This vegan Italian dressing is tangy, bright, and flavorful. It comes together in just a few minutes and makes for delicious vegan salads, pasta salads, and more!
Here at Mortadella Head, we want everyone to enjoy Italian food! When you love a cuisine as much as we do, you want to share it with as many people as possible.
That’s why we are tackling a bit of vegan food, starting with this easy vegan Italian dressing.
It seems natural to start with salad dressing. After all, salad is often the dish you start your meal with. It is also the simplest!
Having a good Italian dressing on hand is essential in any kitchen. It doesn’t just make for a delicious leafy salad; Italian dressing is a critical ingredient in lots of pasta salads, grain salads, marinades, and more.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You will save money: Homemade salad dressing costs a fraction of the price of store-bought.
It’s healthy: Having a delicious salad dressing on hand always encourages me to eat more salad! Plus, it is made with just a splash of maple syrup. A lot of store-bought dressing has a surprising amount of sugar in it.
It’s fully customizable: The beauty of making your own dressing is you can make it exactly how you like! You can make this homemade dressing with any vinegar, oil, and herbs you like! You can even make it a creamy Italian dressing by adding a few teaspoons of vegan mayo.
Is Italian Dressing Vegan?
Many Italian dressings are vegan by default, but this isn’t always the case. Both homemade and store-bought dressings alike may contain eggs, parmesan cheese, honey, or anchovies.
When purchasing a salad dressing at the store, it is best to read the label carefully. Eggs and dairy are listed as allergens, but anchovies and honey are a little bit trickier to locate.
If you want to avoid reading labels, save money, and have a better-tasting salad, making your own salad dressing is the best option.
Vegan Italian Dressing Ingredients
Olive Oil: The base of most salad dressings is a good quality oil. Extra virgin olive oil is best and it adds a delicious, rich flavor to the salad dressing. If you dislike the flavor of olive oil, you can substitute a neutral oil, such as avocado oil or canola oil instead.
Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar adds a delicious tartness and tangy flavor to the salad dressing! You can also substitute white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Dijon Mustard: Mustard acts as an emulsifier, which helps the oil and vinegar blend well. It also adds extra complexity to the salad dressing.
Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is a delicious, vegan option to balance the acidity of the vinegar. This recipe doesn’t use enough to make it a sweet salad dressing, but it makes the flavor more well-rounded.
Dried Herbs: A medley of dried Italian herbs adds an extra pop of flavor to this dressing! We will be using basil, oregano, and parsley.
Garlic Powder: We have to have the garlic! This recipe calls for garlic powder so that the salad dressing will last longer and can be left out at room temperature. You can make it with fresh garlic, but you’ll need to keep the dressing in the fridge.
Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes will add a tiny bit of spice to our Italian dressing. If you want to keep it completely mild, you can omit these.
Uses for Vegan Italian Dressing
Italian dressing is a very versatile condiment to have for your meals! Try it in:
Salad: You can’t go wrong with a simple side salad to pair with spaghetti and marinara sauce. Find a recipe for a vegan Italian salad below in this article!
Pasta Salad: It’s like green salad, but with extra carbs. This vegan Italian dressing is delicious on a cold pasta salad made with all of your favorite veggies.
Marinade: You can use this Italian dressing as a marinade for your favorite meat substitutes. It is great for marinating tofu, seitan, or frozen chicken and beef substitutes.
Sandwiches: Have you ever had a sub sandwich loaded high with fresh vegetables and drizzled with Italian dressing? If you haven’t, you have to try it. Adding the dressing to your sandwich adds lots of flavor and moisture; it might be the best sandwich you’ve ever had.
Vegan Italian Green Salad
This delicious dressing goes well with just about any green salad. If you need some inspiration, here’s an easy recipe made with fresh, wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2 hearts of romaine lettuce
- ½ red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 15-oz. can artichoke hearts
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup black olives or kalamata olives
- ½ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ cup pepperoncini peppers
- 1 cup vegan croutons
- 1 cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions:
Wash the veggies then chop them to your desired size. Toss the salad with your homemade vegan Italian dressing and serve immediately!
How To Store Italian Dressing
Italian vinaigrette can be stored in a mason jar or salad dressing bottle for two or more weeks. It doesn’t need refrigerated, but this will help it maintain a longer shelf life.
If you choose to keep your dressing in the fridge, the olive oil will thicken because of the cooler temperature. Be sure to pull your dressing out and keep it at room temperature for around 20 minutes before you need it so the oil can become liquid again.
Don’t forget dessert! Try our vegan sponge cake recipe.
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Easy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. Put the herbs, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes into a jar and mix well.
- 2. Add the oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, and maple syrup to the jar.
- 3. Whisk the salad dressing together vigorously or put the lid on the jar and shake well until thoroughly combined.
- 4. Give the jar a good shake before each use.
