This Mediterranean salad dressing is AIP-friendly, made in just 5 minutes, and perfect for salads, pasta, vegetables, or as a marinade. It is also tangy and mildly sweet, quite healthy, and delicious!
Making homemade salad dressings are quick and easy and can save you a lot of money -- thus you don't need to spend extra bucks on them. Just use what you have in your pantry!
Plus, they contain no additives, are mess-free, and you can easily customize them to suit your dietary needs.
Well, this Mediterranean dressing is all that and more! It can also help with inflammation, save you extra calories, and is dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and low-carb. You can adapt it easily to become vegan, Paleo, and Whole30!
Ready to make together a jewel of Mediterranean cuisine that is also anti-inflammatory?
Ingredients and substitutions
To make this Mediterranean Salad Dressing, you'll need:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or replace it with avocado oil)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar (White wine vinegar will also work for this recipe. Replace it with extra lemon juice to make it Paleo).
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (Alternatively, try basil, mint, Herbs de Provence, tarragon, or marjoram).
- 1 lemon zest, and juice (If you don’t have lemon, replace it with more wine vinegar or lime juice and a hint of honey).
- 1 teaspoon honey, To balance acidity (You can replace it with real maple syrup for a vegan recipe. If you are on a keto diet, replace it with stevia. If you're on a Whole30 diet, reduce the acids and skip honey or any sweetener)
- 3 garlic cloves minced (Garlic powder can be used in a pinch. Use a ¼-teaspoon for every fresh clove).
- ½ teaspoon salt (if you're not on an AIP diet, you can add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper)
How to make Mediterranean salad dressing
- Place all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a mason jar.
2. Then, shake the jar until fully the mixture is fully emulsified. Store it in the fridge for up to a week, making sure to let it come to room temp and shake again before using. Alternatively, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl!
NOTE: Depending on the amount of salad you have to dress, use 1-4 tablespoon of this dressing and toss it gently to coat. Make sure to use just enough dressing to coat your salad and not get soggy!
What does the AIP diet stand for?
AIP (Auto Immune Protocol) is a diet that works on inflammation in the gut to heal the immune system and the gut, impacting positively autoimmune diseases.
On the IP diet, a person usually eats lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs, and healthy fats.
However, some of the foods that should be avoided are gluten and grains, dairy, legumes, eggs, all types of peppers, nuts and seeds, nightshades, alcohol, additives, sugar, and processed foods.
Is the AIP diet the same as anti-inflammatory diet?
No! The AIP diet is more restrictive and aims to reduce symptoms of autoimmune diseases by eliminating certain foods that can worsen the symptoms of autoimmune disorders such as Rheumatoid arthritis.
On the other hand, the anti-inflammatory diet includes more natural foods that are eliminated by the AIP diet such as nuts and seeds and aims to reduce overall inflammation in the body. Check out this anti-inflammatory smooth!
But you can say that both help the gut!
How to control the acidity
The Mediterranean salad dressing recipe calls for both lemon juice and red wine vinegar. To control the acidity you can: 1. Decrease the amount of each acid; 2. Add extra honey to balance the acidity even more. Don't worry! It will still have great Mediterranean flavors!
Tips for making AIP salad dressing
- Control the sharpness of fresh garlic by microwaving the raw garlic for 120-30 seconds. The heat will be enough to deactivate the alliinase and your dressing will still have complex flavors!
- Make sure to replace any ingredient with another AIP-complaint equivalent in order to get the benefits of an AIP diet.
- Use this AIP Mediterranean dressing as a marinade for proteins, or to dress pasta, salads, or veggies.
- If you find the dressing quite tangy, decrease the amount of red wine vinegar and lemon juice by half each, or add extra honey.
- For a creamy Mediterranean salad dressing, add 2-3 tablespoon of dairy-free or plant-based yogurt and slightly increase the salt.
What to serve with this Mediterranean Dressing
Here are a few options to serve with it:
- As a marinade for grilled flank steak.
- As a topping for gyro meat and burgers.
- Use as a dressing for white bean salad, Caprese pasta salad, air fryer asparagus, roasted carrots and parsnips, or air fryer brussels sprouts.
- As a dip for fresh veggies (e.g. mini cucumber) and pita chips for an afternoon snack.
- As a replacement for the creamy sauce in this Mediterranean pasta.
Make ahead & Storage
Store this homemade Mediterranean salad dressing in the fridge in a tight-lid mason jar for up to 1 week.
The dressing will separate as it sits in the fridge which is expected. Right before using it, give this aip salad dressing a good shake or whisk.
Other Mediterranean recipes
- Whipped feta dip
- Baked feta
- Antipasto salad
- Mediterranean chicken foil packets
- Homemade Margherita pizza
Other dressing recipes
PIN & ENJOY!
Mediterranean salad dressing (AIP)
Equipment
- 1 Mason jar
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or replace it with avocado oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar White wine vinegar will also work for this recipe. Replace it with extra lemon juice to make it Paleo.
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano Alternatively, try basil, mint, Herbs de Provence, tarragon, or marjoram.
- 1 lemon zest and juice (If you don’t have lemon, replace it with more wine vinegar or lime juice and a hint of honey).
- 1 teaspoon honey To balance acidity (You can replace it with real maple syrup for a vegan recipe. If you are on a keto diet, replace it with stevia. If you're on a Whole30 diet, reduce the acids and skip honey or any sweetener)
- 3 garlic cloves minced Garlic powder can be used in a pinch. Use a ¼-teaspoon for every fresh clove.
- ½ teaspoon salt if you're not on an AIP diet, you can add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a Mason jar, shake all ingredients for the salad dressing until fully emulsified and homogeneous. Store it in the fridge for up to a week, making sure to let it come to room temp and shake again before using. Alternatively, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl!
- NOTE: Depending on the amount of salad you have to dress, use 1-4 tablespoon of this dressing and toss it gently to coat. Make sure to use just enough dressing to coat your salad and not get soggy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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