What’s the best bottled Italian dressing? 12 top brands ranked
America’s love affair with ranch dressing is undeniable. It’s the top-selling style of salad dressing. But no one is sleeping on our No. 2 go-to: Italian.
Italian dressing in its essence is a mixture of oil and vinegar, plus a variety of seasonings, including herbs, garlic, peppers and, sometimes, cheese. According to NielsenIQ, it comes behind ranch as the nation’s most popular dressing variety but holds its own as a flavor-packed condiment used to toss with green and pasta salads, or as a marinade for all kinds of proteins. Grocery store aisles are filled with options, so to cut through your potential indecision, we tested the top brands to help you figure out which is the right bottle to bring home.
The lineup: We picked the most basic Italian dressing we could find from the top-selling dressing brands, which we identified using data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana, which gets its numbers from grocery, drug, mass-market, convenience, military, and select club and dollar retailers. For “private label” or store brands, we selected a handful from leading national chains, giving us a total of 12 brands to test. Many of these brands offered a dizzying array of spinoffs. “Zesty,” “creamy” and “robusto” dressings were just a few of the variants. But we stuck to the most classic and simple option for each brand to get the most apples-to-apples comparison.
The judging: We conducted a blind taste test in which eight of our colleagues were given the 12 samples without knowing which brands they were tasting. We poured the samples just ahead of the tasting, but judges were also given lids to the serving containers so they could shake them if needed. Judges tasted the dressings on their own and with lettuce to dip into them (with a bottle of Tums on the table to help the heartburn-afflicted power through), then awarded each a score of 1 to 10, taking into account appearance, aroma, texture and flavor, giving each sample a possible high score of 80 and a low of 10.
So which of the Italian dressings you’re most likely to encounter are dressed to impress, and which ones should simply be tossed? Here’s how they shook out:
12. Primal Kitchen Italian Vinaigrette and Marinade
Score: 21
The dark, “muddy” color of this sample from a brand that promises no seed oils (unlike most brands, it uses avocado oil) and only natural ingredients stood out from the paler rest of the field. “Like kalamata olives,” mused one taster, and it led another to assume it was made with balsamic vinegar. (It was not.) But the deeper hue didn’t mean more flavor, they found, and neither did the prominent herbs, which came off to our panel like unpleasant roughage. “It’s giving late-fall leaf pile,” said one. “Herbs gone to seed,” opined another. It also separated the fastest of any other sample, people found, and a look at the ingredient list suggested why. It had only konjac root powder, a thickening agent, to offer any body or binding. “Easy to get an oily bit,” one taster observed.
(Price: $8.69/8 fluid ounces at Whole Foods)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 100; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 1 g; Sodium: 280 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 0 g.
11. Marzetti Sweet Italian Dressing
Score: 22
Creamy and sugary might be what you’re looking for in a dessert, but it isn’t what our tasters expected from an Italian dressing. Various tasters found the opaque, orangey blend bore striking similarities to a shelf’s worth of other condiments, including Thousand Island, honey mustard and Russian dressings, as well as Chick-fil-A sauce. “A sugar bomb,” declared one. “Melted Creamsicle,” scoffed another. In other words, a unanimous “no, grazie.”
(Price: $5.49/13 fluid ounces at Jewel-Osco)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 140; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g; Sodium: 260 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 7 g.
10. Newman’s Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing
Score: 23
Several tasters found this one oil-heavy and, like a tempestuous Hollywood couple, prone to separate quickly. “At first bite it was pure oil,” said one. Most also clocked the cheese in this blend — the company boasts that the addition of Romano lends “cheesy-spiked goodness” — but our tasters found it overwhelming. And they didn’t love the “funk” it brought to the salad party. “There was a bad cheese flavor that I hated,” one complained.
(Price: $4.49/16 fluid ounces at Jewel-Osco)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 120; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 1 g; Sodium: 310 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 0 g.
9. Ken’s Italian Dressing and Marinade
Score: 27
When life gave Ken lemons, he apparently decided to make a dressing out of it — one that even took on a yellowish color. But our panel didn’t find it so sunny. Tasters generally disliked the “bitter” citrus notes in this dressing. “Wow, that is like drinking salty Lysol!” one sour judge griped. People couldn’t find much else to redeem this one-note entrant, either. “No noticeable herbs,” said one. “Not a fleck of pepper, herb, garlic or onion in sight,” said another. “Sad.”
(Price: $4.68/24 fluid ounces at Walmart)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 150; Total Fat: 17 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 0 g; Sodium: 460 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 0 g.
8. Briannas Italian Vinaigrette
Score: 35
This more premium brand includes the unusual addition of chopped olives, which a couple of tasters identified, as well as Romano cheese, which many noted. Neither added much. A few thought it skewed too vinegary, which seemed to overpower any other flavors. “I think it singed my nose hairs,” said one acid-blasted taster. “Burned the back of my throat,” agreed another.
(Price: $3.12/12 fluid ounces at Walmart)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 130; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 2 g; Sodium: 310 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 1 g.
7. 365 (Whole Foods) Organic Italian Dressing
Score: 37
No one actively disliked this organic entrant. That said, it didn’t inspire any raves, either. “Decent but not great,” was a sample assessment of this “bland” guy. “Somehow lacking flavor beyond salt and vinegar,” opined another who banished it to “meh” territory. A few thought the stabilizer (the ingredient list includes xanthan gum) was a touch too prominent, prompting observations such as “too congealed” and “wiggly.”
