My family loves this sweet and tangy homemade honey mustard salad dressing. It’s made with simple ingredients and tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store.
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This honey mustard dressing is incredibly simple to make, and you probably already have everything you need to make it in your kitchen.
This better than store-bought salad dressing uses real ingredients and does not call for mayonnaise. For a creamier sauce perfect for dipping, see our creamy honey mustard sauce.
Key Ingredients
- Mustard: This recipe uses creamy Dijon mustard, but whole grain or even regular yellow mustard will work.
- Honey: Balances the tanginess of the mustard. We love using local raw honey.
- Apple cider vinegar: It brings the honey and mustard together and transforms them into a show-stopping salad dressing. When buying apple cider vinegar, we look for bottles with “the mother” (like Braggs) since they have more flavor.
- Olive oil makes the dressing silky and luxurious. It also adds flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice is optional but highly recommended. It makes the dressing pop. I like to add the juice from one or two lemon wedges.
How to Make Honey Mustard Dressing
Making honey mustard dressing is so easy. You can whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl or add them to a mason jar, seal the lid, and shake.
When making this in a bowl, I like whisking the mustard and honey together first, then adding the remaining ingredients. It takes a few whisks to incorporate the oil, but the mustard helps emulsify this dressing.
This dressing turns out nice and creamy, without any creamy ingredients like mayo or sour cream. That said, if you want an even creamier dressing, feel free to add a tablespoon of sour cream, mayonnaise, or plain yogurt.
Storing Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
Homemade honey mustard dressing lasts for 3 weeks when stored in the fridge. We love keeping it in a glass mason jar so that we can shake it before adding it to salads or using it as a dipping sauce.
Ways to Use Honey Mustard Dressing
There’s a jar of this dressing in our fridge now, ready to be used in our favorite dishes. Here are a few suggestions for how to use this easy honey mustard dressing:
- Skip store-bought salad dressing and use it on your favorite homemade salads.
- Toss with roasted vegetables. I especially love it with Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, sweet bell peppers, and broccoli.
- Add the honey mustard dressing to a small bowl and use it as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables.
- Marinate chicken, fish, and pork.
- Serve drizzled over these easy pork chops or with grilled chicken.
More Homemade Salad Dressings
Easy Honey Mustard Dressing
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- TOTAL
This delicious, sweet, and tangy homemade honey mustard dressing is easy to make and lasts up to three weeks in the fridge. Use for salads and as a dipping sauce.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1/4 cup (65 grams) Dijon mustard
3 to 4 tablespoons (65 to 85 grams) honey, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Combine the mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and whisk until well blended and creamy.
2Whisk in the oil, and then taste the dressing. Adjust with additional salt, vinegar, or honey. I enjoy my dressing to taste more tart, so I typically add an extra tablespoon of vinegar.
3Alternatively, add all ingredients to a medium mason jar, secure the lid, and shake until blended.
4Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- For a vegan version of this dressing, substitute the honey for pure maple syrup.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
My husband always buys store bought Honey Mustard Salad Dressing. He eats a salad every night before dinner. I finally decided to search on Google for a handmade Honey Mustard Dressing and found that your recipe outshined all of the others. It was clear that it is so much healthier (no mayonnaise, preservatives, etc.) PLUS it last up to five weeks in an airtight mason jar! I had all the ingredients!! The first time I made it, he added it to his salad. After a few bites he looked at me and said to me: “This is the BEST salad dressing you’ve ever made!” (Word for word). The first batch was gone in 3 days. Yesterday I doubled the recipe but decided to go to grocery store to upgrade the honey I had been using. I just felt it was well worth it! He will be using this not only on his salad but also on a ham we just bought for sandwiches, and also as a dipping sauce!! Thank you so much for sharing your simple yet super delicious recipe for ALL of your unseen fans to enjoy!!
Hi Rhonda, Thank you for such a thoughtful, kind comment! I am trilled that you enjoy the dressing so much.
Very tasty and so much better than all the chemicals in store bought brands. Definietly need to whisk it to keep all ingredients together
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen!
Your Honey-Mustard dressing is quite tasty!Thanks,SC
I tend to like ranch and blue cheese dressings (calories!). However, this is my new fave! So easy to make and tasty.
I am making 100 plus chunky chicken salads for a commemoration and have a question: Given that I don’t refrigerate yellow mustard or any of the ingredients, can I please prepare and package in individual plastic containers the dressing days ahead of my event WITHOUT refrigeration?
Honestly, we prefer to refrigerate mustards (especially if they have been opened). To be on the safe side, I’d keep them cool in a cooler or the fridge.
Ooh, I like it. Very well balanced, not too sweet or sour. I’ll make this again. I made this for a veggie wrap (whole wheat wrap, romaine, provolone, avocado and cucumber). Added some lentil chips on the side. Would add carrots and veggie chick’n next time. This made for a great combo!
A recipe that I don’t need to modify! A rarity. Great on a jerk chicken salad and my 7 year old has been enjoying this as a change of pace to her salads she brings to school.
Amazing! And absolutely worth 5 stars! It’s so good! I usually bring home chicken tenders from different restaurants and never have leftover honey mustard. So I’m not sad anymore cuz I know how to make it! Thank you!
A delicious dressing! I added some wholegrain mustard in as I like too see the seeds.
This is my go to recipe!