Like a relationship, salad dressing can easily veer into disaster when things aren’t balanced. Is it any wonder a simple vinaigrette recipe is loved by high-profile divorcees Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Garner?
It was a vinaigrette that launched a thousand headlines. When tabloids reported that Olivia Wilde had made her “special salad dressing” for Harry Styles during the final days of her relationship with Jason Sudeikis, the internet lost its collective mind. There were theories, memes, and even a viral Instagram Story from Wilde herself, posting the recipe from Nora Ephron’s divorce-themed novel Heartburn as if to say: fine, here it is. It called for nothing more than Dijon, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. And still, the moment became the stuff of pop culture lore.
Jennifer Aniston (twice divorced!) sparked a viral sensation with what fans dubbed “the Jennifer Aniston salad.” Her version leans into crisp vegetables and protein — cucumber, chickpeas, pistachios, quinoa — bound together with a modified Ephron dressing featuring a hint of maple syrup. Simple, clean, and clearly curated for longevity, it feels like the softer, perhaps more compassionate cousin of Wilde’s tart vinaigrette.
Jennifer Garner’s contribution to the canon is heartier — more maternal — but just as emotionally calibrated. In one now-viral video, she assembles her “big salad,” layering roasted sweet potatoes, lentils, arugula, nuts, and cheese before drizzling it all with a tangy homemade vinaigrette made with Dijon, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil. Like Wilde, like Aniston, like Ephron before them, Garner’s dressing is deceptively spare. But the message is unmistakable: nourishment as narrative. A salad not just for sustenance, but as a declaration of self.
Homemade dressings like these aren’t just easy and tasty, they also tend to be free of preservatives, added sugars, or thickeners routinely found in store-bought versions. Think Blue Zones simplicity, farm-fresh ingredients, maybe even herbs from your own backyard. They’re cheaper than the bottled stuff as well. And is it even salad season without having an ooooh-what-kind-of-dressing-is-this dressing memorized? As summer approaches, you need to arm yourself with an arsenal of the surprisingly simple, versatile concoctions that work equally well on crisp lettuces as they do drizzled over roasted vegetables, grain bowls, or cold noodles.
Not all dressings are vinaigrettes, though (or born of the brokenhearted). Drew Barrymore’s cashew cream dressing, from her 2021 cookbook Rebel Homemaker, is one of those recipes you don’t realize you need until it becomes a staple. The daytime host and actor loves this simple, creamy dressing. It’s made with soaked cashews, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, salt, and pepper. Once blended with a bit of warm water, the result is smooth, nutty, and unexpectedly complex. Barrymore said she likes to use it on salads, but it also works as a dip or over pasta and squash gratin instead of cheese sauce.
And Drew isn’t the only one going for creamy without the cream. Gwyneth Paltrow, who’s spent the better part of two decades advocating for clean eating through her lifestyle brand Goop and Goop Kitchen, has a few recipes up her sleeve. In her 2019 cookbook, The Clean Plate: Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Everyday Glow, Paltrow shares a creamy tahini dressing recipe made with garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and shallots. It’s a perfect go-to for leafy salads — think of it as a Caesar or ranch swap. It’s equally delicious atop grain bowls, baked sweet potatoes, steamed greens, or artichokes.
Stanley Tucci, beloved for his viral Negroni and pasta-making videos, is also a salad loyalist. He’s known to opt for bright, Mediterranean flavors. In an interview last October, Tucci shared his lemon vinaigrette: a mix of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of mustard. It’s the kind of basic recipe that can be adapted endlessly, but Tucci insists that quality ingredients are non-negotiable.
“My ideal salad dressing is really simple,” Tucci told Eating Well. “I make it the way my mother does. There’s a few different ones, but the classic one is extra-virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic that is not chopped or anything, it’s just split in half. First, you put some salt in the bottom of the salad bowl and you rub the garlic around in the salt, right? And then keep that clove in there and you throw in oil and a little bit of red-wine vinegar. And I just whip that up with a little squeeze of lemon. Then if you want to add mustard, you can add mustard. But that right there, that dressing is a classic. It’s delicious.”
Tucci pours the dressing over romaine, baby gems, or radicchio, “I like bitter things,” he said. “One of my favorite salads is actually a dandelion-green salad, which is very classic Italian. That with a vinaigrette and hard-boiled eggs, that’s a meal. It’s the greatest summer salad.”
Then there’s Martha Stewart. While her kitchen leans classic and French, her approach to salad is often rustic and vegetable-forward. One of her most shared recipes in recent years is a green goddess dressing made with avocado, lime, mustard, and parsley. A favorite for summer, the avocado gives it a lovely, creamy texture without any need for mayo or sour cream.
Pamela Anderson’s winter salad, from her cookbook I Love You: Recipes From the Heart, includes a mix of fennel and apple topped with a lemony vinaigrette. The dressing is a simple combination of lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dill, and parsley.
Of course, no celebrity recipe roundup would be complete without Chrissy Teigen. Her recipe website, Cravings, is filled with plant-forward recipes, including a flavorful citrus-cumin dressing for a Roasted Sweet Potato, Mango, Black Bean, and Avocado salad. It’s a simple and versatile. Try it over spinach or pour it on your favorite vegan tacos for an extra bit of tang.
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