French Dressing Recipe (2024)

Updated: By Katie Crenshaw 14 Comments

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This creamy French dressing recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy making it a delicious topping for your favorite salads.

It is much more flavorful than the store bought version and can easily be made in 2 minutes with staple ingredients you are likely to have on hand.

French Dressing Recipe (1)

French dressing is an incredible tasty salad dressing, but it also makes a fantastic barbecue sauce for chicken, pork chops. and ribs!

Try it next time you grill your favorite meats!

Watch how to make French dressing

French Dressing Recipe (2)

What is French dressing made of?

This homemade French dressing is made with the following ingredients:

  • ketchup-There are other recipes that use tomato paste or tomato puree. If you were to use either, you would need to add sugar. I find the ketchup is creamy and thick. It does a good job emulsifying with the olive oil.
  • honey- Some recipes use sugar and sometimes the sugar does not break down properly. I find the honey blends well, adds the perfect balance of sweet, and thickens the dressing beautifully.
  • onion powder
  • apple cider vinegar- Apple cider vinegar is best, but you can substitute with white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.
  • light olive oil or regular olive oil- Light olive oil is milder in flavor than extra virgin olive oil and lighter in color. Extra virgin olive oil is a better quality olive oil, however, it can overpower the flavor of the dressing. You can also substitute with vegetable oil.
  • paprika-Use regular paprika. Do not use smoked paprika.
  • celery seed- I love the flavor the celery seed adds, but if you cannot find celery seed, you can substitute with celery salt.
French Dressing Recipe (3)

How do you make it?

Making French dressing is easy. Just add the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

To make by hand, add ingredients to a mason jar and shake several times until emulsified.

Note:

Making dressing by hand may not emulsify as well as making it in the blender or food processor and may result in a thinner dressing.

How long does it last?

Vinegar based dressings last up to 3 weeks in an air tight container stored in a refrigerator. However the flavors are best if used within a week.

If you substitute onion powder with fresh onion, use within 5 days.

French Dressing Recipe (4)

Salad Pairings

This salad dressing is delicious on any of your favorite garden salads. However, try it also on these salad variations:

  • Grilled Romaine lettuce with blue cheese, tomatoes, and bacon.
  • Mexican taco salad- Skip the chipotle ranch and try this sweet version instead. It surprisingly compliments the ground beef, beans, corn, and cheese!
  • Spinach salad with tomatoes, boiled eggs, bacon, and red onion
  • Grilled chicken salad
  • Large thick summer tomatoes and red onions
  • Cobb Salad
  • It is delicious on arugula and endive lettuce as well.

Try some of these homemade dressings also!

  • Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
  • Greek Salad Dressing
  • DIY Ranch Dry Seasoning Mix
  • Creamy Parmesan Salad Dressing
  • Copy Cat Olive Garden Salad Dressing
  • Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Did you like this salad dressing recipe?Please leave me a comment below if you make it and tell me what you thought.I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.

Also post your picture of your French Dressing onInstagramorFacebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtag!I will share with my followers! xoxo!

Recipe

French Dressing Recipe (5)

French Dressing Recipe

This creamy French dressing recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy making it a delicious topping for your favorite salads. It is much more flavorful than the store bought version and can easily be made in 2 minutes with staple ingredients you are likely to have on hand.

4.70 from 23 votes

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Course: Salad Dressing

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 (2 tablespoons each)

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Katie Crenshaw

Equipment

  • food processor or blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup honey
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup regular or light olive oil you can substitute with vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon celery seed you can substitute with celery salt
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Add 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup honey, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup regular olive oil, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon celery seed in a food processor or blender.

  • Process until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

I do not suggest using extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. Light olive oil is milder in flavor than extra virgin olive oil and lighter in color making it a better choice for oil in this salad dressing. Extra virgin olive oil is a better quality olive oil, however, it can overpower the flavor of the dressing. You can also substitute with vegetable oil.

Nutrition- Nutrition info is based on estimation only.

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe? I want to see it!Mention @aForksTale or tag #aForksTale!

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French Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in French dressing? ›

It's defined as a blend or emulsion of vegetable oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and any of the following optional ingredients: Salt. Spices and/or natural flavorings (usually paprika, onion powder, and sugar) Tomato paste, tomato purée, or ketchup.

