Honey Mustard Dressing (Better Than Store-Bought)

This easy homemade and mayonnaise-free honey mustard dressing is mouth-watering and perfect for tossing with salad or as a dipping sauce.

Watch The Video

Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe Video

How to Make Honey Mustard Dressing

This honey mustard dressing is incredibly simple to make, and you probably already have everything you need to make it in your kitchen.

More: For a creamier honey mustard sauce perfect for dipping, head to our recipe for honey mustard sauce.

Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing

This better-than-storebought dressing uses real healthy ingredients to feel good about what you are eating. Here’s what you will need:

  • Mustard plays a significant role. We prefer to use creamy Dijon mustard for this, but whole grain or even regular yellow mustard will work in its place. We combine Dijon and yellow mustard to make our creamy honey mustard dipping sauce.
  • Honey balances the tanginess of the mustard. We love using local raw honey.
  • Apple cider vinegar marries the mustard and honey and turns this into a show-stopping salad dressing. When buying apple cider vinegar, we look for the bottles with “the mother” still in the bottle (like Braggs), since they have more flavor. Other kinds of vinegar can work here (like white wine vinegar), but we prefer apple cider vinegar for its taste.
  • 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.
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper are a must.

We find that this dressing is creamy enough and does not need any additional ingredients. It is amazing what happens when you whisk the mustard with olive oil and vinegar.

Just a few seconds of whisking turns the dressing into a single emulsified mixture. For a thicker or even creamier dressing, whisk in a little sour cream or plain yogurt.

For more homemade salad dressings, take a look at our favorite Caesar salad dressing and this creamy homemade blue cheese dressing.

Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing

How Long Will The Dressing Last?

Here’s the great news, this easy homemade dressing lasts for 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.

There’s a jar of it 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 (or vinaigrette):

  • Skip store-bought salad dressing and use it on your favorite homemade salads. It’s incredibly delicious with greens, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, sweet bell peppers, and broccoli. It’s also excellent with salads with fruit (like apples or pear).
  • Replace mayonnaise-based dressings for prepared salads like coleslaw or use it for chicken salad.
  • Add the honey mustard dressing to a small bowl and use it as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables, roasted veggies (like these sweet potato fries), or chicken (these baked chicken nuggets are my favorite).

For another recipe with honey, try our favorite honey butter recipe!

Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing

Honey Mustard Dressing (Better Than Store-Bought)

  • PREP
  • TOTAL

This lightened-up homemade honey mustard dressing is easy to make, calls for real ingredients, and lasts up to three weeks in the fridge. Use for salads and as a dipping sauce.

Makes about 1 cup

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. Whisk 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.

    2Alternatively, add all ingredients to a medium mason jar, secure the lid, and shake until blended.

    3Keep 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.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 tablespoon / Calories 47 / Total Fat 3.5g / Saturated Fat 0.5g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 206.9mg / Carbohydrate 3.4g / Dietary Fiber 0g / Total Sugars 3.3g / Protein 0g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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28 comments… Leave a Review
  • Steve C. December 2, 2023, 10:35 pm

    Your Honey-Mustard dressing is quite tasty!Thanks,SC

    Reply
  • Brenda October 5, 2023, 5:14 pm

    I tend to like ranch and blue cheese dressings (calories!). However, this is my new fave! So easy to make and tasty.

    Reply
  • Ardis July 5, 2023, 7:38 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Joanne August 8, 2023, 4:01 pm

      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.

      Reply
  • Shaina June 7, 2023, 11:53 am

    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!

    Reply
  • Jakob April 25, 2023, 9:00 pm

    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.

    Reply
  • Gracie Justus March 19, 2023, 8:25 pm

    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!

    Reply
  • Ally gibbs December 16, 2022, 6:47 pm

    A delicious dressing! I added some wholegrain mustard in as I like too see the seeds.
    This is my go to recipe!

    Reply

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