(Price: $3.69/16 fluid ounces at Whole Foods)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 80; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 0 g; Sodium: 220 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 0 g.
5. (tie) Tuscan Garden (Aldi) Italian Dressing
Score: 40
This one struck a sweeter note for many tasters, and people were divided on how they felt about it. “This one has a salty-sweet flavor I actually enjoy,” said one fan. Another suggested that the profile would appeal to kids, but one critic found it merely toothache-inducing: “Tastes like it would be better for ice cream!” Other than that polarizing aspect, reviews were mixed, from “just fine” to “I kept coming back to this one.”
(Price: $1.89/16 fluid ounces at Aldi)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 80; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 5 g; Sodium: 340 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 4 g.
5. (tie) Market Pantry (Target) Zesty Italian Dressing and Marinade
Score: 40
Several tasters noticed a rougher cut to the vegetables and herbs here, which got mixed reviews. “I’ll add my own peppers and onions, thank you,” said one. “Giardiniera in a blender,” another dubbed it. “Solid.” This was another sample whose stability unnerved some tasters. One called it “distressingly gelatinous,” and another described it as having the texture of “loose jelly, with the aromatics suspended in a quasi-liquid.” It was one taster’s favorite — they, along with a couple of others appreciated the “kick” of heat — but several people gave it middling grades. “Not awful but not great,” as one said.
(Price: $1.99/16 fluid ounces at Target)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 60; Total Fat: 4.5 g; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Carbohydrates: 3 g; Sodium: 300 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 3 g.
4. Wish-Bone Italian Dressing
Score: 41
A couple of people described this brand’s vinegary kick as “tang” rather than the burn they felt from other samples. Several thought it got the tricky balance right. “Punchy without being too sharp,” according to one. “I like it — sweet enough,” said another. Others, though, thought it didn’t have much to say. “A dressing trying not to offend anyone,” said one. And one taster was very put off by what tasted like too much oregano in the herb mix. “Hard pass,” they said.
(Price: $2.79/15 fluid ounces at Target)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 80; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 5 g; Sodium: 320 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 4 g.
3. Trader Joe’s Italian Dressing with Romano Cheese
Score: 42
Just based on looks alone, this was an outlier in the pack. The titular fromage had a distinctive presence, giving it a creamier look than the others, which mostly leaned vinaigrette-adjacent. And with this one, the cheese (mostly) pleased. A couple of tasters thought it leaned more Caesar than Italian, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. “I love a creamy Italian,” said one fan. “A fave of the bunch.” “Lovely and balanced,” said another. A few thought the texture allowed it to cling nicely to greens. But not everyone loved it, with one finding it “too sour” and another complaining that the cheese gave it a “weird” off-note.
(Price: $3.99/12 fluid ounces at Trader Joe’s)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 80; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 2 g; Sodium: 460 mg; Cholesterol: 5 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 1 g.
2. Great Value (Walmart) Traditional Italian Dressing and Marinade
Score: 43
Another sweetie-pie of a dressing, although the sugar in this one didn’t overwhelm most tasters’ palates. “A real sweetness, but I think I like it,” said one. And several people thought the prominent notes (and chunks) of garlic offered a pleasant counterpunch. “Good to see pieces of garlic,” said one. Another called it a “chunky monkey” of a dressing for its distinct bits of allium. “Both sweet and sharp,” declared another.
(Price: $2.32/16 fluid ounces at Walmart)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 80; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 5 g; Sodium: 340 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 4 g.
1. Kraft Tuscan House Italian Dressing
Score: 50
A strong presence of black pepper amid the usual blend of herbs and spices in this top-selling brand won over many on the panel. “Adds a little bite at the end,” said one admirer of the seasoning. “Like that kick,” said another. If pepper mills aren’t your thing, though, you might want to stay away. “What is with people and black pepper?” one asked in a Seinfeld-ian query. “My tongue is burning.”
It didn’t lose points for texture the way others did. No one commented either way about it being too viscous, or that it separated too easily. A few enjoyed a slight smokiness, which might have come from the red peppers or paprika listed on the label. Interestingly, this bottle listed balsamic vinegar as well, the only one that did so among the brands we sampled. And the herbs seemed to shine here, too. “The sweetness doesn’t overpower the attempt at some actual herb flavor,” said one taster. Overall, it checked a lot of tasters’ boxes. “Nicely complex,” said one.
(Price: $3.79/16 fluid ounces at Target)
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories: 60; Total Fat: 5 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 3 g; Sodium: 250 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 2 g.
And one bonus test: Home cooks don’t just love Italian dressing for greens. It’s a ready-made shortcut for pasta salad, too. And as specified by the labels on some of the brands we tried, it’s often used as a marinade, especially for chicken. Because we’re thorough, we did a subsequent quick test to see how our top three dressings fared with this technique.
We let thin cutlets marinate in each dressing for about three hours and the results were … fine? Marinades are mostly a surface treatment, and after tasting the seared-then-roasted chicken, we were hard-pressed to find much discernible flavor from the dressings other than a faint vinegary aroma from one sample. We did notice the high acidity had started to change the color and texture of the exterior of the breasts as it denatured the meat’s proteins, which can lead to toughness, so if you do decide to employ the dressings as a marinade, we don’t recommend going above two hours. If you’re cooking the chicken in a skillet, consider using a nonstick pan, and be sure to use plenty of oil in something like stainless steel. Though the dressings include oil, they also may feature such ingredients as cheese and sugar that make the meat more prone to sticking.
• Daily Herald staff contributed local prices and availability.