11 Newman's Own Salad Dressings, Ranked
It's apropos that the actor who played Butch Cassidy would be a renegade and leader in real life. Paul Newman pulled a little bit of a switcheroo on the general public, pop culture, and the culinary world in the '80s when he shifted some of his focus away from performing and began the launch of a line of food products with the proceeds going entirely to benevolent causes. "100% Profits to Help Kids" is a prominent statement on the brand's labels.
It all started in 1980 when Newman and his buddy A.E. Hotchner used some leftover empty wine bottles to gift their homemade oil and vinegar salad dressing to friends. The recipe was well received and requests came in for more. That's when the idea sparked to sell it to the public — and Newman had a goal for what they would recoup. The overhead money made from product sales were going to go towards philanthropies that benefit children and their families, and over the years, it has distributed over $600 million. The company's inspiring mission is simply, "Let's give it all away."
While it all began with a simple salad dressing, today the company offers up everything, including pasta sauces, lemonade, and even pet food. But let's focus on what got the whole business up and running. We sampled some of the wide range of salad dressings from Newman's Own and here's a ranking of our favorites.
11. Light Balsamic
"Lighten up!" is the advice given on the label of Newman's Own Light Balsamic dressing. We couldn't agree more — not only in terms of your attitude and spirit, but as far as what you add to season your salad.
On paper, this dressing has a lot going for it. No artificial preservatives and no artificial ingredients are found in this bottle. A serving of 2 tablespoons contains a mere 45 calories — a staggering 59% less than the regular balsamic dressing from Newman's Own — and it also contains a whopping 63% less fat. The only nutrition fact we would flag as listed on the label is to those watching their sodium intake, as the aforementioned serving size contains 13% of the recommended daily allowance.
However, we found the lack of fat very noticeable and it didn't result in a pleasing salad. Although it contains a similar blend of dried herbs, compared to Newman's Own regular balsamic, it wasn't enough to overpower the pungent acidity of the vinegar — by far the dominant flavor here — to make this a higher recommendation from us. If you're looking for a light salad dressing option, we think there are better options out there for you — including from Newman's Own.
10. Creamy Caesar
Let's debunk any assumptions that Caesar salad is named after Julius Caesar. The recipe for the creamy, anchovy-spiked dressing arrived in Tijuana, Mexico. The name comes from the owner of the restaurant, Caesar Cardini, who scrambled to put together a salad for some hungry patrons with whatever he had left in the kitchen.
Newman's Own has a take on the popular creamy Caesar dressing, but to be clear upfront — it's not for any vegans out there. It contains egg yolk to give it some viscosity akin to an aioli, anchovies for a hit of brininess, and a good dose of salty Parmesan cheese. Surprisingly, despite these ingredients, it's shelf stable, and the one that we purchased isn't set to expire for another six months (but, after opening, be sure to refrigerate it).
As far as where we would rank it, we like that it wasn't too thick and it was easy to toss. It coated the lettuce well, and a little went a long way in terms of adding flavor. It doesn't exactly compare to restaurant quality creamy Caesar dressing, so it didn't impress us quite as much as some of the other options from Newman's Own.
9. Balsamic Vinaigrette
Sure, you could easily whip up your own balsamic vinaigrette at home from just the basic ingredients. All it would take is balsamic vinegar and olive oil, along with a touch of salt, pepper, and maybe a few dashes of the Mediterranean dried herbs that you have in your pantry.
But if you're a fan of balsamic vinaigrette dressing and don't want to go through the extra hassle of making it yourself, look into a bottle of Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. It includes fresh garlic and an onion purée for a bit of spice. It's then punctuated by hits of dried herbs and vegetables, like red bell peppers, green onion, parsley, basil, oregano, and marjoram — a few items you may not have handily available.
We found it to be a bit heavy on the canola oil, though, and it weighed down the lighter leaves of lettuce we bought for our salad. This might be a dressing that's better suited for a sturdier green like spinach or iceberg rather than butter lettuce. So, our verdict is that it might not be great as an all-purpose dressing to have, and that's why we're ranking it a bit lower.
8. Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade
Grab a breath mint or two because the label on this bottle puts "garlic" at the top of the marquee, and it delivers on that front. That familiar smell hits you immediately, and when you try the dressing, the pungent flavor sneaks up on you.
Among all of the salad dressings from Newman's Own that we tried, the Garlic Vinaigrette & Marinade had comparably a very short list of ingredients. The packaging recommends considering this item for more than just lettuce, and we agree this could be a great marinade for seafood and poultry. The strong — but not overwhelming — presence of apple cider vinegar would help break down the proteins, and the generous amount of garlic adds extra kick beyond salt and pepper.
We'll concede that this is a versatile item to have in stock. But, as a salad dressing, we would rank this in the middle of the list because it's not quite as interesting as the other options from Newman's Own. At the same time, the plus side is that we think it can pair well with a number of dishes due to its simple, uncomplicated recipe.
7. Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Newman's Own isn't fooling around with the name of its Lemon Basil Vinaigrette — it's spot on. It comes straight through with a burst of tangy lemon followed by a kick of basil to make for a delightful dressing that will have us coming back for more.
The recipe starts with a blend of canola oil and extra virgin olive oil combined with white balsamic vinegar. Dried lemon peel and lemon oil provide the more puckering notes, which are calmed immediately by the presence of basil extract. Additional seasonings include dried herbs like thyme, coriander, and oregano.
With its herbaceous qualities and heavy hit of citrus, this is a dressing that's well-paired with dishes that contain seafood or poultry. We would rank this dressing higher, but there are plenty of folks out there who don't love lemons — so if you're considering buying this for a gathering, it might turn off a few of your guests and your efforts would go to waste. The only reason we wouldn't rank it lower is that it has another purpose — consider it not only as a dressing, but perhaps an easy weeknight marinade for those proteins you're tossing on the grill or a sauté pan.
6. Ranch
Ranch dressing tends to be a bit polarizing, but for those who don't object to it, it's great to have it available in the event of a buffalo wing feast to cool off the heat. It's also become popular in recent years as a sauce to dip a slice of pizza into, which we don't have a problem with — you do you — especially if it's a spicy slice. And you can't forget about having it on a crudités platter.
One question we had going into our taste test was whether or not this ranch dressing would be thin or thick in its viscosity. That concern was put to rest immediately because it's even packaged differently than the other dressings in the Newman's Own line — those have a narrow spout to allow for control as you pour. The ranch dressing bottle has no spout because you'll have to give it a good shake to get the contents out.
Overall, it has a very creamy, luscious texture. And it's rather tangy — a quality you'd hope to find in a ranch dressing. It might benefit from a little bit more herbal seasoning to give it extra oomph. That's our rationale that went into ranking this towards the middle of the pack.
5. Sesame Ginger
Two of the key ingredients are right there in the name of Newman's Own Sesame Ginger salad dressing. But the soy sauce that's listed fourth on the label actually came in the strongest for us. What also surprised us about the ingredient list on the back of the bottle was that the primary ingredient is distilled vinegar, and that ginger and sesame weren't even at the top of the lineup. To add extra flavor to the nutty characteristics from the sesame oil and spicy kick of ginger, what was also interesting to the palate was the inclusion of concentrated juice from pineapples and lemons.
This all adds up for a delightfully salty, sweet, and sour combination. It could serve as an excellent coating for a salad to pair with an Asian-inspired recipe with a similar flavor profile. But, the reason why we would give Sesame Ginger dressing from Newman's Own a higher ranking is because we immediately thought of a few ways to use it beyond just throwing it on some iceberg lettuce. Try it out when you're making a slaw — we think it would go along very well with shredded vegetables that have a firmer texture such as cabbage, carrots, or green papaya. Newman's Own recommends trying it as a marinade for salmon, or as a dressing for a chicken or shrimp salad with spinach and raspberries.
