Name: Honey Mustard Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: ¼ cup mayonnaise; ¼ cup honey; 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons yellow mustard; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 teaspoon white vinegar; ½ teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

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

At a glance

What stands out: The dressing is straightforward to mix and free of artificial ingredients.

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: measuring cup, small whisk
Servings: makes a little less than 1 cup

Honey mustard dressing being poured on a salad.

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

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

We still crave that combination once in awhile. Now that air fryers are a thing, we love to make from-scratch air fryer chicken nuggets (our kids love them too!). They turn out crispy and so tasty, and of course, we dip them in our from-scratch honey mustard dressing.

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

About This Honey Mustard Dressing

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

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

What’s the difference between this dressing and a vinaigrette? Recently we posted a recipe for honey mustard vinaigrette. This dressing recipe is creamier because it’s mayonnaise-based and works well as a dip or a 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. We'll get you started here but as always, you’ll find the recipe card below with specifics.

Chicken tender being dipped in honey mustard dressing.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Mayonnaise: Choose your favorite brand of mayonnaise. You can select light or regular mayonnaise. We 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 quickly!
Dijon Mustard & Yellow Mustard: A combination of these two types of mustard makes a standby tasting dressing. They are 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.

Overhead view of ingredients needed for recipe.

How it comes together

It’s straightforward! 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.

Before you start

Make It Your Own

Lighter switch: If you’re not a fan of mayo or would like to reduce the fat calories in this recipe, substitute plain Greek yogurt.
Mustard substitutions: If you only have one kind of mustard in the fridge, that’s just fine, use what you have. A whole grain mustard will work if you don’t mind a little more texture in your dressing. Keep in mind that any substitution will slightly change the flavor.
Rather have a vinaigrette for your salads? Try our honey mustard vinaigrette or red wine vinaigrette.
More honey mustard recipes: Be sure to try our 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.

Keeping leftovers

From-scratch 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.