The Best Tools for Making Homemade Salad Dressing

After spinning your greens and putting together the perfect ratio of lettuce, nuts, vegetables, and other salad accoutrement, you don’t want to ruin it with store-bought dressing that’s too sweet, salty, or oily. Plus, the containers almost always come with too much dressing and end up getting crusty on the forgotten fridge shelf of half-used condiments. Making your own fresh and flavorful dressing at home is quick work with the help of a mini whisk, salad dressing shakers, and citrus squeezers, and more genius tools. We rounded up these top-rated gadgets for making the best homemade dressings and kicking store-bought ones to the curb.

The Best Salad Dressing Gadgets on Amazon

• OXO Good Grips Mini Whisk, $9
• Zulay Kitchen Metal 2-in-1 Lemon Squeezer, $13, originally $20 
• OXO Good Grips Little Salad Dressing Shaker, $12
• Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup, $6, originally $26 
• Whiskware Tritan Plastic BlenderBall Whisk Leak Proof Salad Shaker Bottle, $14
• Luxiv Herb Stripper, $6, originally $10
• Vitever Salad Dressing To Go Containers, $8, originally $12

OXO Good Grips Mini Whisk

Making perfect dressing is really about being able to smoothly emulsify your oil with the other ingredients, be it mustard, vinegar, or anything else your heart desires. For years now, I’ve used this OXO mini whisk for all my dressing emulsification needs, and it does the perfect job every time. I’m able to make my dressing in mason jars, small bowls, or measuring cups and the whisk is always able to evenly incorporate all the ingredients, leaving a smooth dressing for my salads. At only $9, it’s an affordable multitasker that I also use for whisking sauces on the stovetop.

Zulay Kitchen Metal 2-in-1 Lemon Squeezer

A bit of acidity brings brightness to any salad dressing and this is easily achieved with a few squeezes of citrus like lemons, limes, or oranges. It may be tempting to grab the pre-packaged citrus bottles at the grocery store, but squeezing fresh juice makes all the difference. This Zulay lemon squeezer juices citrus in seconds and is easy to clean thanks to its smooth metal body parts. It’s a whopping 36% off right now, and with over 37,000 five-star reviews, it’s certainly worth grabbing.

OXO Good Grips Little Salad Dressing Shaker 

If you’d like to give your wrists a bit of a rest and skip the whisking method, this OXO salad dressing shaker quickly emulsifies dressings as you shake it back and forth. The body can hold up to one cup and has a wide opening to accommodate a wide range of ingredients. With the leakproof seal, you’ll never have to worry about your dressing seeping you as you shake the bottle. At only $10, the shaker has over 8,400 perfect ratings, with one customer calling it a “game-changer.” 

Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup

The humble measuring cup has many uses in the kitchen, but I especially enjoy using mine for making salad dressings. The clearly marked measurements make it easy to pour just the right amounts of oil and vinegar. The slightly angled sides also help me maneuver the whisk around to get into every corner of the cup. It’s also extremely durable, and I’ve held onto mine for nearly a decade.

Whiskware Tritan Plastic BlenderBall Whisk Leak Proof Salad Shaker Bottle

The Whiskware shaker bottle has a genius BlenderBall included to help emulsify ingredients without the need for manual whisking. The generous 2.5-cup capacity can hold enough salad dressing for the whole week, and has an easy one-handed operation that allows you to easily pour out the exact amount of dressing that you want. According to the brand, the whisking ball is powerful enough to keep oil and vinegar blended for “up to an hour.” 

Luxiv Herb Stripper 

Fresh herbs add an additional layer of flavor to any salad dressing, especially ones like thyme or tarragon that infuse the entire dressing with their fragrance. They can also be pesky to prep, especially if you find yourself spending too much time plucking each individual leaf from the stems. The Luxiv herb stripper cuts that time down and makes the process “easy and fast,” according to one buyer. For only $6, it’s a tiny tool with big payoff.

Vitever Salad Dressing To Go Containers

Once you’ve made your perfect salad dressing, take it to-go with these leakproof containers. The stainless-steel pods come with silicone lids and fit perfectly into lunch boxes and portable bowls so you can trust that your salad will remain in perfect condition until you’re ready to dress it. With over 2,200 five-star ratings, with one shopper reporting “no leaking whatsoever.”