Which of the following are the steps in making a French dressing? ›

Instructions. In a food processor or blender, add sugar, ketchup, olive oil, white vinegar, celery seed, chili powder, dried mustard, onion powder, paprika, and salt to taste (I like 2 teaspoons). Process until smooth and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

What is the French dressing rule? ›

The French dressing standard allowed for certain flexibility in manufacturers' choice of oil, acidifying ingredients, and seasoning ingredients. Tomatoes or tomato-derived ingredients were among the seasoning ingredients permitted, but not required.

What are the ingredients in Kraft French dressing? ›

SOYBEAN OIL, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, VINEGAR, WATER, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF WHEY (FROM MILK), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, PAPRIKA, SORBIC ACID AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), POLYSORBATE 60, DRIED GARLIC, XANTHAN GUM, GUAR GUM, YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, NATURAL FLAVOR.

Why did they stop making French dressing? ›

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration is revoking the standard of identity for French dressing in response to a citizen petition from the Association for Dressings and Sauces. The petitioners shared information documenting that the standard is outdated.

What are the ingredients in praise French dressing? ›

Nutrition Information

Ingredients: Water, Vegetable Oil (Antioxidant (320)), Sugar, White Vinegar (9%), Food Acids (330, 332), Salt, Garlic (1.3%) (Food Acid (330)), Vegetable gums (407, 410, 415 from Soy, 440), Parsley (0.06%), Mineral Salts (332, 341, 508), Natural Colours (Carthamus extract, carrot extract).

What is Western French dressing? ›

Description. For a savory twist on traditional French dressing, try Western Original French Salad Dressing. Tomato, onion and garlic flavors combine for a delicious blend that is perfect for salads, sandwiches, dipping sauces and marinades. The sweet, smooth flavor makes a great addition to your favorite recipes.

Why does French dressing split? ›

This means that the oil and liquid, which naturally wouldn't join together, can be temporarily interspersed within each other by rapid whisking or shaking. But because there's nothing really holding the oil and water droplets together on a chemical level, they eventually separate back out again.

What is known as French dressing? ›

Also known as vinaigrette (French for 'little vinegar') this is a fairly thick salad dressing made from a mixture of olive oil, wine vinegar (red, white or balsamic) and salt and pepper, to which various flavourings can be added such as herbs, mustard, honey or chilli.

Which ingredient is not used in making French dressing? ›

The ingredient that is not used in making french dressing is the egg yolk. What is a french dressing? This creamy dressing that varies in color from pale orange to bright red is American cuisine. In France they call it vinaigrette and it is usually made of oil, vinegar, sugar, and other flavorings.

What are the ingredients in Heinz French dressing? ›

Water, Sunflower Oil, Sugar, Vinegar, Tomato Ketchup 4.5% [Tomato, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Spice & Herb Extracts (Contains Celery), Spice], Modified Starch, Salt, Mustard Flour, Garlic Paste, Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Colors (Natural Paprika Extract, Natural Identical Beta-Carotene), Egg Yolk Powder, Preservative ( ...

What's the difference between mayonnaise and French dressing? ›

The biggest difference of all is the percentage in oil. By law in the Netherlands, mayonnaise must consist of at least 70 percent oil and 5 percent egg yolk. French fries sauce does not have to meet this requirement and often contains between 20 and 25 percent oil.

What is the difference in French dressing and Catalina dressing? ›

Catalina is often considered a subset of French dressing, with most of the same ingredients — ketchup, oil, vinegar, sugar, and other seasonings — but in different proportions. French dressing tends to contain more oil and spices, while Catalina has a higher proportion of ketchup.

What are the ingredients in Ken's French dressing? ›

Soybean Oil, Sugar, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Tomato Paste, Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt, Paprika, Mustard Flour, Xanthan Gum, Onion,* Garlic,* Beetroot Juice Powder (Color), Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor).

What's the difference between California French and regular French dressing? ›

A. Yes, the California French is a classic Catalina dressing, with bright red colour and notes of sweet tomato, tangy vinegar, and spicy paprika, among other ingredients. However, it has a thinner consistency than a classic French dressing.

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