Our Creamy Italian Dressing recipe is rich, thick, and exceptionally flavorful. Although you may be tempted to use it as a dip, there’s nothing better on a salad than our homemade creamy Italian dressing.
There really is no comparison between homemade dressings and those you buy at the grocery store. Made with simple ingredients (none you can’t pronounce), our creamy Italian dressing takes minutes to make and will make you wonder why you ever bought those store-bought dressings.
It will be love at first bite after one taste of our Creamy Italian Dressing. It’s a salad dressing your whole family will love.
Our homemade dressing is the perfect complement to our Grinder Salad and would also be a delicious addition to our wedge salad and blackened chicken salad.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Creamy Italian Dressing recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Change up the Ingredients?
Absolutley. There are many variations of this classic salad dressing. Mayonnaise was used to achieve th ecreamy texture, but sour cream or Greek yogurt could be used instead.
We used red wine vinegar but you could substitute, apple cider vinegar or a light balsamic vinegar to make the recipe.
Dry seasonings were used to make the recipe, but fresh chopped garic, shallots, and fresh herbs could be used in place of the dry spices. You can also add your favorite seasonings to add a twist to the dressing.
To add a little heat to the recipe, add your favorite hot sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, or a small amount of cayenne pepper to the mixture.
How to Make Creamy Italian Dressing
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make creamy Italian dressing in your home kitchen.
- Add the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and granulated sugar to a medium bowl,
- Whisk to combine.
- Add the grated Parmesan cheese to the bowl.
- Whisk to combine. If the dressing is too thick, add a little
The dressing should be refrigerated for 2-4 hours before serving (overnight is best) to give the flavors time to meld.
You’re going to love our creamy Italian dressing, tangy red wine vinegar, grated parmesan cheese, and seasonings all come together in our mayonnaise based dressing, creating the perfect balance of flavors.
Why not make up a batch today, and let your family decide, if they ever want store bought dressing again.
Store the dressing refrigerated in an glass jar or an airtight container for up to 7 dayts. If it separated, stir until its smooth and creamy.
Recipe FAQs
Creamy Italian dressing includes mayonnaise or sour cream, and often grated parmesan cheese, which gives it a thicker texture and richer flavor.
Regular Italian dressing is oil and vinegar-based, but can achieve a creamy texture from emulsifying the oil. Both dressings are delicioius and its just a matter of preference.
You can thin out the dressing, by adding a little milk or oil to the mixture. Heavy cream could also be used to make it richer.
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Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar -optional
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Dressing
- Add the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, grated parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and granulated sugar to a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Refrigerate until needed.
Bon says
I didn’t have Italian seasoning, so I made up my own. Tastes amazing! Sort of like the dressing you get at Carrabbas called creamy Parmesan. I’ll be making this forever.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the dressing and used your own spices. It is an easy and delicious dressing.
Rachel says
I always forget how easy it is to make salad dressing without all the added ingredients. This was great on salad and my kids even liked dipping their veggies in it. Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re welcome! It is an easy salad dressing, and you’re right its great for dipping veggies and chips in.