4. Caesar
For those who are looking for a different spin on a basic combination of oil and vinegar for their salad, we would steer you towards Newman's Own version of a simple Caesar. But we'll concede that applying the name "Caesar" to this bottle of dressing could be a bit misleading for the consumer. A drizzle of this won't provide results that remind you of the iconic Caesar salad that's a mainstay on many restaurant menus — to achieve that effect, refer to Newman's Own "Creamy Caesar."
This dressing gives off strong Mediterranean vibes with its core ingredients, though, and thus is a faithful ode to the fatherland of the historical figure whose name inspired it. This gluten-free recipe is distinguished by its predominant features of Romano cheese, anchovies, and garlic. A bit of mustard, black pepper, and cayenne add a slight touch of heat. There's a hefty amount of all of these potent ingredients, too — the flavors come through. And, you can visually see how much of the sediment settles at the bottom of the bottle, so be sure to give it a good shake before you pour.
We rank this one higher on the list because it evokes the flavors of the more well-known Caesar dressing. But, if the idea of coating your greens with a white sauce is not terribly appetizing, this oil and vinegar-based dressing is the one for you.
3. Family Recipe Italian
When you're going to brand a product as a "family recipe," you had better come through with the goods. We found the Family Recipe Italian from Newman's Own to be a delightfully delicate salad dressing that struck just the right balance with the amounts of oil and vinegar, and hit all the notes with its cheese, herb, and spice blend. We're ranking it higher on the list for those reasons.
Unlike a slew of other salad dressings from Newman's Own, its Family Recipe Italian is neither gluten-free, nor is it plant-based. It contains real cheese — Pecorino Romano to be exact. It also notably contains a bit more fat per serving than the others in the lineup. It comes in at 13 grams per serving (2 tablespoons), which is 17% of the recommended daily value. But, there's some good news, because a little of it goes a long way. We really enjoyed the blend of cheesiness with a spike of Worcestershire sauce, along with a hint of heat from paprika.
We think this would work equally well over a bed of delicate baby greens as it would over crispy Romaine slices. This is an easy way to entice you to eat some veggies alongside a carb-loaded Italian feast. We'd rank it at this top spot for its versatility and for coming through with familiar flavors that shouldn't offend many palates.
2. Light Italian Vinaigrette
Certainly a dressing with more fat and calories in the recipe is generally going to taste a bit better. But, if you're interested in having less of those in your dietary intake, look no further than Newman's Own Light Italian Vinaigrette to mix into your salad. It contains half the calories and fat of its standard Italian vinaigrette. To boot, for other dietary concerns, this product is plant-based, as well as gluten-free — though, that's true of many of Newman's Own salad dressings.
But beyond all of that, we really couldn't object to the flavors. For fans of pickled vegetables — and we count ourselves among your ranks — we think you'll really enjoy this dressing. While it does come on strong with its acidic base, we found it to be well-balanced and not just pure vinegar. It includes spicy brown mustard, mustard seed, lemon juice concentrate, and lemon oil — we'll concede that all of those ingredients have acidic qualities, but the combination works well. Overall, it has us feeling very much in favor of opting for this as a lighter dressing option, and why we rank it high on our list.
1. Classic Oil & Vinegar
Classic Oil & Vinegar is the salad dressing recipe that jump started the whole Newman's Own empire. So, how could we not rank it at the top of the list? If only there was an Oscar category for salad dressing.
While the bottle and label have had a few face changes over the years, and the general public may never know the exact measurements, the key components of this recipe are fully disclosed on the back of the packaging. Newman and his friend A.E. Hotchner employed a blend of olive oil, canola oil, red wine vinegar, spicy brown mustard, concentrated lemon juice, garlic, pepper, and celery seed.
Having been around since the early '80s, chances are good that you've enjoyed a bed of lettuce doused with this blend at least once or twice. The nostalgia alone should make it a favorite pick. It's also easily paired with basically anything — it would go well in a salad alongside steak, fish, or poultry. Or one that's topped with cheese and dried fruit, to add more to the mix. Its adaptability, delicious flavor, and iconic history is what makes it top of our list.