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Little Dairy On The Prairie » Recipes » Course » Salad » Salad Dressing » Easy French Dressing Recipe

Easy French Dressing Recipe

Created by Amy Engberson 42 Comments

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Two images of homemade French Salad dressing in a jar and on a being poured on a salad.

This French Dressing recipe is a little tangy, a little sweet, and a fun way to make salads exciting! Homemade salad dressing way better than store-bought. Throw all the ingredients in the blender and that’s all there is to it!

A jar of French dressing with green salad ingredients.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere and my mom only went to the grocery store about once a month. She stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables and we DEVOURED them! We knew they wouldn’t last forever and pretty soon we’d be back to eating canned green beans and frozen peas again!

My mom’s friend shared this homemade French dressing recipe with her all those years ago and I fell in love with it and it’s still my favorite today!

This recipe was originally published in 2013. The text and images were updated in 2021. The recipe stayed the same.

What I Love About This French Salad Dressing:

  1. Simple Ingredients: it’s easy to keep all of the ingredients you need in the pantry.
  2. Easy Instructions: If you know how to measure and use a blender you’ve already got this recipe mastered!
  3. Better than Store-bought: I love knowing what’s in my salad dressing (I’m not saying it’s healthy, but I can pronounce all the ingredients). And it’s less expensive than buying it in a bottle!
  4. YUMMY: The flavors are spot on!
A jar of red French Salad Dressing.

French Dressing vs. Catalina Dressing?

To be honest I’m not sure there’s a real answer here! Heck, I’m not even sure if you’d classify this dressing as French or Catalina? I think it’s a pretty good mix between the two! Call it what you want…just make it!

Here’s what I learned about what’s different between the two after studying it on the good ol’ internet! Take it all with a grain of salt!

French Dressing:

  • Sweeter in taste
  • Thicker
  • Typically a vinegar/oil base
  • Light pink

Catalina Dressing:

  • Named after the Catalina Islands off the coast of California (who knows if this is true)
  • Typically has a tomato/vinegar/oil base
  • Bright red
  • Thinner than French dressing
French dressing ingredients.

French Dressing Ingredients:

I’m going to give you a few suggestions for substituting to make this dressing with what you already have in your food storage.

  • Ketchup: Use your favorite brand
  • White vinegar: You could also use half apple cider vinegar and half white vinegar
  • Vegetable oil: Canola oil or light olive oil will also work. Olive oil will give it a little bit of a different flavor.
  • Seasonings: salt, pepper, dry mustard, garlic salt
  • Granulated Sugar: You can use 1/2 a cup of honey instead of sugar.

Little Dairy on the Prairie Pro Tip: To make a healthy French dressing, or salad dressing with no sugar use 1/4 cup Splenda or another artificial sweetener instead of adding sugar. Diabetic and Keto diet readers have tried this and loved it!

How to make French Dressing:

  • A blender with homemade salad dressing ingredients.
  • Sugar being poured into a blender with Catalina dressing in it.

STEP 1: Add all ingredients EXCEPT sugar to the blender. Blend until smooth.

STEP 2: Gradually add sugar until smooth and creamy.

A blender with red French Dressing.

FAQs about Homemade Salad Dressing:

How to store salad dressing?

Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. A mason jar is my favorite way of storing it.

How long will homemade salad dressing last in the fridge?

This dressing will last up to two weeks. It’s easy to cut the recipe in half if you need to make a smaller batch.

Homemade French dressing being poured over a green salad.

What is French Dressing Good With:

French Dressing is almost like a condiment at our house! You can use it in so many ways! Here are a few ideas to get you started and pretty soon you’ll be using it on everything!

  • Green salad: This is the obvious one! Try it on my Steak House Salad!
  • Mexican taco salad: I love ranch with taco salad and I love French dressing too! Be sure to add plenty of Doritos!
  • As a veggie dipper: This dressing is pretty thick so it works and is a fun change of pace!
  • Over nachos: try using it instead of BBQ sauce on my Pulled Pork Nachos
  • On a sandwich: Yep! Use it as a condiment! It’s excellent on my Hawaiian Burgers too! It’s fantastic with hot dogs too!
Green salad topped with French dressing.

Other Salad Recipes:

Here are a few other recipes for salads that you’re going to love! They’re perfect side dishes for about any meal, especially BBQs!

