted or confit garlic)
▢ 1 tsp dijon mustard
▢ 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
▢ 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
▢ 1 egg yolk
▢ 2 oz freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
▢ Pinch of sea salt
▢ Freshly cracked black pepper
▢ 1/2 cup Everyday Olive Oil 

We’re going to start by making an anchovy paste. On a cutting board. Placing your palm on the flat of your knife, crush your garlic clove with the other side of your knife and press the knife away from you, allowing the blade of your knife to scrape behind the clove as it crushes. Use the blade of your knife to scrape the smashed clove back towards you, and repeat this process until the garlic resembles a paste. Place the anchovies on top of the smashed garlic, and chop finely. Repeat the scraping process with this mixture until it resembles a paste. 

Add this paste to a large bowl. Add the mustard, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and egg yolk and whisk until combined. Add salt, pepper and grated cheese and whisk until combined. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

CACIO E PEPE DRESSING

It doesn’t get easier, or more savory, than this gorgeous cacio e pepe salad dressing. While our bold Cacio e Pepe Seasoning serves as the hero, our single varietal Biancolilla Centinara Olive Oil adds a punchy and fruity quality that ties the 4-ingredient dressing together.  We like to serve this bold dressing with grilled greens, butter lettuce salad with avocado, eggs & blue cheese, or tossed into sweet segmented Sicilian oranges.  

Makes 8 oz 

▢ 1 egg yolk
▢ 1 tbsp Cacio E Pepe Seasoning
▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice
▢ 1 cup Biancolilla Centinara Olive Oil 

Add the egg yolk, Cacio e Pepe Seasoning and lemon juice to a bowl. Whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until creamy and emulsified. 

BLOOD ORANGE CR ÈME FRA ÎCHE VINAIGRETTE

The beauty of this vinaigrette is its ability to hit all of the marks. Fresh shallots add bursts of zing, crème fraîche  folds in an indulgent creamy texture, blood orange adds a touch of sweetness and citrus-y freshness, and our Chef’s Blend Olive Oil ties it all together with punchy pizazz. We think it’s just about the perfect combination you could ask for. We recommend serving with endive, radicchio, grapefruit, fennel or fresh spring artichokes. 

Makes 8 oz 

▢ 1/4 cup  crème fraîche  
▢ 2 tbsp minced shallots
▢ 1 blood orange, juiced
▢ 1 tsp blood orange zest
▢ Salt
▢ Pepper
▢ 1/2 cup Chef’s Blend Olive Oil 

Add all the ingredients to a jar with a lid. Shake until emulsified. 

MISO BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Rich acidic and velvety sweet, our 7-year aged balsamic vinegar is the perfect sidekick to our Extra Virgin Olive Oil. While more acidic, less aged balsamic vinaigrettes might demand a touch of added sweetness from maple syrup or honey, ours gains natural sweetness over time as it ages in wooden barrels. Whisked into a savory, umami-filled miso vinaigrette, our balsamic vinegar is paired perfectly with our earthy, oh-so-punchy Forte Blend Olive Oil for a powerful dressing. We’d recommend serving this with charred broccolini, strawberry and arugula salad, shaved spring vegetables and fresh herbs, pan-fried halibut, or grilled eggplants. 

Makes 8 oz 

▢ 2 tbsp organic white miso paste
▢ 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
▢  1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
▢ Pinch Chili Pepper Flakes
▢ 1/2 cup Forte Blend Olive oil 

Add all the ingredients except for the olive oil to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. When the miso paste has fully dissolved into the dressing, drizzle in the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking continuously, until the dressing is emulsified. 

What's your favorite olive oil dressing? Tell us in the comments bellow.