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Homemade Catalina Dressing

May 22, 2019 by Michelle | 12 Comments

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catalina dressing being poured onto a salad with a text overlay that says now cook this homemade catalina dressing

This sweet and tangy Homemade Catalina Dressing takes 5 minutes (tops!), uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, and it tastes so much better than store-bought! It’s sure to become a favorite!

small glass pitcher filled with homemade catalina dressing with a salad in the background this recipe

Making homemade salad dressing is so quick and easy, there’s really no need to buy bottled dressing. This Homemade Catalina Dressing is sooo delicious on any green salad, on taco salad (!), as a veggie dipper, as a chicken finger dipper, in sandwiches and wraps, as a marinade, and you can use it in recipes that call for Catalina dressing.

As soon as the weather gets warmer, I start making a lot more salads – not just to help take off those extra pounds that appeared over the winter, but also because we start grilling a lot, and I love a fresh, crisp salad with anything grilled. Homemade Catalina is my go-to dressing for all those salads. I’ve been making it for a really long time, and it’s still our all-time favorite!

In fact, around my house, it’s simply referred to as “The Dressing,” as in, “We’re having salad? I hope you made The Dressing!” If I don’t make it, I gets looks of disappointment. If I put out a variety of other dressings, this is the one that everybody always wants!

In case you’ve never heard of Catalina dressing, it’s basically French dressing’s not-creamy and a little more bold-tasting cousin. It’s tomato-based, has a vibrant red-orange color, and has got the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. It’s sooo good!

bowl of homemade catalina dressing with spoonful of dressing being lifted out

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:

  • Red wine vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Ketchup
  • Olive oil (not extra virgin)
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Paprika
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper

HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CATALINA DRESSING:

two images showing steps to make homemade catalina dressing

THAT IS IT!!! Honestly, it doesn’t even take five minutes! You don’t even have to let it sit. It’s absolutely delicious as soon as you make it!

For this recipe, I recommend not using extra-virgin olive oil because I think the flavor is too strong, and it changes the flavor of the dressing. I just use regular olive oil. You could also use vegetable oil or any other neutral-flavored oil.

I use a blender or food processor because it makes super quick and easy work of really blending everything together and getting all the ingredients emulsified. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, though, you can just whisk everything together by hand until very well combined. You could even just put everything in a mason jar and give it a really good shake!

homemade catalina salad dressing being poured onto a salad

So take a break from that bottled salad dressing and make your own fresh homemade dressing. You’ll love how quick and easy it is and how much better it is!

I hope you give this recipe for Homemade Catalina Dressing a try and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!

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Homemade Catalina Dressing

This sweet and tangy Homemade Catalina Dressing takes 5 minutes (tops!), uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, and it tastes so much better than store-bought! It's sure to become a favorite!
4.60 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Rate/Comment Pin Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 14 (2 tablespoons each – recipe makes about 1¾ cups total)
Calories: 97
Author: Michelle / Now Cook This!

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ½ cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until well combined.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a  blender or food processor, you can also mix this by hand using a whisk and whisking until very well combined, or you could put all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously until very well combined. 
  • You could use vegetable oil or another neutral-tasting oil instead of olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is not recommended due to its stronger flavor.
  • Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see it!Mention @nowcookthis or tag #nowcookthisrecipes!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristyn

    May 24, 2019 at 4:44 am

    This recipe is amazing!!! I love the simplicity of the recipe and how delicious it is…..WOW!! Thanks for showing how simple it can be to make homemade dressing.

    Reply
    • Michelle

      May 24, 2019 at 9:45 am

      Hi, Kristyn! Thank you so much, and you’re welcome!

      Reply
  2. Mike Jones

    January 6, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    I have made this several times, it is very good. Have you tried a low fat version?

    Reply
    • Michelle

      January 6, 2020 at 10:47 pm

      Hi, Mike! I am glad you enjoyed the dressing! I have not tried making a low-fat version. You could replace the olive oil with a neutral-tasting oil that has less fat. Most common oils have very similar total fat content but have differences in the amounts of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat, so you would need to pick one depending on which type of fat you would like to reduce. I’d love to hear any other suggestions you might have! Thanks so much for taking time to comment and rate the recipe!

      Reply
      • Penny

        June 21, 2020 at 4:19 pm

        Excellent. Down here in the south we put french dressing on our pizza. This is a delicious recipe.

        Reply
        • Michelle

          June 21, 2020 at 6:01 pm

          Hey, Penny! Thank you so much! Oh, my goodness, I can’t wait to put some on my next pizza (I’ve done ranch but never French)!

          Reply
  3. Jean

    January 17, 2020 at 3:41 pm

    Made this Dressing, much better than store bought. I didn’t have onion spice so I used 1 tablespoon grated sweet onion. I also omitted the salt, as we’re on a low sodium diet. It was great thankyou for sharing. I give this a five star plus.

    Reply
    • Michelle

      January 17, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      Hi, Jean! I’m so glad you enjoyed the dressing! That is a great idea using the onion in place of the onion powder. Thank you for sharing that with us! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!

      Reply
  4. Jan

    February 14, 2021 at 10:31 pm

    This dressing is delicious! The flavor is really good. The only reason I gave it a 4 and not a 5 is it’s just a bit too sweet. I’m going to cut the sugar by half next time.

    Reply
    • Michelle

      February 15, 2021 at 8:24 am

      Thank you, Jan! So glad you enjoyed the dressing!

      Reply
  5. Stephanie

    November 2, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    This is so good! Pleasantly surprised!

    Reply
    • Michelle

      November 2, 2022 at 8:43 pm

      Thank you, Stephanie! So happy you like it!

      Reply

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Welcome to my kitchen where something good is always cooking! I want us all to cook and eat at home more, so I’m here to share my favorite simple and delicious recipes that are perfect for the everyday home cook. I hope you will be inspired to get in the kitchen and try these recipes, and I hope they become some of your favorites too! Read more…

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