Healthy Green Goddess Lower Fat Salad Dressing

The next time you make a salad try making this easy recipe. I love making this for meal prep and storing it in the fridge to have on hand for my chop salads, marinades or to cook with!

Homemade dressing is so much healthier than store bought, it’s cheaper and easy to make. I rarely buy store bought anymore. This homemade clean eating salad dressing in one of my favorites using olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and seasonings – I like Trader Joe’s Green Goddess seasoning and put on it everything. 🙂

I call this a lower fat dressing because it doesn’t have to be mostly oil. I’ve swapped half the oil for water, trust me you want notice.

Here are a few health benefits to the ingredients in this dressing:

Olive oil. It’s the main fat in this dressing, and it’s really good for you. Olive oil is packed with healthy fats called monounsaturated fats. They’ve been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and help improve cholesterol levels. Plus, these fats can help your body absorb important vitamins like A, D, E, and K.

Lemon juice. It adds a tangy flavor and brings some health benefits to the table. Lemon juice is loaded with vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that boosts your immune system. It also aids in digestion and helps your body absorb iron from plant-based foods. And let’s not forget, that tangy flavor means you can use less salt or avoid high-sodium dressings altogether.

Vinegars: Balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar. They give the dressing that delicious tang and offer health perks too. Vinegar has been linked to better blood sugar control, which is especially great for people with diabetes or those watching their blood sugar levels. It can also help with weight management by making you feel fuller and reducing the impact of a meal on your blood sugar.

One big advantage of making your own dressing is having control over added sugars. In this recipe, we use a bit of honey for sweetness, but you can adjust it to your liking. By cutting back on refined sugars found in store-bought dressings, you can reduce your intake of empty calories and better manage your overall sugar consumption.

Another great thing about homemade dressing is that you can customize the seasonings and skip unnecessary additives and preservatives found in many store-bought options. You can choose high-quality ingredients and adjust the seasonings to your taste, making your salad burst with flavor without sacrificing health.

Enjoy this dressing on green salads, pasta salads, roasted veggies and more!