How to Make Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing

You can make your own healthy version of honey mustard dressing. The key to making your own healthy version of honey mustard dressing is in the choice of oils. Using strong spices will also help. Here are two ways to make healthy honey mustard dressing, with little or no special kitchen gadgets. One way is completely homemade, the other way is best for last-minute dressings.

Basic Vinaigrette

At the heart of the healthy honey mustard dressing is a strong vinaigrette. Before you make healthy honey mustard vinaigrette, you need to know how to make a basic vinaigrette. The basic vinaigrette can be used as the base for many healthy and homemade salad dressings and marinades.

Oil Choice

The key to making a healthy honey mustard dressing for use as a salad dressing or as a marinade is picking the right oil.

Many people automatically assume that olive oil is healthiest oil for eating and cooking. While olive oil has its health benefits, it can also have a strong flavor that can easily overpower other oils.

Instead, opt for a healthy and light grape seed oil.

Tip on finding healthier oils: A simple light test can be a quick way to find the healthiest cooking oil on the supermarket shelf. Hold up two bottles of different oils in light. The oil that is lightest in color, or closer to pale yellow than dark yellow is usually healthier.

Read the label to verify the cholesterol, calories, fat content, saturated fat content, and Trans fat. .

The next best oils are safflower oil, Canola or a mild tasting olive oil. Stay away from corn oil or vegetable oil blends which tend to be mostly corn oil, when making a healthy honey mustard dressing.

Vinegar

Opt for a mild white wine vinegar. If you have red wine vinegar that can also be used. For every cup of oil used, add a quarter of a cup of vinegar.

Or use a stronger Balsamic vinegar. Depending on your palette, or your stomach’s tolerance for the sometimes acidic Balsamic vinegar, you can divide the entire portion of vinegar into part white vinegar and part Balsamic vinegar. The ratios are open to your taste preferences.

Sea Salt

A pinch of freshly ground sea salt is also need for the basic vinaigrette, which is the base of the healthy honey mustard dressing. In place of freshly ground sea salt, which can easily be made with a McCormick Sea Salt grinder (sold in the spice aisle), use Kosher salt.

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Another kitchen and vinaigrette staple is freshly ground pepper Again, you can use a McCormick pepper mill. Season to taste.

Making the Vinaigrette

Some people use a blender or a whisk to make the basic vinaigrette. While this helps the process, you can mix it by hand, or with a hand-held blender.

Store it in a shaker bottle because the oil will separate.

Optional Herbs and Spices

You can add fresh minced garlic or garlic powder onion powder, or fresh or dried Italian herbs and spices.

How to Make Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing

Use the vinaigrette as the base for a healthy honey mustard dressing.

Honey

Any type of honey can be used. For a unique flavor, try a flavored honey.

Add one third of a cup of honey. You can play with the amount of honey to make the dressing sweeter or less sweet, or thicker or thinner.

Dark Yellow Mustard

When making healthy honey mustard dressing, you can use a bottled, spicy mustard. Stay away from the “yellow” mustard which does not have as much mustard flavor as a spicy mustard. Use about a quarter of a cup of spicy mustard. like Dijon mustard.

Dry, Ground Mustard

The healthy honey mustard dressing also need some dry, ground mustard. You could used just dry mustard and prepare it with water to make a liquid mustard.

How to Make Quick Honey Mustard Dressing

Last-Minute Version: You could also use any store-bought Italian dressing. Add the honey and mustard. Taste and season appropriately.