Italian Dressing Mix
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Ditch the expensive packet of dressing mix at the grocery store and instead, whip up this homemade Italian Dressing Mix in less than 5 minutes! You can make a big batch of the seasoning mix and use it to make homemade Italian dressing for salads every week. This recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients, with no preservatives or additives!
Table of contents
A packet of Italian dressing mix is a versatile ingredient to keep in your pantry. You can use it to season chicken, make salad dressing, season veggies, or mix it with cream cheese to make the best cucumber sandwiches.
Unfortunately those packets are expensive, sometimes over $3 for under one ounce of seasoning! And usually the main ingredient is sugar, not to mention the additives like sodium citrate, xanthan gum, maltodextrin, and the list goes on! A lot of them also contain wheat and soy.
Lucky for you, we can all officially ditch the packets for good! This homemade version of Italian dressing mix is so much more flavorful than the store-bought stuff. It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free and soy free, and it contains no additives or preservatives! You can also mix up about 10x the amount for the same price.
This recipe makes 10 tablespoons, or 5 ounces, of seasoning mix. You can easily double, or triple, the recipe and store it in the pantry to use over and over again!
Ingredients
- Sea salt (or kosher salt) – both sea salt and kosher salt can be used interchangeably when cooking. I prefer either kosher or sea salt, over table salt, in this seasoning mix because of their coarse texture and superior flavor.
- Sugar (optional) – if you’d like to make sugar-free salad dressing, simply omit the sugar from the mix. Since this is a Good Seasons copycat recipe, I kept the sugar in the mix, so the flavor would be similar to the original store-bought packet.
- Dried minced garlic – instead of using garlic powder, I like to use dried minced garlic in this Italian dressing mix to add a nice texture to the seasoning. Feel free to use garlic powder if that’s your preference, or what you have on hand.
- Dried minced onions – just like the garlic, I prefer minced onions, over onion powder, for the tasty texture and flavor they add to the mix.
- Black pepper – I recommend a coarse-ground pepper for this recipe, as it adds great texture to the Italian dressing mix.
- Dried basil – this herb is an aromatic, found in almost every Italian recipe. It’s mostly sweet, with a touch of savory and notes of pepper.
- Dried oregano – one of the most versatile Italian herbs, you’ll always find Italian salads seasoned with oregano. It’s essential in a delicious Italian herb blend.
- Dried parsley – even in it’s dried form, parsley adds a bright, fresh flavor to this seasoning mix that pairs well with the other spices.
- Red pepper flakes – a hint of spice is a nice addition to this Italian dressing mix. If you prefer no spice, you can omit this ingredient.
- Dried thyme – the lemony notes of thyme add a bright, fresh flavor to the seasoning mix. And it’s one of the main herbs found in Italian cooking.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, in 5 minutes or less, you have homemade Italian dressing mix at a fraction of the cost of the store-bought stuff!
How to make Italian dressing
Use this Italian dressing mix to make a deliciously simple homemade Italian salad dressing!
- Add ¼ cup vinegar, 3 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the Italian dressing mix to a mason jar.
- Secure a lid on the jar and shake the ingredients together.
- Add ½ cup oil, cover again and shake to combine.
You can also whisk everything together in a bowl, instead of shaking it up in a mason jar.
This recipe makes 8 ounces (or 1 cup) of salad dressing. I always recommend ½ cup of salad dressing for a large salad with 8 cups of lettuce or greens. To make a smaller salad with 4 cups of lettuce or greens, use ¼ cup of the dressing.
The dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It’s delicious on Italian green salads or pasta salads.
Other ways to use the dressing mix
While this Italian dressing mix is perfect for making easy homemade salad dressing, it’s also delicious used in a variety of other recipes. Try it in any, or all, of these dishes!
- Cucumber sandwiches – combine cream cheese and Italian dressing mix. Spread it on rye bread, then top the cream cheese with sliced cucumbers and dried dill. Click the link for the full recipe.
- Chicken marinade – add 2 pounds of chicken to a large bowl or zipper bag. Add ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or vinegar) and 2 tablespoons Italian dressing mix. Toss to combine and marinate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
- Veggie seasoning – toss a pound of veggies, like broccoli or cauliflower florets, or sliced zucchini with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons Italian dressing mix. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 425°F.
- Roasted potatoes – in a large bowl, combine ¼ cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons Italian dressing mix. Add 2 pounds of quartered red potatoes and toss to coat the potatoes. Spread the seasoned potatoes out on a baking sheet. Roast at 400°F for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Steak marinade – add 2 pounds of steak to a large bowl or zipper bag. Add ¼ cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons Italian dressing mix. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the fridge.
- Veggie dip – combine 16 ounces of sour cream with 2 tablespoons Italian dressing mix to make a delicious dip for veggies, chips, or crackers.
Recipe tips
- This recipe makes 10 tablespoons of Italian dressing mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the homemade mix, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- The Italian dressing mix will stay good, stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, like the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as dried herbs and spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. If doubling the recipe, use a pint size or 16 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the Italian dressing mix with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- This homemade Italian dressing mix recipe is naturally gluten free, dairy free and vegan. Omit the sugar to also make it whole30 compliant and paleo.
- To make a zesty Italian dressing mix, add an extra 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to the seasoning mix.
- The difference between this dressing mix and my Italian seasoning blend is the addition of salt and sugar. If you would like to omit the salt and sugar, simply head over to my Italian seasoning recipe instead.
- A packet of Italian dressing mix at the grocery store contains .7 ounces. This is equal to approximately 1 ½ tablespoons. When replacing the packet in a recipe, I generally round up to 2 tablespoons because I enjoy the extra flavor from the herbs and spices!
More homemade seasonings
Stock your pantry with all of my homemade seasoning recipes to add flavor to every meal!
Italian Dressing Mix
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Notes
- To make salad dressing, add ¼ cup vinegar, 3 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of Italian dressing mix to a mason jar. Cover and shake the ingredients together. Add ½ cup oil, cover again and shake to combine.
- You can also whisk everything together in a bowl, instead of shaking it up in a mason jar.
- This recipe makes 8 ounces (or 1 cup) of salad dressing. I always recommend ½ cup of salad dressing for a large salad with 8 cups of lettuce or greens. To make a smaller salad with 4 cups of lettuce or greens, use ¼ cup of the dressing.
- The dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- This recipe makes 10 tablespoons of Italian dressing mix. If you’d like to make a double batch of the homemade mix, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- A packet of Italian dressing mix at the grocery store contains .7 ounces. This is equal to approximately 1 ½ tablespoons. When replacing the packet in a recipe, I generally round up to 2 tablespoons because I enjoy the extra flavor from the herbs and spices!
- The Italian dressing mix will stay good, stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, like the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as dried herbs and spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- This homemade Italian dressing mix recipe is naturally gluten free, dairy free and vegan. Omit the sugar to also make it whole30 compliant and paleo.
- To make a zesty Italian dressing mix, add an extra 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to the seasoning mix.
Nutrition Facts
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