Salad Dressing Vinaigrette Recipe
Chanelle Glugla
Balsamic vinegar makes a bold, slightly sweet dressing that is wonderful on green salads with fruit, such as apples, strawberries or peaches. Examples include my strawberry arugula salad and favorite green salad with apples.
Champagne vinegar is even more mild than white wine vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is sweet-tangy and tastes lightly of apples. Sherry vinegar is similar to red wine vinegar but slightly less intense.
Or choose a light, flavorless oil like grapeseed oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. Avocado oil can be delicious, too. For some extra flavor, you can even swap in a touch of nut oil like walnut oil or hazelnut oil; or a bit of sesame oil adds a nutty vibe that complements Asian foods nicely. Just use a light touch with the more potent oils.
Ahhh, so many lovely varieties of vinegar. Most wine vinegars will yield a lighter vinaigrette. Rice vinegar is also a nice, light choice. Apple cider vinegar lends a nice little bite (I like using it in salads with apple). Balsamic vinegar is a bolder choice, but lends a wonderful sweet/tart flavor to the mix. Sherry vinegar is also nice, but can be bold, so tread lightly.
As I referenced in the formula above, aside from oil and vinegar, the only other thing you really need for a superb and super-simple vinaigrette is a bit of salt (I like kosher salt or sea salt) and pepper (I prefer freshly ground black pepper).
Add fresh or frozen raspberries along with the other salad dressing ingredients to a blender and puree. Also works with strawberries or blueberries! Go with about 1/2 cup berries per 1 cup of dressing. A bit of shallot and a drizzle of honey go nicely too.
I put all ingredients in mason jar and shook until well blended. Put it in fridge overnight and the oil is chunky looking and not very appetizing. Did I do something wrong? Can I use the same vinegarette to take to the bbq today?
To make this vibrant homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing, I use olive oil for body, balsamic vinegar for mild tartness, honey for sweetness, whole grain Dijon mustard for texture and zest, and salt to bring out all the flavors. You can think of this an all purpose sweet and tart honey balsamic dressing that goes well with almost anything.
While some salads, like traditional Greek salad or cucumber tomato salad, need just a squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar, others benefit greatly from a perfectly balanced vinaigrette. This is my go-to homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe to use on everything from a weeknight dinner caprese chicken salad, roasted beet and goat cheese salad, or elegant mains.
Be it balsamic, Dijon, apple cider, or basil, there is simply no substitute for the quality or taste of homemade vinaigrette. Store-bought salad dressings are often filled with low-quality oils, sulfates, preservatives, and added flavorings with high sugar and salt content. Whisking your own dressing allows you to control the ingredients, making it not only healthier but also far more economical and delicious.
This honey balsamic dressing is a great vinaigrette to toss with any fresh salad. It works particularly well with green salads, beet salads, and even pasta salads. It is also delicious drizzled over roasted vegetables. Because it is thick and sticky, it coats the veggies and even chicken or fish well.
After a lot of experimentation, trial and error, I am thrilled to be sharing this balsamic vinaigrette recipe with you today. I found this winning recipe for Balsamic Vinaigrette over at Chinese Grandma.
While I whisk the vinegar, oil, dijon mustard, garlic, and olive oil by hand with a sturdy kitchen whisk, you could also use a blender if you prefer. Mixing the ingredients with a blender gives the recipe a slightly thicker consistency.
The sourness of the balsamic is such a great complement to salads with apples, oranges, grapes, peaches, pears, and berries. It absolutely sings on Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and Strawberry Spinach Salad and would make a lovely addition to a Mixed Green, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad, too.
Of course, it also elevates everyday salads into the realm of extra tastiness. Toss your favorite garden salad in this dressing, try it on a Simple Spinach Salad, or drizzle it over a fresh Cucumber Tomato Salad.
Because vinegar-based salad dressings like this one have such a high acidity content, they keep for a good long while if stored correctly. After preparing the dressing, pour it into a mason jar and secure the lid tightly.
This has become my absolute favorite dressing! I love to cut up chicken or steak on my salad and this dressing is the best. It is also good when on the dash diet because I can substitute salt alternative.
By far the best balsamic vinaigrette I have had! My husband loves it as well! This is the only salad dressings we will use. I have shared this recipe with many of my family members as well! Thank you!
