Make this refreshing Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette in under 5 minutes and using 5 ingredients. This sweet and tart salad dressing is super versatile in its use (vegan, gluten-free).
If you love a good vinaigrette in your salads, then here are some more for you – Basil Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing.
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About This Recipe
I am always on the lookout for interesting salad dressing recipes and this strawberry vinaigrette is my current favorite.
It is an interesting twist to the regular vinaigrette where ripe, sweet, and tangy strawberries are added to it.
This quick, vibrant red and simple strawberry vinaigrette salad dressing gets ready in under 5 minutes using 5 simple ingredients.
Homemade strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is healthier and more economical than the store-bought one. You know what is going into it and can customize the recipe as per your taste preferences. There is no added preservatives, no color, and no chemical in the homemade version. Isn’t it reason enough to make a batch at home?
The best part is that this strawberry balsamic dressing is super versatile. Use it as a salad dressing, dipping sauce, marinade, etc for a summery fruity flavor.
It is vegan, gluten-free, Keto-friendly, low calories, and containers no refined sugar.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Strawberries – Get your hands on bright red and juicy strawberries. Avoid the ones that have soft patches or black marks. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries to make this strawberry salad dressing.
Oil – In this strawberry vinaigrette recipe, I have used extra virgin olive oil but you can use any good cold-pressed oil of your choice. Try experimenting with flaxseed oil, avocado oil, grape seed oil, or even sesame oil.
Acid – Balsamic vinegar makes a great pair with strawberries and that is why I have used it in this recipe. But feel free to use vinegar like apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, etc.
Citrus juice along with vinegar also adds a nice flavor profile to vinaigrettes and you must definitely explore adding them.
Maple syrup – To add a slight hint of sweetness, add in some maple syrup. You can also use honey or agave syrup.
Seasoning – I have kept the seasoning basic to salt and pepper. Go ahead and try adding garlic powder, red pepper flakes, herbs, dijon mustard, etc.
Play with the seasonings for a new flavor profile each time you make this recipe.
How To Make Strawberry Vinaigrette
Start by preparing the strawberries. Rinse 8 oz (250 g) strawberries and chop off their top leafy part. Cut the strawberries into rough slices.
If using frozen strawberries, thaw them until they are softened.
Add the sliced strawberries, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper into the small jar of a blender or a food processor.
Blend until smooth. And tada! your strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is ready.
Store it in a glass bottle and refrigerate it until use. Shake well before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Strawberry vinaigrette dressing has a very interesting flavor profile. It is slightly sweet and tart from the strawberries, acidic from the balsamic vinegar and there is a hint of salt balancing out the whole thing. It’s a perfect dressing to go with any salad.
Fruity, tangy, and subtly sweet, this easy balsamic strawberry vinaigrette is the kind of dressing that lends all the fine flavors to your salads, try it super soon!
You can make this strawberry salad dressing using strawberry jam too. Just replace strawberries with 2 tablespoon of strawberry jam and skip the sweetener. Keep the rest of the process the same and you will get a great strawberry jam salad dressing in no time.
Usage Suggestions
Salad Dressing – You can pour this delicious strawberry vinaigrette over your salad recipes. It tastes amazingly good in green salads such as spinach salad, kale salad, etc. I like to pour it over my strawberry spinach salad, strawberry walnut salad, Mediterranean quinoa salad, and cucumber avocado salad.
Fruits – This also works great over a bowl full of chilled mixed fruits like watermelon, bananas, kiwi, berries, etc.
Marinate – Pour strawberry vinaigrette over chicken, pork, fish, seafood, or veggies, and let them marinate for an hour before grilling them.
Gift – Strawberry balsamic dressing also makes a great holiday homemade gift. I am sure your friends and family will be very happy when they see this sweet-tart dressing as a gift.
Others – Use it as a sandwich spread or dipping sauce.
Storage Suggestions
It’s best to make this strawberry vinaigrette dressing fresh. You can refrigerate it for a maximum of 3 days if you made an excess of it.
Store it in an air-tight container and always use a clean dry spoon to take out the dressing from the container.
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Recipe Card
Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces strawberries (250 g, fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper
Instructions
- Start by preparing the strawberries. Rinse the strawberries and chop off their top leafy part. Cut the strawberries into rough slices.
- If using frozen strawberries, thaw them until they are softened.
- Add the sliced strawberries, extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper into the small jar of a blender or a food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Store it in a glass bottle and refrigerate it until use. Shake well before using.
Dominique
I recently had a salad from a restaurant with a strawberry vinaigrette and couldn’t stop thinking about it. This recipe was amazing and so easy to whip up! I happened to have vanilla balsamic vinegar in my pantry so I made it with that and skipped on the honey. Worked out just great.
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear 🙂
Alex
This is such a delightful recipe! The flavour profile and brightness of the strawberry taste is wonderful. The hint of maple syrup perfectly highlighted the sweetness of the berries perfectly.
I used ‘regular’ olive oil and white balsamic vinegar along with 250 grams of strawberries measured after their their stems were removed.
My plan is to use the dressing with crisp Romain lettuce, sliced strawberries, candied walnuts, slivered red onion, and warm nut-crusted rounds of goat cheese! Oh boy . . . I can’t wait!
Thank you Neha for sharing your creativity nd expertise. I have just discovered your site and I will definitely be exploring more!