  • Three Bean Salad – the best make-ahead salad with a vinaigrette
  • Healthy Potato Salad – a classic salad made with Greek yogurt
  • Chinese Cabbage Salad – my favorite main dish salad
  • Pizza Salad – This recipe for French dressing would be yummy on this salad too!
  • Lemon Pesto Pasta Salad – yummy summer salad

Other Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes:

  • Dill Dressing – healthy herby dressing
  • Strawberry Dressing – the best spinach salad dressing
  • Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – tangy and sweet

I love it when you make my recipes and give me feedback! If you have a minute please comment below and leave a star ranking! Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook!

Homemade French Dressing Recipe:

A jar of French dressing with green salad ingredients.

Simple French Dressing

This French Dressing recipe is a little tangy, a little sweet, and a fun way to make salads exciting! Homemade salad dressing way better than store-bought. Throw all the ingredients in the blender and that's all there is to it!
3.44 from 32 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiment, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: French Dressing, French Dressing Recipe, homemade french dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 16 Servings
Calories: 183kcal
Author: Amy

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients except sugar to a blender and blend until combined.
  • Gradually add sugar while blending. Blend until creamy and smooth.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

Sugar: 
  • This recipe can be made with 1/2 a cup of honey instead of sugar. 
  • Replace sugar with an artificial sweetener such as Splenda for low carb, or keto dressing.
  • Reduce the amount of sugar used if you’d like. I’ve made it with half a cup of sugar and it was still delicious!
How to store dressing:
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 
  • The dressing will keep up to three weeks. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @littledairyontheprairie or tag #littledairyontheprairie!
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about amy

About Amy Engberson

I live on a dairy with my husband and three boys. Although we are in the business of raising cattle, we really are in the business of raising boys. I am passionate about catching up with each other at meal times. My love language is food. And I hope that my men feel the love in every bite. Read more...

Filed Under: Salad, Salad Dressing

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Comments

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  1. Marta says

    March 23, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    Thank you for sharing. I was wondering if you knew how long this dressing would last.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      March 24, 2014 at 8:33 am

      I’m not exactly sure how long it lasts. We eat it pretty quickly. I’m guessing I have kept it for up to three weeks. You will be surprised how fast it goes!

      Reply
  2. Debbie says

    April 2, 2014 at 6:15 am

    I was wondering about the carb count

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      April 4, 2014 at 7:04 am

      Good question! I don’t ever count carbs, etc. However if you click this link it should take you to all of the nutrition information you want to know! http://www.myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/simple-french-dressing. It says the carbs per serving is 11.6. I don’t even know if that is high or low!!

      Reply
      • Max says

        February 10, 2016 at 11:42 pm

        11.6 carbs per serving is high. Try substituting Splenda for the sugar.

        Reply
        • Amy Engberson says

          March 10, 2016 at 8:57 am

          This recipe can definitely be altered to your dietary needs. Sometimes I substitute a little honey. I even cut the amount of sugar down and it’s still really good!

          Reply
    • Sue says

      May 21, 2017 at 6:13 pm

      Thank you so much for sharing all of these recipes. I love making my own dressings and all,of these younhave postedmlooks fantastic. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Amy Engberson says

        May 26, 2017 at 10:11 pm

        Yay! I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes! Homemade salad dressings are so much better than store bought and so much easier to make than people think! Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Sue says

          May 27, 2017 at 8:46 am

          I’m going to be making a couple of the recipes this weekend and next week. I have made my own, but you posted so many different ones I can’t wait to try them.
          My iPad seems to have a mind of it’s own. I proof read my last post and it was fine, but reading it once it was posted looked like I typed it when I first woke-up in the morning. YIKES!

          Thanks again for sharing.

          Reply
  3. Amanda says

    August 15, 2014 at 7:26 am

    I was wondering what kind of oil you use. EVOO? vegetable ? Canola?

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      August 18, 2014 at 8:37 am

      I used canola oil! It would be fun to experiment with other kinds too! Let me know if you try something different!

      Reply
  4. Charlene says

    March 5, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    I was wondering if you have ever made it without sugar. Both me and my husband are diabetics and have to watch our sugar. He doesn’t like the artificial sweeteners.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      March 10, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Charlene, I haven’t ever made this without sugar. I wonder if you could make it with honey and maybe make it a little less sweet. Good luck!

      Reply
  5. janet says

    May 19, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    I am a diabetic and have enjoyed this dressing for at least 8 months,the only change I have made, I replaced the sugar with a1/4 cup of splenda. Thank you for recipe.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      June 12, 2015 at 7:07 am

      What a healthy idea. In fact, I’ve started making this dressing with a little less sugar and it still tastes wonderful!

