Classic Homemade Salad Dressings for Your Low-Carb Diet

How to make your own keto-friendly salad dressings
yourself at home.

I totally cannot stand purchased Thousand Island Dressing.

It either has too much vinegar, for my taste, is watered down and bland, or the flavor is just plain off.

Many dressings also taste like a soup of chemicals.

And the same goes for Blue Cheese salad dressing, so I learned to make my own homemade salad dressings a long, long time ago. Way back, before I started this blog.

Since most homemade dressings are low carb, or can be easily de-carbed without all of the sugar you'll get in standard bottled dressings, I've decided to share my own salad dressing recipes with you today.

The following are a few of the ones I make most often when doing keto.

Thousand Island Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise, regular or light
• 1/4 cup Reduced-Sugar Ketchup (Heinz brand)
• 2 tbsp dill relish
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Dressings are pretty simply to make. Just mix all of the ingredients together and chill until serving time. A teaspoon or two of dried bacon bits is also great in this.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise, regular or light
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp garlic
• 4 oz package of crumbled blue cheese

Method:

Mix together all ingredients and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The dressing will get thicker, the longer it sits. After a couple of days, you can thin it with a bit of cream to desired consistency. If it thickens back up again before you've used it all, just thin it again.

Simple Italian Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 to 2 tbsp Italian Dressing Spice Mix
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp guar gum

Method:

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until thickened. The guar gum helps to keep the mixture suspended. You can leave it out if you wish, but you'll have to shake it up before you use it each and every time. Instead of the spice mix you can use Italian Seasonings.

Italian Dressing Spice Mix

2 tbsp each: basil, marjoram, oregano, coriander, thyme, rosemary, savory
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Process this in a blender for about 30 seconds or so, till finely ground

Ranch-Style Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise, regular or light
• 1 cup buttermilk or heavy cream with 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasonings
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp Splenda
• dash of dill weed

Method:

With a wire whisk, blend the mayonnaise and buttermilk together until nice and creamy. If you're using powdered buttermilk, whisk the powder into the mayonnaise, then whisk in the water. Add spices and whisk again.

This can also be made in the blender by processing until smooth. The mixture will be a little thin but will thicken in the refrigerator. Chill the dressing until serving time. If desired, you can also add a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and/or a tablespoon of lemon juice for extra tang.

Want a post that goes more into detail and includes carbohydrate counts for my latest versions of these salad dressings, plus more? 

Check out our post on how to make the perfect low-carb salad and salad dressings and you'll be a master at making delicious salads in no time at all.