Honey mustard dressing is delicious on salads and as a dip for a variety of foods, from vegetables and crackers to chicken strips and roast beef. And you only need a few ingredients to make it.

It’s an easy salad dressing to make and lasts for several days if you keep it refrigerated. In fact, it’s just as good the next day, so you can make it ahead of time.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients that you probably have on hand. If you want to adjust the amount of anything, feel free to do so.

Here are the ingredients:

• Honey – Any kind of honey will work in this recipe.
• Mustard – You can use regular, dijon, or brown mustard. I used dijon.
• Mayonnaise – Dukes or Hellman’s? It doesn’t matter … or maybe it does. I like Dukes.
• Vinegar – I’ve used both apple cider vinegar and distilled white vinegar, and I can’t tell the difference in the finished product. Since you don’t need much, it doesn’t matter.
• Cayenne pepper (optional) – Use as much or as little cayenne pepper as you want. Or you can pass on it and leave it mild. We just happen to like it spicy. However, if there are small children at the table, I leave it out.

I always recommend following the recipe as-is the first time and adjusting in the future. Do whatever you think is right for your family and others who will be at the table with you.

Directions

Most salad dressings are easy to make, and this one is no different. Just put all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

If you want to put this in a blender, that’s fine. But I feel that it’s easier to use a whisk than clean a blender.

Of course, you’ll want to make sure that everything is well mixed. However, don’t worry if you have tiny specks of mayonnaise or cayenne pepper dotting the dressing. That doesn’t affect the flavor a single bit. In fact, it adds character.

After the dressing is made, taste it. I believe in trying anything I cook before I serve it so I know that it’s the way I want it. If you want more heat, add a little more cayenne. Or if it needs a little more tanginess, add a tiny bit more mustard.

Be careful, though, because a little bit of cayenne and mustard go a long way. Or if you’ve put too much cayenne in, you can still salvage it by adding more of the other ingredients until the heat is toned down … same with mustard.

I know that some people like a honey mustard recipe without mayo. If this is you, then simply leave it out. This is your dressing, so make it however you like it.

More Easy Tips

Follow the recipe as written, and you’ll have some wonderful dressing for whatever you want to put it on. Here are more tips:

• Use quality ingredients.
• Add fresh-squeezed lemon juice to crank up the flavor.
• Mix and taste often. You might discover that you need a little more mustard or another drop or two of honey. Tasting it is the best way to know.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, but don’t overdo it.
• If the mixture is too thick, thin it out with a very small amount of water or olive oil.
• For storage, put it in an airtight container and refrigerate it. Before you use the dressing, give it another whisk to make sure all of the ingredients are well mixed.

More Easy Dressings and Dips

Most of the salad dressings and dips are super easy to make. Sure, you can purchase them ready-made, but you can make it according to your personal taste if you do it yourself.

Here are some other dressings we enjoy:

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing – I love this on salads, chips, and buffalo wings. Its creamy texture balances anything that’s tart or spicy.

Thousand Island Dressing – This old-school salad dressing brings back wonderful memories of my childhood. And it tastes much better than anything I remember.

Balsamic Glaze – Although this isn’t officially a salad dressing, I’ve been known to drizzle a little bit of balsamic glaze over my salad. Try it sometime. It’s wonderful!

Gluten-Free Salad Dressing

One of the many things I love about this is the fact that it’s gluten-free. Many of the store-bought dressings have wheat or barley in them, and this is a problem for anyone who is sensitive to gluten.

Even if you don’t have to avoid gluten, my thought is that if it’s not necessary, why add it? This dressing is so delicious, and you can feel good about knowing what’s in it.

Please feel free to share!