The Secret Ingredient Your Salad Dressing Is Missing (It's In Your Pantry)

One of the great things about culinary school is learning the “why” behind the “how.” For example, “why,” my culinary instructor asked one day, “do some salad dressings taste great while others fall flat?” Of course, my witty classmates had comments about that, responding with things like “because they just do” and “when is this class over?”

All kidding aside, it’s a great question, and the correct answer to it is “balance.” A salad dressing, if executed properly, is a culinary delight, offering a perfect play between tangy, salty, and sweet. If it leans too much in any of those directions, it loses that delightful balance. And while we all know that acids like vinegar add punchy fun, it’s the sweetness that keeps things from going off the rails. It’s why I think honey is the secret ingredient your salad dressing is missing.

Why Honey Belongs in Your Salad Dressing

There are plenty of options when it comes to adding something sweet to your dressing, but my go-to is always honey. I appreciate the viscosity of it, which helps with emulsification, as well as the flavor options. You can use a light, floral honey for a simple champagne vinegar or vibrant dandelion honey to match up with a balsamic vinaigrette. It’s why I always have more than one honey kicking around in my pantry.

How To Add Honey to Your Salad Dressing

Luckily, adding honey to your favorite salad dressing recipe is easy. First, consider the other ingredients in your dressing. If the dressing is inspired by bright, spring or summer flavors, a honey that’s cheery and light is a great match—something like clover or orange blossom. If it’s a fall or winter-based salad, try a bolder, richer honey to pair with the bigger vinegars often used in those dressings. I personally love manuka or buckwheat honey for those.

Honey can be added at any point when making your salad dressing. My rule of thumb, though, is to start small. I’ll often add one teaspoon to begin with and then continue adding by the teaspoonful until I get that perfect balance of flavor. The goal is to add just enough sweetness to keep other ingredients in check, so keep that in mind as you're sampling. 

Yes, acid and oil are important for making a delicious salad dressing, but honey is what makes it sing. That little touch of sweetness offers the balance that can turn an “okay” salad dressing into a great one.