Olivia Wilde’s Vinaigrette Has Nothing on These Fall-Inspired Salad Dressings

ICYMI, Olivia Wilde had the internet in a chokehold this week, trying to figure out her coveted vinaigrette salad dressing recipe that allegedly sparked major drama in the Wilde-Sudeikis household.

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Without getting too dramatic, it was enticing to look up the recipe that started the buzz and examine the ingredients to see just how AH-MAZING it must have been to garner all the newsworthy attention. As it turns out, it’s pretty underwhelming.

But what did seem fun—and way more delicious—was creating my own buzzworthy fall salad dressing.

I ended up coming up with three, and I’m sharing them all because I just couldn’t pick one fave.

Dare I say these are recipes that are ACTUALLY good enough to fight over? Well, maybe just fight with your family over which one to serve first 😉

Anatomy of a Winning Fall Dressing

It’s important to consider seasonal ingredients when creating recipes. In the fall, stores are full of squashes, Brussels sprouts, beets (and more) which make for much heartier salads this time of year.

The dressings that lend themselves to fall tend to be on the sweeter side because they pair well with things like sweet potatoes, fall fruits, quinoa, nuts and tangy cheeses. That’s why sweetening with honey or maple syrup works so well.

Fall salads often combine heavier, roasted ingredients, versus, say summer salads where light things like corn, cucumbers and tomatoes steal the show. In the fall, you literally have a cornucopia of colors, textures, sweet, savory and earthy all mixed together.

Scroll on to find 3 incredibly tasty and satisfying dressing recipes, and some salad inspo to pour them over.

Orange Pomegranate Dressing

Yield: about 1 cup

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1-5.3 oz container of pomegranate seeds, divided
1 clementine or cutie, peeled and seeds removed
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Remove and reserve 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds.
Place remaining seeds and the clementine in a mini blender and process for 10 seconds. Strain in a fine mesh sieve into a measuring cup or Mason jar.
Whisk in the oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Add in the reserved pomegranate seeds and serve.

This dressing pairs well with a fall salad comprised of mixed greens, roasted sweet potato or butternut squash, chopped apples, green onions and pecans with more pomegranates sprinkled on top.

Curried Yogurt Tahini Dressing

Yield: about 1 cup

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons tahini
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons Lakanto Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Whisk everything together in a medium bowl until smooth.

This dressing lends itself to a roasted vegetable salad made with roasted and curried cauliflower, quinoa, green onions and golden raisins. Alternatively, toss with salad greens and some roasted onions and squash.

Maple Dijon Dressing

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 small green onion, chopped
Small clove of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Add everything to a Mason jar and shake vigorously to combine.

This dressing is tangy, yet sweet and goes well with mixed greens, apples, nuts and goat cheese. It’s also an amazing glaze for roasted Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots and squash, tossed with nuts and cranberries.

3 fall dressings

Get Creative With Your Fall Salad Dressing!

Walk the produce aisle of your local store for veggie options. The big tip-off for seasonal ingredients is to check the section where “cut” veggies have been packaged in containers. Stores like to make things easy and pre-peel, cut and store things like butternut squash cubes, shredded Brussels sprouts, and chopped beets. There are several chopped medleys just waiting to be thrown on a baking sheet and roasted, making fall salad prep super quick and easy.

Remember to balance out your flavors by adding some acid/citrus and savory ingredients in with sweeter items. You don’t want sweet, on sweet, on sweet. A hit of lemon or a tangy cheese works wonders to add depth to salads which contain fruits and sweeter root vegetables.

fall salad