If you can make a homemade rendition of a store bought classic, then you should absolutely do that. By making the homemade version, especially a salad dressing, you save yourself from all of the sodium, added flavors, unhealthy fats, and added sugars in store bought dressings. The great thing about this homemade Italian dressing is that it uses olive oil, not hydrogenated vegetable oils that increase the risk of heart disease. Add in the vinegar, garlic, and other seasonings and you have yourself an award-worthy dressing!

Unlike some other dressings that we’ve posted previously, this recipe does not require a blender. Grab the ingredients, a jar, and your best shaking skills, and you have yourself a dressing that is ready to go in five to 10 minutes. If using raw garlic cloves, we encourage you to use a microplane or garlic press. That will prevent your dressing from having large garlic chunks if your knife skills are not incredible. If you do not want to use fresh parsley, you can opt for dried parsley, but reduce the amount from 1/4 cup fresh parsley to 1 tablespoon dried parsley.

Unlike store bought dressing, this homemade Italian dressing does not keep fresh in the fridge for months, even years. This dressing will keep fresh in the fridge in an airtight jar or container for two to three days. It may separate, so make sure to give it a good shake to combine the ingredients before dressing your salad. You may love this version so much that you abandon store bought versions for good!