French Salad Dressing
Author: Heather Scholten · Posted: Jun 10, 2025 · Updated: Jun 10, 2025
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This recipe for French Salad Dressing came from my grandmother who was always a trusted source for delicious recipes. This is not a classic French salad dressing in that it uses a can of tomato soup, but I can tell you it’s fast and flavorful! This delicious dressing is a good recipe when you need a quick vinaigrette for your favorite salad. This basic recipe has simple ingredients and is my go-to vinaigrette dressing.
French Dressing has fallen out of favor in the store-bought salad dressing section of the store, but I think we all need to bring back this tangy, tomatoey deliciousness. Making your own salad dressing is far superior to the bottled stuff.
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Heather’s Notes
- Pantry-friendly & budget-minded – All the ingredients are shelf-stable, meaning you can whip up a batch whenever salad inspiration strikes without an extra trip to the store.
- Five-minute wonder – Measure, shake, pour, done. No emulsifiers, no stovetop, no fuss, just maximum flavor in minimum time.
- Versatile beyond salad – Brush it over roasted salmon, drizzle on a turkey sandwich, or use it as a dipping sauce for sweet-potato fries. It’s the multitasker your meal prep has been missing.
- Naturally dairy-free & vegan-flexible – Use organic cane sugar (or maple syrup) and this beauty is 100 percent plant-powered, perfect for potlucks with mixed-diet friends.
- Customizable heat level – A pinch of cayenne lights a fire; skip it for kid-friendly sweetness. Either way, the flavor stays balanced and bold.
If you enjoy homemade dressings, try one of these recipes like Kale Salad with Garlic Tarragon Dressing or Spring Salad with Strawberries & Bleu Cheese
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Canned Tomato Soup – yep this recipe uses canned tomato soup – others call for ketchup but the soup has a milder flavor
- Apple cider Vinegar – adds the tanginess to the vinaigrette
- Balsamic Vinegar – like the apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar adds tang but also depth
- Sugar – white granulated sugar
- Oil – such as canola or vegetable oil
- Kosher Salt – or sea salt
- Paprika – use a sweet paprika like Hungarian
- Worcestershire Sauce – adds that bit of umami
- Black Pepper – fresh cracked black pepper
- Shallot – finely minced shallots, or minced yellow or red onion
- Dijon Mustard – or prepared yellow mustard
- Fresh Garlic – minced fresh raw garlic
Substitutions
- Apple Cider Vinegar – you can substitute champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- Balsamic Vinegar – you can substitute white balsamic vinegar
- Dijon Mustard – use yellow prepared mustard, or a grainy mustard.
- Shallots – sub minced red onion or yellow onions
- Add Herbs – you an add fresh herbs like fresh minced parsley or minced fresh chives
- Add Spice – add a pinch of red pepper flakes to give this sweet dressing a little heat.
Find the printable recipe card with exact measurements and step-by-step instructions below.
How to Make French Salad Dressing
This easy salad dressing comes together quickly when you use a mason jar to shake it all up together. Make your own homemade salad dressing in 10 minutes or less.
- In a clean mason jar add the canned soup, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, oil, salt, black pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika, Worcestershire sauce, finely minced shallot, grey poupon, garlic and cap tightly. Shake vigorously to combine.
- Conversely, you can add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer unused dressing to a container and refrigerate.
Tips for Storing
- Refrigerate promptly – Because this vinaigrette contains garlic and vinegar, it should be refrigerated within two hours of mixing to keep flavors bright and bacteria at bay.
- Use a glass jar with a tight seal – Glass won’t absorb odors, and a screw-top lid turns the jar into its own shake-and-serve vessel. Use any type of airtight container.
- Store up to two weeks – The acidity acts as a natural preservative, but for peak freshness and zing, use within 14 days.
- Label & date – A bit of masking tape on the lid saves you from fridge roulette later in the week.
- Freeze for meal prep – Pour leftover dressing into silicone ice-cube trays, freeze solid, then stash the cubes in a zip-top bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge for single-serve salads.
Salad Recipes We Love
Spring Pea, Pepper, and Goat Cheese Salad
FAQs
Catalina is essentially a spicier cousin – usually brighter red from more tomato and often sweeter, too. French dressing leans slightly creamier (even without dairy) because of the higher oil-to-vinegar ratio and a touch of paprika for warm depth.
Absolutely. White wine vinegar keeps things classic, while red wine vinegar adds a deeper note that pairs beautifully with grilled steak salads. Avoid distilled white vinegar as it’s a bit too sharp.
Canned tomato soup brings balanced sweetness, subtle tang, and a consistent texture without extra measuring.
Not at all. Natural separation is normal because we didn’t add stabilizers, like store-bought dressings. Just give the jar a vigorous shake or a quick whisk and it will spring back to life.
Whether you’re tossing tender baby spinach, crisp romaine hearts, or a farmers-market mélange of leafy odds-and-ends, this homemade French salad dressing is the flavor amplifier your vegetables have been waiting for. One bite and you’ll retire that dusty store-bought bottle for good…promise.
Happy shaking, dressing, and salad-crunching!
French Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 oz canned tomato soup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ cups salad oil, such as canola
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp shallot, or yellow onion, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard, or prepared yellow mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
- In a quart sized mason jar, add all ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine.
- Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator up to a month.
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Recipe Nutrition
* Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Recipe By:
Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.
I made this today. When growing up with a total of 9 mouths to feed our dressings were homemade. Mom would be cooking delivering (Not barking❤️) orders for making sides, helping at the stove for a minute or two, setting the table etc.
I remember making Red French, but it never tastes like what we made growing up.
This tastes good, but I’m wondering if we used ketchup because this is lighter in color.
Hi Lori – some French dressing recipes definitely use ketchup or tomato sauce. This recipe was one my grandmother used and shared with me. I haven’t seen any others using canned tomato soup. If you test it out with ketchup, I’d love to hear how it went. I’ve definitely have it in my future plans to revamp this recipe using tomato sauce or tomato paste just to see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing your story! I love hearing from readers. ~heather
Easy to make French dressing recipe that was passed down by my grandmother. It’s a keeper!