Honey Mustard Dressing

Rich and creamy, homemade honey mustard dressing is so good on salads or as a dip for chicken strips or nuggets.

Who doesn’t love the combination of honey and mustard? Tangy and sweet, it’s a just what you need to dip those yummy chicken tenders into.

Do you have someone in your family who is a honey mustard fan? When I was a kid, I always ordered chicken nuggets with honey mustard dipping sauce at my favorite fast food restaurant. Sometimes I just ordered plain honey to dip them into.

I still crave that combination once in awhile. Now that air fryers are a thing, I love to make homemade air fryer chicken nuggets (my kids love them too!). They turn out crispy and so yummy, and of course, I dip them in my homemade honey mustard dressing.

Honey mustard dressing is delicious on salads, too, especially warm salads with roasted vegetables.

About This Recipe

It’s super easy to make your own honey mustard dressing. It’s made with simple ingredients like real honey, your favorite mustard, and mayonnaise.

Many commercial brands use more high fructose corn syrup than honey. One brand I looked at listed water as the first ingredient. Really, water? Why put water in your dressing?

Recently I posted a recipe for honey mustard vinaigrette. Maybe you’re wondering how honey mustard dressing and honey mustard vinaigrette are different. The dressing is creamier and works well as a dip or salad dressing. The vinaigrette is not creamy and wouldn’t make a good dip. It’s best for salads.

So let’s take a look at honey mustard dressing. I’ll get you started here but as always, you’ll find the recipe card below with specifics.

What You’ll Need

• Mayonnaise: Choose your favorite brand of mayonnaise. You can select light or regular mayonnaise. I prefer olive oil mayonnaise.
• Honey: Be sure your honey has a spreadable consistency. If it’s too thick or crystallized, it won’t blend into the dressing as well. If that’s the case, warm the honey in your microwave. Use a low setting in 10 second increments. Honey heats up very quickly!
• Dijon Mustard & Yellow Mustard: A combination of these two types of mustard makes the best tasting dressing. They are very different but work well together in this recipe.
• Brown Sugar: Just a dash of brown sugar enhances the flavor of the dressing.
• White Vinegar: Use ordinary white vinegar. You’ll need just one teaspoon, only a small amount to balance the sweetness of the honey. Mustard also contains vinegar.
• Paprika: This bright red spice doesn’t have a lot of flavor. It’s made from mild red peppers that have been dried and ground into a powder. It adds a nice color to the dressing.
• Garlic Powder: A hint of garlic is all you need, just ¼ teaspoon.

How To Make It

It’s so easy! Use a glass liquid measuring cup or a bowl that holds one or two cups.

Add all the ingredients.

Give everything a good stir or use a small whisk to mix the ingredients thoroughly.

That’s it! It’s ready to serve.

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• If you’re not a fan of mayo, substitute plain yogurt.
• Only have one kind of mustard in the fridge? That’s just fine, use what you have. A whole grain mustard will work too, if you don’t mind a little more texture in your dressing. Keep in mind that each of these substitutions will slightly change the flavor.
• Rather have a vinaigrette for your salads? Try my honey mustard vinaigrette or red wine vinaigrette.
• If you love the honey mustard combination, be sure to try my honey mustard chicken marinade or baked honey mustard chicken (you’ll love the sauce!).

Make-Ahead Ideas

Go ahead and make the honey mustard dressing ahead of time. It keeps well.

Storage Tips

Homemade honey mustard dressing will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Store it in a tightly covered container. It may thicken slightly. If the dressing separates, give it a good stir before using. Always discard dressing if it has a bad odor or looks moldy.