The Best Submarine Dressing Recipe {Beanos Copycat}

• Punchy Flavors: The black pepper, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning and raw garlic provide a bright kick that is needed with hoagies/subs. With all of the cheese and fatty/salty meats, you need a dressing that will cut through it all and add balance. This submarine dressing does just that.
  
• Healthy: It’s made out of a small list of whole ingredients, reducing the preservatives you could often get in a premade sub sandwich dressing. Extra Virgin olive oil is a great source of nutrients too.
  
• Customizable: Fancy a creamy sub sauce? Add mayo! Fancy some spice? Add chilli flakes! This base is so so customizable.
  
• Many Uses: With it keeping well in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, I love that it’s so versatile. Pair the hoagie dressing recipe with bread, salads, or within a sub. 

Looking for the perfect sauce, dip, or dressing? Try out one of these recipes: Steak Dipping Sauce (Cowboy Butter!), Easy Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Cucumber Dip), Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies (Low Calorie!)

Submarine dressing is the most common dressing to go on a sub. It’s usually an oil based dressing with vinegar (sometime balsamic), Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. This foundation is then customized/built upon. 

It’s rich but also tangy and bright. Making it at home is also said to be healthier as store bought submarine sauce has an extensive ingredient list with lots of preservatives to ensure it has a long shelf-life. 

Other dressings you may also find on subs:

• Honey/mustard blend
  
• Mayo/mustard blend
  
• Kewpie mayo, soy sauce or sriracha blend
  
• Nduja & oil, often also mixed with mayo
  

The main ingredients that make this Submarine Dressing recipe fantastic are the following:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
If possible, using extra virgin over regular olive oil is a must for this Italian sub dressing. It’s richer in flavor so yields the best end result.

Red Wine Vinegar
I prefer red wine vinegar over white and balsamic as it’s got a sweeter brightness.

Garlic
One clove of raw garlic goes a long way in a dressing. Raw garlic over cooked is a lot more pungent but equally, that’s why it’s so flavorful in dressings! 

Italian Seasoning
It’s usually a blend of dried oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and sage. That’s why it’s such a good short cut ingredient to use, it’s already got a great flavor profile! 
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Add mayonnaise:  for a creamy Italian sub dressing add a bit of mayo.

Use different vinegar: many people prefer to use balsamic vinegar. You can also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you prefer for this homemade submarine dressing.

Use different oil: You could use a herb-infused olive oil if you’re feeling wild. Something like basil oil will taste delicious with these ingredients. 

Add some spice: this could be with red pepper/chilli flakes or with fresh chillies. For the most cohesive dressing, I would finely chop the chilli so that you don’t get big bites of spice in your submarine sandwich sauce.

1. Start by collecting all of your ingredients and an empty mason jar that you will use to make your dressing (Image 1).
2. Add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Italian Seasoning to the jar (Image 2).

3. Finely chop the garlic clove, then add a pinch of coarse salt to the top. Using the side of your knife and the coarseness of the salt, squish and mash the garlic to form a paste then add it to the jar (Image 3).

4. Add the remaining ingredients, red wine vinegar, black pepper, honey, and if you want, chili flakes, to the jar and give it a good shake (Image 4).

If you have leftover submarine dressing, consider using it on one of these yummy recipes; Grinder Salad (Italian Sub Salad), Simple Tricolore Salad, The Best Turkey Sandwich in 10 minutes!

Other sub dressing uses

There are so many ways you can use submarine dressing whether it be on a salad, to dip a sandwich, or even to add to the top of pizza (Yum!). Here are some recipes you can consider using this sub dressing instead of the dressing that is meant for it:

• Italian chopped salad
• Pasta salad
• Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers
• Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
• Healthy Tortellini Pasta Salad
• Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator: Some people say it’s fine for up to 1 week, I find usually it’s fine to consume the Italian hoagie dressing recipe within 2 weeks. 

Freezer: This recipe only takes two minutes to make, so I wouldn’t recommend it as a freezer recipe. 

Dealing with Homemade Salad Dressings Solidifying in the Fridge

If you plan to refrigerate your sub sauce, you may discover it has solidified in the refrigerator.  Here is what you can do:

Un-Solidify it:  Place it on the counter top for 15 minutes before use or place it in a warm cup or bowl of water for 5-10 minutes.

Try preventing it:  Add an emulsifier like mustard or egg or use a different oil like grapeseed or walnut oil that will not solidify in the cold.

Recipe FAQs

Need inspiration for some main meal recipes? Try my Chicken and Chorizo Risotto, Baked Chicken and Cauliflower, Slow Cooker Gammon Joint (Best honey roast ham!)