Creamy Salad Dressing Recipes

Make a simple vinaigrette more interesting with freshly grated Parmesan.

Tangy and luscious, this creamy vinaigrette has an ideal balance of sweet and savory from honey tempered by buttermilk and Dijon. Use it to marinate chicken or fish, slather your greens with it, or use it as a dip for veggies.

Once you try this easy vinaigrette recipe, you'll want to use it in every meal. Meyer lemon adds acidity, while the sweetness from the honey and the sharpness from the shallot counterbalance to create a bright, flavorful vinaigrette.

This thick vinaigrette gets umami from the ultra-concentrated flavor of sun-dried tomatoes and is a luscious lip-smacker of a dressing. Rather than drizzling it on salad, place your greens in a chilled bowl and toss with the vinaigrette until the leaves are coated, using tongs or your hand. Then, finish with your garnishes: pine nuts, cucumbers, onions, croutons, grated cheese, etc. This hearty vinaigrette works well with sturdy greens or in a pasta salad. It would also be delicious spooned on top of salmon fillets.

This garlicky mustard vinaigrette is great to have in your repertoire as it goes with almost anything. The recipe makes plenty so you can fix it once and then have it on hand for several days. The garlic is delicious but bold here; use fewer cloves if you want to tone it down.

Spoon this tangy dressing over cooked broccoli, green beans, salad or poached fish.

In this balsamic vinaigrette recipe, the addition of Italian seasoning adds an extra layer of flavor and spice. Use as a quick and easy balsamic vinegar salad dressing or as a balsamic marinade for chicken that's delicious and moist.

Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.

Beets and kale, speckled with chewy wild rice and crunchy sunflower seeds, make a satisfying, colorful dinner salad. The beets are nicest when they are sliced paper thin. Use a mandoline or vegetable slicer, if you have one.

Roasting chicken thighs directly on top of the vegetables bastes the scallions and potatoes with delicious drippings in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach or a mixed green salad.

Shaving the vegetables for this easy salad recipe makes them deliciously tender-crisp without having to cook anything and helps them stand up to the bright homemade vinaigrette and salty Parmesan cheese.

Serve this Asian salad with grilled steak, chicken or firm white fish like halibut. You can also double the recipe and bring it to your next potluck. If you can find tatsoi, a peppery Asian leafy green, use it instead of mild-mannered spinach. Store-bought Thai sweet chili sauce and umami-packed white miso build fast flavor in this easy summer salad.

Roasting lemons mellows their tartness and creates a layer of caramelized flavor that pairs well with the raw broccoli and savory quinoa in this healthy chicken dinner salad. Even better, the chicken and lemons roast on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze.

Minced olives add a briny flavor to this healthy homemade salad dressing. The dressing keeps for several days in the fridge, so make a big batch to use on your favorite dinner salads and side salads. Try it on a salad with sliced red onion and fresh oranges.

This quick dressing features lemon juice and shallots for a simple, bright flavor. A touch of honey balances the acidity and tartness of the lemon. Use in a pasta salad or over leafy greens.

Crunchy colorful vegetables are the highlight of this soutwestern-inspired pasta salad, which can be served at room temperature or chilled. The creamy dressing is made with spinach, cilantro and almonds, and has a touch of zesty crushed red pepper--be prepared for a flavor explosion in every bite!

Use this vinaigrette to dress any combination of mixed greens. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Toasted walnuts and roasted pork tenderloin make this elegant salad worthy of company, yet it's easy enough to prepare on a weeknight!

Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied.

The combination of golden raisins, malt vinegar, fresh ginger and chile yields a complex dressing for an otherwise simple green salad.

A blend of whole-wheat panko and fine cornmeal gives this healthy chicken recipe the perfect amount of crunch even though it's not deep fried. Making an easy homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe means you can skip bottled, which may have additives and stabilizers.

This fresh herb vinaigrette dressing recipe is great tossed with mixed greens or as a dressing for cold pasta salads. To make a vegetarian version, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

Make a larger batch of this basic vinaigrette to have on hand for salads throughout the week.

Called horiatiki, this lettuce-free salad made up of tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, olives and feta is one of the most popular Greek dishes. It is traditionally served with bread, not pita.