Homemade Salad Dressing Recipe for Strawberry Salad
The best sweet & tangy salad dressing made from general pantry items that goes perfect with all salads, especially strawberries and spinach!
Good salad dressings are hard to come by, especially one that is sweet and can be used on so many types of salads. This Homemade Salad Dressing is absolutely my all-time favorite go-to salad dressing recipe and is always requested to be brought to get togethers!

Our daughter was born 2 years, 5 months, 9 days, 5 hours and 13 minutes ago, but hey, who’s counting? A few days after her glorious arrival our wonderful realtor brought dinner to us! When you look in the dictionary to find out the definition of a true Southern Lady her picture is there! She was truly a blessing to us fresh out of college kids who moved 950 miles away from home.
She brought over a full course meal and dessert which was out of this world! Instantly Lover Boy and I fell in love with the red concoction in the glass Mason jar…it was homemade salad dressing! (In all honesty I had never had homemade salad dressing other than red wine vinegar and oil). We literally ate salad for a week and licked that jar dry. It was the best salad dressing I had ever tasted! She had made the dressing to go on top of her Strawberry Walnut Salad which included a fresh lettuce mix, strawberries, roasted walnuts and Monterey Jack cheese. I literally thought I had died and gone to heaven with this salad!
I ended up not getting the recipe from her until 2 years later when she sold our house the day before our son was born (I’m pretty sure that’s why I went into labor 15 days early, crazy times!) Although it took me forever to get my hands on this gem, it is now a staple in my refrigerator and a recipe that everyone always asks for when they come over to visit!
Homemade Salad Dressing Ingredients
- red wine vinegar – this is where the salad dressing gets it’s tangy flavor. Red wine vinegar is fermented red wine, but don’t worry, it has almost no alcohol content in it
- vegetable oil – use vegetable oil instead of other oils because it is odorless and flavorless so it doesn’t change the taste of the dressing
- fresh garlic cloves – it is best to use a microplane to very finely grate your garlic. If you do not have a microplane, you can chop the garlic cloves with a knife very finely…but be sure to get the pieces as small as possible so you aren’t biting into chunks of garlic
- white sugar – regular white granulated sugar gives this recipe a sweet taste
- white pepper – white pepper tends to be more mild than black pepper this is because when the skins are removed from the berries, the heat flavor is removed
- salt – regular table salt is fine, however, you may choose to use sea salt
- paprika – ground paprika seasoning adds a little sweetness with a bit of a spicy kick…but don’t worry, not too much. The amount used in this recipe is so little, that the dressing is not spicy

Supplies Needed:
- 16 ounce, regular mouth Mason jar – there are so many different brands of glass jars, use whatever brand you prefer, I typically use Ball.
- plastic reusable Mason jar lid – I love these plastic reusable Mason jar lids! I buy mine at Walmart and they are perfect for storing. They don’t rust and they are so economical!
- microplane – this is used to grate the garlic extra fine
Let’s Make It Together!
In a 16 ounce, regular mouth Mason jar, combine red wine vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, white pepper, salt and paprika.
Using a microplane, grate the fresh garlic cloves into the Mason jar. Seal with a lid and shake. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 1 hour before using – preferably let it sit for 24 hours before using for the best flavor!
Every time you open the door to gaze (like me) give it a little shake again! *I have found it tastes better on the 2nd day! So make in advance if you’re able to!
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This dressing tastes amazing on any kind of salad! Give it a try sometime and tell me what you think!
Thanks LeeAnn (our old realtor) for this amazing recipe! 🙂

Homemade Salad Dressing for Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 c red wine vinegar
- 1 c vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 c white granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- In a glass Mason jar, combine red wine vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, white pepper, salt and paprika
- Using a microplane, grate the fresh garlic cloves into the Mason jar
- Seal with a lid and shake well
- Place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 1 hour before using – preferably let it sit for 24 hours before using for the best flavor! *I like to shake the jar every time I open the refrigerator.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks
This dressing pairs perfectly with LeeAnn’s Strawberry Walnut Salad. It’s mild but adds a deliciously sweet flavor to the salad, without making it too sweet. Store this dressing in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.




This dressing sounds really yummy. I will be making it in the near future. Thanks for the recipe!
I made the dressing a little bit ago for our salad tonight. I had a little taste and it is yummy!
Can I substitute Veg oil with extra-virgin olive oil?
Hi Rachel!
You definitely can substitute the vegetable oil for extra virgin olive oil!! Some extra virgin olive oils have a slightly bitter taste to them so you may just want to add a little more sugar to tone it down if you feel it needs it. Let me know how it turns out!! Good luck!!
Ho. Lee. Cow. I stumbled upon your blog and read this post, and I was like “that sounds ok, and I have all of that stuff, let’s give it a go!”. I can’t stop eating it! I’ve had salads every meal and for snacks for the last few days. Even my non-salad-eating- kids are eating salads now! Amazing. If I had three hands I’d give it three thumbs up 🙂
Ohhh thanks so much Cayce!! I’m so glad you guys like it!! We do too!! My daughter really likes it too because it’s pink!! added bonus!! Glad everyone is enjoying salads now!! 🙂
I was going top make this salad tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. Can you let me know the amounts of the ingredients that go into the dressing?
Hi Nancy! Not sure why the ingredients didn’t show up on the post. But they are: 1/2c red wine vinegar
1c vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4c sugar
1/4tsp white pepper
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp paprika
Shake well!
*Remember it’s true flavor is revealed after a day of sitting!
Sorry it’s after Thanksgiving 🙁 Hope you make this sometime and love it!
My husband never ate salads until I started making this dressing. It is to die for. Goes with all kinds of salads.
How long will this last in the fridge?
a few weeks
I have made this salad dressing many times and love it. But, recently, ever time I make it, after just a day or two, it thickens up and turns into an almost “fatty solid”, like you would get on gravy when it sits for a day or two. I’m using the ingredients that I’ve used in the past and this didn’t happen. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? My husband LOVES this so I need to find out. Thanks for your help.
Hmm… i’m sorry I don’t know! I’ve never had it thicken up on me. Possibly are you using too much sugar? Also, could be the way it is being stored? Are you keeping it in the fridge?
How many Ppl does this salad serve?
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