This super easy Honey French Salad Dressing is simple to make at home and a heck of a lot tastier than what comes in a bottle!!! Less sugar and oil than the typical French dressing recipe and so delicious!! If you’ve never made salad dressing, this is the perfect recipe to try!!

This Honey French Dressing isn’t as heavy as supermarket versions and is the perfect topping for so many salads!

Easy Honey French Salad Dressing on a green salad on a white ceramic plate.

Why You Must Make

On a regular basis, the hubby will not eat salad because I have dressed it with my best balsamic vinaigrette, a favorite homemade salad dressing. He prefers a bottle (sigh) of French, Catalina, Ranch or Blue Cheese. So I recently surprised him by making this homemade honey French salad dressing. He gave it high praise, but he still didn’t eat the artichoke hearts or cucumbers! Some things will never change.

  • Homemade dressings taste a heck of a lot better than what you can buy on the grocery store shelves.
  • There are no preservatives or chemicals you can’t pronounce in this French Salad Dressing Recipe.
  • It’s also fresher and less expensive!
Easy Honey French Salad Dressing poured over a green salad.

Expert Tips

I wouldn’t exactly call this salad dressing “health food,” but it’s definitely lightened up from many French salad dressing recipes. With less oil than the typical recipe and honey instead of white sugar to sweeten, you won’t even notice these tweaks!

  • Taste and adjust to your palate. Like your dressing sweeter? Add more honey. Watching your sodium? Substitute celery seed for celery salt.
  • PRO-TIP: Whisk vigorously while slowly adding the vegetable oil as that ensures the mixture emulsifies, which means the oil droplets actually become suspended in the dressing. If you emulsify properly, your dressing won’t split into two layers as it rests.
  • You can easily do this in the blender, too, but I was lazy and didn’t want to add that to the pile of dishes I needed to wash!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Definition of French Salad Dressing?

Before the age of bottled dressing, the term French dressing referred to a vinaigrette. Simply a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part red or white wine vinegar. When bottled dressings came on the scene in the early 1900s, the creamy version of French dressing was introduced. The English, not the French, were known for creamy salad dressings, so we’re not sure why this creamy salad dressing with the addition of tomato paste or puree, was labeled as French.
There are also two other salad dressings closely related to this Honey French Dressing, Catalina and Western. Catalina is basically a slightly spicier French dressing and Western is a bit more savory with the addition of onions and garlic.

How Long Can You Keep Homemade Salad Dressing?

This French dressing will stay fresh for 2-4 weeks if it’s not left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. Vinaigrettes keep well for 4 weeks, but those dressings with fresh herbs, onions, eggs, etc, have a much shorter shelf life, about 2 weeks.

What Ingredients Are Needed to Make French Dressing?

Though there are numerous variations, to make this French salad dressing you’ll need: Cider Vinegar, Vegetable Oil, Ketchup, Honey, Celery Salt, Onion Powder, Salt, and freshly ground Black Pepper.

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Honey French Salad Dressing Recipe

Honey French Salad Dressing Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Yield 1⅔ cups salad dressing

An easy homemade French salad dressing sweetened with honey.

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon celery salt
  • ¼-½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ½ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste, if desired.

Instructions

  1. In a large glass measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, celery salt, onion powder, and paprika. Whisk in ketchup and honey.
  2. Slowly pour in vegetable oil while whisking constantly (this will help emulsify the salad dressing).
  3. Taste for seasonings and add salt, pepper, or more onion powder as needed. I did not add any more salt.½⅓¼

Notes

Use within 2 weeks. Keep refrigerated.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 130Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 0g

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