No more eating bland salads with just salt and pepper! Add a dollop of this easy, healthy, homemade balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing and savor an extraordinary bowl of your favorite greens and proteins in seconds!
Make your salads more interesting, with some more delicious and flavorful salad dressings – Homemade Italian Dressing, Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing, Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing, Creamy Mango Salad Dressing, and Basil Vinaigrette.
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About This Recipe
Made using pantry staples and in under 2 minutes, this balsamic vinaigrette is a very versatile dressing that elevates everyday salads to a whole new level and can be used in other ways too.
I keep getting questions on how to make a restaurant-worthy salad and my answer is always to crack the dressing recipe. This balsamic vinaigrette is a great balance of tangy and sweet flavors with a silky texture. It’s neither too oily nor too sweet and is definitely better than the store-bought dressing.
A must have salad dressing at home. Just mix with your choice of greens or proteins to have a salad ready in no time. Make it within 5 minutes with basic ingredients and herbs with this recipe!
Prepared with just a few ingredients, this vinaigrette is my go-to dressing when I quickly want to whip up an interesting salad.
This dressing stays good in the refrigerator for about a week and is far better than the store-bought bottled dressings as they are fresh and free of preservatives.
This Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing is,
- Healthy
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan
- Paleo
- Low Carb
- Whole 30
- No Refined Sugar
Ingredients
You need 3 main ingredients to make any vinaigrette, so make sure you use the best.
Oil – In this particular recipe, I have used extra virgin olive oil but you can definitely use any good cold-pressed oil of your choice. Try experimenting with avocado oil, flaxseed oil, grape seed oil, or even sesame oil. Canola and sunflower oil also works fine.
Acid – Balsamic vinegar makes a great option to make vinaigrettes and that is why I have used it in this recipe. This one ingredient is the core of this recipe. Use the aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena which is matured in wood barrels for at least 3 years.
Aged balsamic vinegar is sweeter, milder, and richer. If the vinegar is acidic and bitter, it will spoil the whole experience. So make sure to go for the best.
Honey – I have used honey, but you can also add brown sugar to add a slight sweetness to the dressing. Quality balsamic vinegar also has sweet notes so please go low on the additional sweetener.
Seasoning – I have kept the seasoning basic to salt, pepper, and herbs. Go ahead and try adding garlic, dijon mustard, etc.
Citrus juice along with vinegar also adds a nice flavor profile to vinaigrettes and you must definitely explore adding them.
Play with the seasonings for a new flavor profile each time you make this recipe.
How to make Balsamic Vinaigrette?
Add ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried basil and ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary to a medium size mixing bowl.
Whisk well using a small wire whisk. You can also shake the ingredients in a jar or use an electric blender for a thick, creamy, and velvety dressing. Store in an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator. Shake well before use.
Pro Tips by Neha
Shake the jar well after every use.
To make this salad vegan, use maple syrup in place of honey.
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
Use while balsamic vinegar for a taste change.
Play with ratio of vinegar and oil.
Storage Suggestions
You should store it in a glass bottle with a sealed cap and refrigerate it in between use.
This dressing has a very long shelf life of 3-4 months if stored in the refrigerator. You can just whisk the vinaigrette before use once again and it is good to go.
Usage Suggestions
Add in some balsamic vinaigrette in the salads, which will add a refreshing and delicious taste to the salad. It tastes great in pasta salad too.
You can also add in some fruit salads that include fruits such as apples, oranges, grapes, peaches, pears, watermelon, and berries.
Drizzle on some roasted vegetables.
Use it as a dipping sauce for crusty breads.
It is a great marinade for meat like chicken, shrimp, beef etc.
Drizzle on some grilled or roasted chicken breast or fish fillet. You can also add in wraps and sandwiches.
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Recipe Card
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Add ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried basil and ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary to a medium size mixing bowl.
- Whisk well using a small wire whisk. You can also shake the ingredients in a jar or use an electric blender for a thick, creamy, and velvety dressing. Store in an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator. Shake well before use.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!