French Dressing

Our French dressing recipe is a homemade version of what you’ll find bottled in the grocery store or on a salad bar. It gets its bright red color from ketchup and paprika, a touch of acidity from white wine vinegar, and savory notes from Worcestershire sauce. A little sugar balances it all out, resulting in a sweet, tangy recipe that’s truly unique. It's great on salads, and equally delicious served alongside sliced vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers, drizzled over baked fish or poached shrimp, or brushed onto chicken before baking; it also makes a delicious glaze for cocktail meatballs.

When Did French Dressing Originate?

Classic French vinaigrette or dressing is a base recipe that combines acid (vinegar or lemon), oil, salt, and pepper to which a variety of ingredients can be added, from fresh herbs to Dijon mustard, according to the Larousse Gastronomique Culinary Encyclopedia, which describes it as a cold, emulsified sauce. In the early 20th century, Americans began adding ingredients like ketchup, sugar, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce for a sweeter, tomatoey twist on the classic vinaigrette. Kraft started selling a bottled version of French dressing in 1925 and trademarked Catalina, a spicier, thinner, and deeper orange version, in 1965, according to Sarah Wassberg Johnson of the Food History Blog.

Ingredients for French Dressing

Ketchup: Sweet and tangy ketchup sets this dressing apart from most others. For less sweetness, you can dial the amount back to 2 or 3 tablespoons.

Sugar: A tablespoon of granulated sugar is added to further bring out the sweetness in this recipe. Similar to the ketchup, you can include less sugar to suit your taste,

White wine vinegar: Neutral-tasting white wine vinegar balances out the sweetness of this dressing and helps thin it to a consistency perfect for drizzling. If you don't have white wine vinegar, you can swap in red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead.

Worcestershire sauce: We love the savory depth that a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce adds to this recipe. To make it vegetarian—as Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies—swap in a vegan version or use coconut aminos instead.

Paprika: Sweet paprika helps boost the bright red color of French dressing. If you'd prefer, you can use hot or smoked paprika instead for a slightly different flavor.

Olive oil: Olive oil helps to emulsify the above ingredients into a smooth, silky dressing. While we prefer to use extra-virgin here, you can use light olive oil if that's what you have on hand.