      Reply
  6. Brenda says

    July 9, 2017 at 11:28 am

    This salad dresssing is awesome, we loved it! It has great flavor and I love that I have all the ingredients on hand. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      July 11, 2017 at 8:06 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad you loved it! It’s one of our favorites too! There’s nothing quite like homemade salad dressing! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  7. Kim says

    August 13, 2017 at 11:14 am

    I know this is an older post but I just came across it on my search for a homemade French dressing. The ones in the store never seem to taste just right to me and French is my favorite dressing. I never comment on recipes but just had to tell you.. This is amazing!! Without a doubt will never buy bottled French again. Thank you!
    P.s. I only used 1/2 cup of sugar and it is absolutely perfect for my taste.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      August 15, 2017 at 4:33 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad you found my French Dressing recipe and you love it! Several people have made this dressing with a reduced amount of sugar and love it just as much! I agree..store bought salad dressing is overrated!

      Reply
  8. Dawn says

    July 7, 2018 at 10:49 am

    Great dressing. I actually use fresh onion and garlic in my Ninja and add the other ingredients along with 1 egg white, no yolk. It lasts for weeks in the fridge. I just need to whip it before serving.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      July 9, 2018 at 9:51 am

      I love the idea of using fresh garlic and onion! I bet it’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  9. Lise Roy says

    March 27, 2019 at 1:22 pm

    Qu’est ce qu’une scant cup of sugar en français?

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      April 11, 2019 at 10:51 am

      One scant cup of sugar is a little bit less than a cup. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  10. Kevin says

    June 12, 2019 at 6:04 am

    Just made this dressing, halved all of the ingredients so not too much leftover, used olive oil but left out the garlic salt. When adding the sugar I put it in one teaspoon at a time and used about six teaspoons in total which made it about right for us. Very tasty with lots of flavour and a good colour so will definitely make again.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      June 24, 2019 at 6:57 am

      Hi Kevin! I LOVE that you’ve made this recipe without as much sugar! Years ago I never even thought about how much sugar my family was consuming. A few years ago we started cutting back and this isn’t a recipe I’ve experimented with yet. I’m going to try making it with less sugar! Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  11. Lisa Hatfield says

    May 17, 2020 at 11:28 am

    5 stars
    Amy, I LOVE making my own dressings and will make this one…it looks so easy and much healthier than the bottled ones. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      May 18, 2020 at 5:27 pm

      YES! Homemade salad dressing is so much better than store-bought! I can’t wait for you to try this one!

      Reply
  12. Laura says

    May 18, 2020 at 8:34 pm

    5 stars
    I love this yummy French dressing. It’s so easy to make. Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      May 19, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      Homemade dressings are so much less expensive and taste so much better than store-bought! I’m glad you loved it!

      Reply
  13. Jessica says

    May 20, 2020 at 10:37 am

    5 stars
    One of the easiest dressings to make and SO darn good! Perfect for all of our summer salads and keeping dinner simple. Love this recipe!

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      May 20, 2020 at 3:30 pm

      Yes! This is the perfect dressing for all the summer salads! Enjoy!

      Reply
  14. Emily says

    June 3, 2020 at 7:13 am

    5 stars
    I love the tangy zip of this dressing! It’s one of my favorites!

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      June 3, 2020 at 9:39 am

      It’s such a great way to make salads exciting and tasty!

      Reply
  15. Linda Fernandes says

    July 21, 2020 at 11:50 pm

    This reminds me of the home ec salad dressing of the 60’s also like the Catalina salad Dressing we use to douse taco salads with in the 80’s. Thanks for sharing this easy dressing.

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      July 27, 2020 at 5:44 pm

      I actually got this recipe from my friend several years ago, and I know she’d been using it for about 50 years when she shared it with me. It’s an oldie, but a goodie!

      Reply
  16. Roxie says

    August 24, 2020 at 1:12 pm

    Can you sub apple cider vinegar instead of white?

    Reply
    • Amy Engberson says

      August 25, 2020 at 8:32 am

      I’m sure that would be just fine in this recipe!

      Reply

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Hi I’m Amy! Welcome to my stinky farm life where my days are filled with chasing kids and cows! It’s all about simply delicious food around here! If you leave my house hungry…it’s your own fault! Read More..

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