Homemade dressings don't have to be time consuming. My most complicated salad dressing (which involves chopping scallion, red onion, cilantro, green pepper, and jalapeno) takes less than 10 minutes to make, but I'm too lazy to take 10 minutes every day, so when I make that one, I make enough to last a week (because it doesn't take but 5 seconds longer to make a week's worth than a salad's worth).

Choosing a bottled salad dressing takes me longer.


Most of my salad dressings (whether I'm making a batch to last a week or making just enough for one personal salad) take less than a minute, and the ones I use most often take about 20 seconds (maybe 30 seconds if you count the trip to the pantry).


To save time (and mess) I mix the salad dressing in tupperware style bowls (with leakproof snap on lids). Shaking mixes the dressing faster than whisking.


I bought a bunch of containers (you can find them in 2 to 4 ounce sizes in most stores that stell storage containers, even the dollar store), for making a single serving, especially before going out to eat (I slip the container into a ziploc bag for extra protection and then toss in my purse).


Or I'll mix the salad in a larger storage container, then after I mix the dressing, snap off the lid, add lettuce and veggies, snap the lid back on and shake again - it takes less time than tossing a salad with bottled dressing.


With some dressings you can even splash on the ingredients directly onto the lettuce, then snap on the lid and shake, tossing the salad and mixing the salad dressing at the same time. I don't like to do this though, because it only saves me 5 seconds, and some ingredients don't mix as well.

Here are some of my quickest salad dressings - Just pop the ingredients into a container (either a small one, or one big enough to put your salad in after you make the dressing), snap on the lid, and shake for about 5 to 10 seconds.

I've given single salad sizes, but after only a little practice, it becomes easier and easier to just eyeball the measurements, and make as much as you need. Most have only two or three ingredients, so it can take less than 10 seconds to make some of them.


Basic Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil (walnut is awesome)
1-3 tablespoon vinegar or citrus juice (strong vinegars I use only 1 tablespoon and for milder vinegars and orange juice I use more vinegar)
pinch of sweetener, any kind (optional)
dash salt and pepper


Fruit vinaigrettes (I like raspberry)

add a pinch of flavored gelatin mix or drink mix to the basic vinaigrette


Creamy fruit dressing

add a pinch of flavored gelatin mix or drink mix to the basic vinaigrette to 2 tablespoons of light, fat-free or regular mayo, yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream (or combination of any)


Thousand Island Dressing

2 tablespoons mayo (any kind), yogurt, or sour cream
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp sweet or dill relish


Asian Dressing

2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
sprinkling from a packet of ramen noodles or 5-spice powder
pinch of sweetener (I use Splenda)



Ranch Dressing

2 tablespoons mayo, sour cream, or yogurt
2 tablespoons skim milk or fat free buttermilk
a couple pinches of ranch dressing mix from a packet (or a pinch each of garlic powder and dill)


Mexicali Ranch (great for taco salads)

2 tablespoons sour cream (or mix of may and sour cream)
2 tablespoons salsa
ranch powder (optional)
,


Aoli

2 tablespoons mayo
1/4 tsp granulated or minced garlic, fresh or dehydrated (if you use dried minced garlic you need to make it a few minutes ahead or the garlic will be crunchy)


Western french

Add 1 tablespoon of ketchup to the basic vinaigrette
sweeten to taste




Dijonaise

Add a squirt of dijon mustard to mayo, sour cream, or yogurt





Barbecue dressing or barbecue ranch

Add a squirt of barbecue sauce to mayo, sour cream, yogurt or ranch dressing.



Blue cheese

3 tablespoons of mayo, sour cream, yogurt, or ranch dressing
1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese



Awesome garlic caesar dressing

2 tablespoons oil (I like olive oil or walnut oil)
2 teaspoons mayo
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated parmesan, romano, or asiago cheese
1/4 tsp viatnamese fish sauce
shake of pepper
pinch of sweetener (optional)
a pinch of garlic powder, or minced fresh or dried garlic - I use dehydrated dried - so I have to make it a few minutes ahead).

I make my own honey mustard dressing and it is phenomenal, I am also a fan of blue cheese and thousand island. Dressing is one of those areas I just weigh out the serving size and factor in the calories. I like some reduced calorie dressings, but in general I'd rather have good fat from oil or cream than hydrogenated, engineered crud in a light dressing.

That's just my preference, though

If you like blue cheese dressing, I'm going to plug the one I posted earlier in the thread again. It's homemade, lowfat/cal, and it's better than any full fat blue cheeses I've had. It passed the stuck-in-the-mud, finicky grandpa test too, lol!

Yes! I LOVE this dressing. When I first bought it there was some guarantee about "bet you can't tell it's light" and I thought "yeah right" but I was WRONG. The calories are low and it doesn't taste all weird. It even passed the DH test and he doesn't like light dressings at all.

I also love Wishbone salad spritzers!

Please do post this recipe. I must have missed it somewhere but I am totally intrigued by the description!

My favorite dressings are the Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Dressings (in the refrigerator section with the packaged lettuce). The Honey Mustard is my favorite (haven't tried ranch or caesar) and is only 40 calories - very flavorful, creamy and no diet aftertaste. Great for dip too!

4star here is the recipe that Munchy linked earlier in the thread. I looks divine and I'm going to try it ASAP.

Olive oil, salt and pepper and sometimes vinegar is my usual.

If I do have a prepared dressing, I eat the regular version but I only eat 1/2 a serving.

Another favorite is avocado. 2oz of finely diced avocado gives the salad a creamy coating and is under 100 calories.

Weight Watchers cookbooks have some pretty fabulous low calorie dressing recipes. My favorite is an asian sesame dressing which takes about 45 seconds to make. Shake together 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 3 tbsp chicken broth, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp canola oil, 1 tsp grated ginger, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Voila! 40 ish calories for two tablespoons. The chicken broth really stretches it out, but it doesn't taste or feel like it. YUM. (If you use unseasoned rice wine vinegar, add 1 tsp sugar. Calorie count doesn't change.)

I love using a good flavored balsamic (my fave is blackberry ginger) mixed with equal parts olive oil. You really don't need a whole lot, it adds a nice sweetness to the salad....and most importantly, it's real food!

yogurt based dressing rock

Newmans Own garlic and parmesan is delicious! It's a bit higher calorie than the dressing I used to use (Kraft calorie wise french) but it's "all natural" which is always good, and I just love the taste.

kaplods - Wow thanks for all the dressing recipes! I might try some of them because I'm the type of person that really loves a good variety of flavors but most of my sauces/dressings will tend to expire before I can use the whole bottle! Recently I have been in LOVE with chipotle flavored anything so I will try looking for some chipotle powder to add to your ranch recipe above

I'm that way with condiments in general. I love buying them, making them, finding new ways to use them. My husband teases me about them, saying we need a "condiment fridge" so that my bottles, jars and concoctions don't take over the fridge.

Keeping peace with hubby over the fridge is the main reason I really got into making my own (even though I'd been doing it occasionally ever since my mother taught me how to make cocktail sauce by combining ketchup and horseradish when I was maybe 5 years old).

I don't remember the brand (there are several available), but I bought a chipotle paste at Big Lots (I almost never pay full price for condiments because stores like Big Lots, discount groceries, TJ Max... always have a wide assortment for pennies on the dollar).

As long as you don't let anything touch the squeeze tip, it will keep almost indefinitely.

I love it, because I always hated buying chipotles in adobo, only needing a tiny bit, and then having to find a way to store the leftovers.