Simple Homemade French Dressing

This recipe for Simple Homemade French Dressing is my absolute favorite French Dressing. It’s not only effortless to prepare but is also so creamy and delicious. It’s a classic French dressing recipe that takes me back to my childhood memories of enjoying it at my favorite pizza restaurant. Now, my family and I love to make it at home regularly. {And if you love simple salad dressing recipes, check out my recipe for Creamy Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette!}

I feel like French Dressing is a bit of an old-fashioned salad dressing choice these days. It’s not as widely popular as Ranch dressing or as common as Caesar dressing. However, I believe it deserves a revival. I love the sweet and tangy taste of this dressing, especially when paired with a crispy green salad and a homemade pizza. Or try it on a fresh spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs. 

To make a batch of what I think is the BEST homemade French dressing, you only need a few basic ingredients:

Ketchup – Use your favorite ketchup. If you typically prefer a reduced-sugar type of ketchup, go ahead and use that. 

Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar, or sometimes I use honey to make a honey French dressing. If you want a lower-sugar version of French dressing, use your favorite sugar substitute, like monk fruit, sucralose, etc. 

Vinegar – I prefer apple cider vinegar because it adds a slightly fruity taste, but red wine vinegar also works very well. 

Oil – You’ll want to use a neutral-flavored oil. I prefer avocado oil, but grapeseed oil is my next favorite. You can also use canola oil, sunflower oil, or vegetable oil. 

Onion Powder – Onion powder, granulated onion, or even onion salt will work in this recipe. If you are using onion salt, reduce the additional salt called for in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon. 

Dry Mustard – This is also called mustard powder. If you don’t have this on hand, just use a small squirt of prepared mustard. You don’t want to leave out this ingredient because mustard acts as an emulsifier and will help the dressing to stay blended. 

Celery Seed – I know some folks don’t like celery seed, but it gives the French dressing its characteristic flavor. If you don’t want to use celery seeds, you can substitute a pinch of dill seeds. Or you can just leave it out entirely. 

Tips for making homemade French dressing: 

Use a blender. You can whisk the ingredients together by hand, but you’ll get a much better result with an electric blender. Mixing it up with a blender is not only the fast and easy way to make the dressing, but it also helps the dressing to come together into a well-combined and creamy mixture that doesn’t easily separate. 

Store French dressing in the refrigerator. Your homemade dressing will likely last for at least two weeks in the fridge. The dressing ingredients like oil, ketchup, vinegar, and dry spices hold up quite well in the refrigerator. Substituting fresh ingredients like fresh onions in the dressing will cause it to spoil faster, so it’s best to stick with dried spices. Just use your judgment and if it looks or smells off, then discard it. But this dressing is so tasty, I can’t imagine you will need to store it for very long!

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So that’s all there is to making your own Homemade French Dressing. If you make it, I hope you love it. And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram so you don’t miss a post. 

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