At its base vinaigrette is a simple ratio of 1 part acid to 3 parts oil. The fat (oil), and acid (lemon or vinegar), emulsify to create a salad dressing which gets flavors from the addition of salt and pepper as well as shallots and Dijon mustard, both of which also help it to emulsify. Use this basic recipe as a simple dressing or as a base for more unique and complex salad dressings with embellishments like fresh herbs and other spices. It is a simple and heart-healthy salad dressing made with basic pantry staples and is an incredibly flexible recipe that can be adjusted based on taste. The oil to vinegar ratio can be used to easily scale this recipe up or down. To start, I use cup of oil to cup acid.
For the most part I have completely stopped using store bought salad dressings. I prefer to make my own vinaigrette and use it as a salad dressing, marinade or sauce over meats and fish. The recipes can also be made in larger batches and stored in the fridge for easy use as needed. Making this at home ensures there are no additives and you have control over the ingredients.
Oil and vinegar naturally separate into layers. Shaking or whisking them forces them to combine, creating a blended dressing though sometimes they need a bit of help staying together. Ingredients like Dijon mustard help to bind those ingredients together and hold the emulsion.
I had every intention to make a classic French Bistro salad with goat cheese for the blog and my goat cheese bread crumb pieces never made it to the last round. What I did end up making and loving is a classic French vinaigrette dressing. I added the classic French vinaigrette dressing to a simple bowl of mixed greens, instantly transporting me back to a Parisian caf.
You can make it in a bowl with a whisk, and you can also make it in an old Bonne Maman jar. This is great for storage to keep in the fridge if you make a little more than you need. This is great to have on hand to throw on mixed greens.
Update: I recently added chopped shallots to my classic French vinaigrette dressing to jazz up my dinner salad and it took it to a whole new level. The flavor of the shallots with the Dijon mustard is the perfect combination. To do this easy update, just add in one small chopped shallot thinly sliced. Toss in the shallot to the dressing and mix.
Such a simple & delicious dressing! I love swapping out a different vinegar to switch up this recipe and it turns out perfect every time . I have shared this recipe with family and friends many times.
Oh Nagi, you make my life so much easier. Thanks for explaining the basics of a dressing and how to make subtle changes if we wish to spice up our life a bit (lol)! Love the storage times, too. I came here as i have to make some mason jar lunches to take camping, and your instructions are priceless. Thank you so much!!!
I have been making my own salad dressing for years, but this recipe is next level! Very adaptable to what ingredients I have at the time, the ratios are spot on and I will never look for another recipe. Salads are never boring or the same now ?
The basic formula is 2 parts oil to 1 part of vinegar plus all the add ins like shallot, garlic, salt and pepper. This recipe has just a touch less vinegar than normal but feel free to up it per your taste preference.
This was absolutely delicious! I didn't have the amount of basil called for so mixed with cilantro, parsley, and chives and it was so good! Will try the full basil version another day + now off to look at your cilantro vinaigrette recipe. Thank you!
Absolutely freakin delicious! I have a ton of basil to use up, and this is perfect. I made it exactly as written, except for using half the amount of red pepper flakes. I used my immersion blender and it worked just fine. A keeper for sure! Can't wait to use it in the recommended recipes.
So much better than store bought. No chemicals or excessive fat and sodium. Just pure, lovely flavor. Made the recipe using tarragon along with shallots and mustard. Drizzled on a Nioise salad with tuna. Tellement bon!
This is a really good basic dressing. I usually have a jar of it in the fridge. It gets pretty thick though so you need to remember to take it out of the fridge about 15 mins before you neef it.
I have made 4 of these dressings and they are all fabulous!!!! We are eliminating chemicals and preservatives from our food and these are perfect! I do a lot of home canning, so am able to use my own home canned goodness since it is also preservative and chemical free!
My wife finds the dressing a wee bit acidy..just add brown sugar or sweet soy sauce. I am going to experiment and add some of my home grown Apache chillies chopped..I will give a heads up later..Great work Nagi !!!!
I often use an eschalot infused red wine vinegar from France when making a French dressing and find it an excellent compromise. I just substitute half of my wine vinegar with this one and it does a great job. I am in Canada so I have no idea if this vinegar would be easy to find in Australia but it is a very large company and I would be surprised if it was not available to you.
I also run out of Dijon mustard on occasion so I sometimes use dry powdered mustard in place of that. It makes a great binder and is milder tasting than Dijon. It is also easy to keep on hand and can be very useful in the kitchen.