Bottled salad dressing is one of the great cons of the grocery store. A good homemade dressing takes less than five minutes, costs a fraction of what you’d pay for a bottle, and tastes about ten times better. And in summer, when fruit is ripe and everywhere, you have the easiest shortcut in the world: throw some of it in a jar and blend it up.
These four dressings are my current rotation. They’re all built around fruit that’s maybe just a touch too ripe to eat on its own. When the blueberries starting to wrinkle or the peaches are just a little too soft, these can turn even the most boring bowl of greens into something that looks and tastes like a party salad. The chimichurri-ish one is the outlier (no fruit) but it earns its place because once you make it you will put it on everything.
The method for all four is the same: everything goes in a jar, immersion blender in, done. No whisking, no emulsifying by hand, no washing a blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a mini food processor also works great.
1. blueberry basil dressing
Fresh blueberries blended with basil and white balsamic. It turns a deep purple-pink and tastes floral and bright. It’s really good on a simple arugula salad with goat cheese and some grilled chicken.
Ingredients:
½ cup fresh blueberries
8 large fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
½ tsp dijon
¼ tsp salt
pinch black pepper
Important note: blueberries congeal when mixed with acid, so this one doesn’t keep well. Make it right before you use it. If it thickens up while it’s sitting, just blend it again for a few seconds and you’re good.
2. strawberry balsamic dressing
Sweet, jammy, and versatile. This one goes great with a spinach salad, or perhaps a cucumber halloumi salad like this one. Use strawberries that are fully ripe, the sweeter the better.
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries
2 tbsp white balsamic
1 tsp honey (add more if needed)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days. Give it a shake before using.
3. chimichurri-ish dressing
Not a traditional chimichurri, it’s a bit looser and more dressing-like. It's great on bitter greens, grilled steak salads, roasted vegetables, or drizzled over eggs. The "ish" is doing a lot of work here and I stand by it.
Ingredients:
large handful fresh Italian parsley
handful chives
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavor gets better on day 2.
4. peach brown butter dressing
Saving the best for last, this one is the showstopper. Brown butter in a salad dressing may not sound super summery but trust meeeee - it adds a nutty richness that makes the whole thing taste like summer in a bowl. Use it on a simple salad with peaches, burrata, and prosciutto, or on grilled corn.
Ingredients:
1 ripe peach
2 tbsp brown butter, cooled
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
½ tsp dijon
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp salt
pinch black pepper
Important note: don’t add the brown butter while it’s still hot as it’ll cook the peach and mess with the texture. Cool it first.
Keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days. It will solidify slightly when cold, let it come to room temp or run the jar under warm water before using.
Let me know which one you’re making first!
Wow. These sound amazing. Thank you. I always say, “it’s all about the dressing”. I’m going to try all of these!