Pesto Salad Dressing
Get ready to take your salads to a whole new level. This Pesto Salad Dressing recipe is made with simple ingredients and loaded with maximum flavor. You’ll love this easy dressing, which you can serve in many creative ways.
Do you struggle with what to put on your leafy greens and hearty salads? I love making fresh salads, and these dressings are a great way to top them. Below you’ll find directions for a creamy salad dressing, as well as a vinaigrette dressing. Sometimes I stick with one for my salads for a while, and other times, I go back and forth between the two.
The recipe gives all the details on how to make both – and it’ll be hard to pick which one to make the first time! Since we eat a lot of green salads in our house, we actually make both of them often.
Be sure to try this Southwest Ranch Salad Dressing and this Sundried Tomato Salad Dressing as two of my other top picks.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- Pesto – You can make your own homemade pesto or use store-bought pesto.
- White vinegar – This helps with the texture.
- Avocado oil – Adds a nice healthy fat and a nice texture.
- Water – To thin out the dressing.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Pepper – For flavor.
Creamy
- Pesto – You can make your own homemade pesto or use store-bought pesto.
- White vinegar – This helps with the texture.
- Avocado oil – Adds a nice healthy fat and a nice texture.
- Water – To thin out the dressing.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Pepper – For flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Pesto Salad Dressing
Step One: Add all the ingredients for the recipe of your choice into a blender or jar.
Step Two: Mix until the mixture is smooth. If you are making in a mason jar, you can shake it if the lid is on tightly.
Step Three: You can also add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth if you want.
Step Four: Pour the mixture into a container and serve.
Top Tip💡
If the creamy pesto dressing is too thick, you can add a little milk or cream. Just be sure to stir so that it’s all mixed well.
Substitutions
- Sour cream – If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can add sour cream to this delicious salad dressing.
Variations
- Fresh garlic – Adding a little bit of fresh garlic is a great thing!
- Fresh basil leaves – Blending in some fresh basil leaves and other fresh herbs can add some great flavor.
- Dijon mustard – This can be a fun way to add a pop of flavor to the creamy dressing.
- Spicy – Adding red pepper flakes is a simple way to bring out some heat.
- Pesto – Try making this with Feta Pesto or my Rosemary Pesto Recipe instead of classic basil pesto.
- Tangy – If you like your dressings with more tang, add white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar in place of the water.
See this Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing for a must-make recipe!
Equipment
To make this homemade dressing recipe, you’ll want to have a blender. A food processor will work as well.
Storage
You can store the leftover vinaigrette and creamy dressing in an airtight container. Keep it stored in the fridge. Due to the ingredients, I don’t recommend freezing either dressing.
Common Questions
You can use these recipes for pasta salad, or as a homemade salad dressing for the next salad that you whip up in your kitchen. I love using this recipe for summer salads because they’re both light and refreshing.
I love adding sunflower seeds to my salads, but you could also use parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice, pine nuts, or anything else that you’re craving.
If you think the dressing is a little too thick, you can thin it out by using extra virgin olive oil or even a little bit more water. I would say to add just a little bit at a time; that way, you can thin it without thinning too much.
Absolutely! If you make it or prep it in advance, you just need to be sure that you store it in a mason jar with a lid or an airtight container. Then, before serving, give it a good shake or stir to mix it all back up! It will still taste fresh and delicious.
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Pesto Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for the recipe of your choice in a small blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Alternatively, you can add them to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition
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I love pesto! Thank you for this awesome idea.