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!

More Salad Dressings, Sauces, Dips, Pickles, Flavored Salts

  • Carolina Barbecue Sauce Recipe-Vinegar Based
  • Homemade Ranch Seasoning-DIY Ranch Dressing Mix
  • Fresh Cranberry Salsa Recipe-Sweet and Spicy
  • Best Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe-Easy to Make
French Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ingredient 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 is basic French dressing made of? ›

Directions. Place oil, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, onion, lemon juice, paprika, and salt into a blender; cover and puree until smooth. Store in refrigerator.

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.

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.

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 bad ingredients in dressings? ›

5 Ingredients To Avoid
  • Palm Oil. Palm oil can pop up in both creamy and oily dressings, and it's a top ingredient that Taub-Dix said to avoid. ...
  • Sugar (but it's rarely called sugar) ...
  • Salt. ...
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ...
  • Coconut oil.
Jan 24, 2024

What is the difference between French and Catalina dressing? ›

The basic distinction between the two is that Catalina contains more ketchup, less oil, and usually fewer spices than French dressing, making for a deeper red-orange color. Because French dressing has more oil, it tends to taste creamier and look a paler shade of orange.

What is Western style French dressing? ›

Ken's Western French Dressing is a full-bodied, classic midwestern red French. Creamy and thick with sweet fruity tomato notes, and finished with apple cider vinegar and spice. Brightens up lush green salads, wedge salads, platters and more.

Is Thousand Island the same as French dressing? ›

French Dressing – This is often confused with thousand island dressing due to their similarities in ingredients and colors. The main difference between French dressing and thousand island dressing that the main component for this dressing is Ketchup while thousand island's main component is mayonnaise.

What is the healthiest salad dressing? ›

Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word “creamy” will be the unhealthiest. The exception? We like products made with healthy swaps—think Greek yogurt in place of mayo or heavy cream.

What do they call French dressing in France? ›

In France they call it vinaigrette. I can only attribute as a food oddity how our creamy, red/orange version, so commonly served in America, evolved from those ingredients into something so different yet with the same name.

What is the golden rule of dressing? ›

In fact, it's downright mathematical. The secret is menswear's golden ratio, also known as the rule of thirds, where your tee, shirt, or jacket comprises one-third of an outfit while the pants make up the remainder.

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 Kraft French dressing? ›

Kraft French Dressing is a spicy, tart orange dressing with a hint of mustard and paprika. Kraft Salad Dressings are Canada's favourite salad dressing brand. Our vast portfolio of dressings are Proudly Prepared in Canada.

Which of the choices given is one of the ingredients in preparing French dressing? ›

French dressing is made of oil, vinegar, sugar, and other flavorings, with the coloring derived from tomato and often paprika.

What are the following ingredients you need to make the dressing? ›

Hot-process spoonable salad dressings are typically made by cooking starch, vinegar, salt, sugar and water to a paste, cooling the paste, and adding the remaining ingredients. The oil is added last, typically with egg yolks, whites or another emulsifier.

What are the ingredients in Hidden Valley French dressing? ›

Water , Soybean Oil , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Distilled Vinegar , Tomato Paste , Salt , Honey , Contains Less Than 2% Of : Dehydrated Onion , Worcestershire Sauce Concentrate ( Distilled Vinegar , Molasses , Corn Syrup , Water , Salt , Caramel Color , Dehydrated Garlic , Sugar , Spices , Celery Seed , Tamarind , ...

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.

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