French dressing, sometimes called French salad dressing, is a popular salad dressing made with oil, vinegar, and other flavorings. It has a tangy, zesty taste that many people love on salads and vegetables. However, some wonder if French dressing is high in calories and fats that can lead to weight gain. Here’s a look at whether French dressing is fattening and tips for enjoying it in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
What is French Dressing?
French dressing is an emulsion, meaning it contains oil and vinegar that are blended together. The standard ingredients in French dressing include:
- Oil – Usually vegetable or olive oil, sometimes blended with other oils like canola or avocado
- Vinegar – Red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, or cider vinegar
- Seasonings – Common additions are salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, chives, tarragon, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mustard, or honey.
The ingredients are combined and whisked vigorously together into an emulsified vinaigrette-style dressing. The portions of oil and vinegar can vary, but a typical ratio is three parts oil to one part vinegar. The emulsification helps blend the ingredients so the oil and vinegar do not separate.
French dressing has a piquant, tangy taste thanks to the vinegar. The oil lends a rich mouthfeel. The other seasonings add layers of flavor like spiciness, herbal notes, sweetness, and more.
Compared to creamy dressings like ranch, French dressing has a thinner, lighter consistency due to the high proportion of vinegar and oil. The spices also give it a more complex, robust taste profile.
Is French Dressing Fattening?
When determining if a food is fattening, it’s important to look at its calorie, fat, and nutrient contents. Here’s how French dressing stacks up:
Calories
On average, two tablespoons (30ml) of French dressing has about:
- 150 calories
- 16 grams fat
- 1 gram protein
- 1 gram carbohydrate
So in a typical two-tablespoon serving, over 90% of the calories come from fat. This is a high proportion of fat compared to protein and carbs.
For comparison, two tablespoons of ranch dressing has about 140 calories, 14 grams fat, less than 1 gram protein and carbs each. Blue cheese dressing has 150 calories, 16 grams fat, 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbs per two tablespoon serving.
Thousand Island dressing has 110 calories, 10 grams fat, less than 1 gram protein and carbs each per two tablespoons.
So French dressing is on the higher side for calorie and fat contents compared to other common salad dressings. The high fat percentage contributes to its rich, creamy mouthfeel.
Fat Content
Since the majority of calories in French dressing come from fat, it’s important to look closer at the types of fats included.
French dressing is generally made with vegetable oil, olive oil, or a blend. Vegetable oil is typically soybean, canola, corn, safflower, or sunflower oil. These oils contain mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are generally considered healthier types of fats. Research shows they can help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels when used in place of saturated fats like butter or lard.
Olive oil contains high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids that may offer additional health benefits related to heart health and inflammation when consumed regularly.
So while French dressing is high in fat and calories, most of the fat comes from predominantly unsaturated plant oils that provide some health upsides.
Carbs, Protein, and Micronutrients
Aside from fat, French dressings contain minimal amounts of carbs or protein – usually 1 gram or less per serving. The seasoning ingredients can provide trace amounts of micronutrients like vitamin C, iron, calcium, vitamin K, and more depending on what is included.
But the nutrient value is relatively negligible compared to the high fat and calorie counts. People aren’t relying on French dressing for complete nutrition.
Portion Size Matters
Like many foods, how fattening French dressing is depends largely on serving sizes. While two tablespoons has 150 calories, many people use more dressing than that on their salads.
Using four tablespoons (60ml) would double the calories and fat grams. Even a light drizzle from a cruet bottle over a large chef salad can easily result in four or more tablespoons of dressing.
So while the nutritional numbers for French dressing don’t look too bad per serving, it’s easy to overdo the serving size without realizing it. This can quickly tip the scales for higher calorie and fat intake, especially if eating salad with dressing every day.
Tips for Enjoying French Dressing in Moderation
Here are some tips to keep French dressing as part of a healthy diet by enjoying it in moderation:
- Measure serving sizes to stay closer to two tablespoons per salad.
- Drizzle dressing over your salad instead of dousing or dunking it to control proportions.
- Dip your fork into the dressing then spear salad rather than pouring dressing over the top.
- Try lighter versions with reduced fat and calories.
- Mix the dressing with plain, fat-free yogurt for a creamy, tangy dressing with fewer calories.
- Use oil and vinegar cruets to control how much of each you use.
- Substitute balsamic vinegar or lemon juice for some of the oil.
- Water down the dressing slightly with a splash of water.
- Choose low-fat or fat-free dressings on some days for variety.
- Use as a marinade or sauce for grilled or roasted vegetables instead of putting on salad.
With some adjustments, you can still enjoy the signature taste of French dressing without going overboard on fat, calories, or portions.
Healthier Homemade French Dressing
Making homemade French dressing allows you to control the ingredients for a healthier version. Here is a recipe to try:
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch dried tarragon (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid.
- Seal the container and shake vigorously until emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Store refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- Shake before using to blend again.
Making your own allows you to use heart-healthy olive oil, less oil overall, and more vinegar for a lighter calorie and fat impact. Herbs, mustard, shallots, lemon, or garlic can provide flavors instead of relying solely on oil.
The Bottom Line
Overall, is French dressing fattening? French dressing does contain more calories and fat than many other condiments and salad dressings. The high proportion of oil is responsible for most of the calories coming from fat.
However, the types of fats are predominantly the healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties from plant oils. Using heavy servings of dressing can easily cause excessive calorie, fat, and oil intake, so portion control is key.
Making adjustments to traditional French dressing recipes by lightening them up can allow you to enjoy the delicious taste without unwanted effects on your diet or weight goals. With some tweaks, French dressing can still be part of an overall balanced, healthy diet.
