The Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

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The Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe (Balsamic Dressing) – This tangy balsamic vinaigrette dressing will make your salads sparkle, and takes only 5 minutes to prepare!

The Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (1)

Salad Dressing with Balsamic Vinegar

Is there anything more satisfying than skillfully whipping up your own dressing right at home? It makes you wonder why you ever bothered buying bottled stuff at the store.

This homemade salad dressing recipe for the Best Balsamic Vinaigrette is one I’ve tweaked over the years to be perfectly tangy-sweet and silky in texture.

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The tantalizing flavor is based on good quality aged balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, honey, a touch of dijon mustard, and herbs. It is fabulous over robust spinach and kale salads, romaine salads, and even over roasted vegetables!

And you can easily make larger batches of this balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and keep it in the refrigerator for several weeks.

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What Ingredients You Need to Make the Best Vinaigrette Dressing

With just a handful of ingredients, you can make a balsamic dressing that rivals any store-bought brand in both taste and cost.

Here’s all that you need:

  • Aged balsamic vinegarIt’s important to buy very good aged balsamic vinegar. The longer the vinegar has been aged, the sweeter, milder, and richer it becomes.
  • Extra virgin olive oil My personal favorite for making vinaigrettes, but you can substitute it with avocado or any other light-flavored oil you prefer.
  • HoneyYou’ll need less honey in this recipe if you use an older vinegar and/or if you prefer a more savory and less sweet dressing.
  • Dijon mustardFor that perfect tangy element that brings out the boldness of the balsamic.
  • Dried thymeThis balances the sweet and zesty notes of the dressing with a mild earthy flavor.
  • Minced garlicBecause every good vinaigrette needs garlic!
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How To Make Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

  1. Place all the ingredients in a jar and seal tightly.
  2. Shake vigorously. The mustard will help emulsify the vinaigrette and give it a thick luxurious quality.

That’s it. Seriously!

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Get the Full (Printable) Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe Below. Enjoy!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can Balsamic Dressing Be Stored?

Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, this dressing will keep well for 2-3 weeks. Just give it a good shake before serving.

What Are Some Ways to Enjoy This Balsamic Vinaigrette?

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing is delicious drizzled on cold salads loaded with fresh greens and veggies, and on warm salads with quinoa, chickpeas and/or cooked stone fruits like grilled peaches or poached pears.

It adds a wonderful depth and tanginess to hearty roasted veggies, such as carrots and Brussels sprouts, as a balsamic glaze after cooking.

Try a bit of this balsamic vinaigrette recipe with fruits like watermelon and strawberries for a terrifically savory and sweet treat. Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream turns the salad into an instant dessert.

You can even use it as a marinade over proteins like steak, pork, and chicken.

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Can I Substitute Ingredients in this Recipe?

You absolutely can. Use whatever mild flavor oil you prefer (like paleo-friendly avocado oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil), substitute maple syrup for the honey to make it vegan, and it’s perfectly okay to use other mustards like stone-ground or yellow mustard if you don’t have Dijon.

Where Does Balsamic Vinegar Come From?

Authentic balsamic vinegar is made in only the cities of Reggio Emilia and Modena, Italy. It is highly regulated for quality so the traditional methods and production process is monitored by a special certification agency in Italy.

Traditional balsamic vinegar begins with grape must, which is a thick juice or mash made of whole pressed grapes including every component from skin to seeds and stems. They must achieve the perfect balance in flavor after cooking to concentrate the liquid, then fermenting for several weeks. It is then aged in barrels made of chestnut, oak, cherry, mulberry, and juniper wood to create unique flavor notes.

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Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

The Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe – This tangy balsamic vinaigrette dressing will make your salads sparkle, and takes only 5 minutes to prepare!

Servings: 8

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Pour the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey, Dijon mustard, dried thyme, and garlic clove in a jar. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.

  • Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to combine. Once smooth, taste. Then add more honey or salt if needed.

Video

Notes

Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, this dressing will keep well for 2-3 weeks. Just give it a good shake before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons, Calories: 84kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 0g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 16mg, Potassium: 8mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: American, Italian

Author: Sommer Collier

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The Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

FAQs

What is in President's Choice balsamic vinaigrette? ›

Ingredients: water, soybean oil, balsamic vinegar (wine vinegar, cookedgrape must, concentrated grape juice, caramel colour, sulphites),balsamic vinegar reduction (wine vinegar, concentrated grape must,caramel colour, natural flavour, sulphites), sugar, extra virgin oliveoil, salt, herbs and spice, garlic, citric acid, ...

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making vinaigrette? ›

12 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Making Homemade Vinaigrette
  • Estimating measurements for all ingredients. inspiredbyart/Shutterstock. ...
  • Using the wrong oil. ...
  • Using the wrong vinegar. ...
  • Leaving out the emulsifier. ...
  • Skipping the mustard. ...
  • Forgetting to check expiration dates. ...
  • Not using fresh herbs. ...
  • Using vinaigrette only on salad.
Aug 18, 2022

What is the formula for vinaigrette dressing? ›

The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you. My simple system is: In a small screw-top jar, place vinegar and a pinch of salt; cover and shake (this helps to dissolve the salt).

What is the easiest way to switch up the flavor of a vinaigrette? ›

Change up the base ingredients to give your dressing a different flavor. For example, try using rice vinegar, a shot of soy sauce, cilantro instead of parsley, and a slice of fresh ginger; blend in a neutral oil like canola or avocado.

What's the difference between balsamic vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette? ›

Balsamic vinegar is pure vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is dark brown in color and has a very robust, slightly sweet flavor. Balsamic vinaigrette is a mixture made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and/or other spices. It is typically used as a salad dressing but has other uses in the kitchen as well.

Which is healthier balsamic vinegar or vinaigrette? ›

Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word “creamy” will be the unhealthiest.

Which vinegar would give the most flavor to a vinaigrette? ›

Red wine vinegar

It has a sharp tang and a relatively strong flavor profile, making it a good choice for more robust salads as well as meat marinades. This vinegar will also impart a pink hue to other ingredients, which you may or may not want, so keep that in mind when cooking with it.

What is the stabilizer in a vinaigrette? ›

An emulsifier is used in a vinaigrette to stabilize the oil and vinegar. Common emulsifiers include egg yolks, soy lecithin, and mustard. These ingredients all include lecithin--the stabilizing compound. In many vinaigrettes, mustard is the go-to stabilizer.

Why is my balsamic vinaigrette bitter? ›

CD Kitchen explains that subpar vinegars can create bitter, harsh vinaigrettes. Adding too much vinegar (or lemon juice) can also muck up the acid-to-oil ratio, creating a dressing that's simply too strong for the greens. If this happens, add a pinch of baking soda to quell the bitterness (via Wonder How-To).

How do you cut the bitterness out of a vinaigrette? ›

Sweetness balances out acidity, spice, and bitterness. A salad composed of bitter greens may benefit from a sweeter dressing. But sweetness can come from sources other than one-note white sugar; consider honey, pureed dates, maple syrup, jam, or molasses as sweeteners that also add flavor and mouth-feel.

How do you reduce the acidity in balsamic vinegar? ›

You need to dilute it with something else. These options could include mustard, oil, water, yoghurt, or, to reduce the acidity, some sugar or honey. Go easy: you can always add more of something if it needs it, but you can't remove it if you add too mich.

What is classic vinaigrette made of? ›

Put the mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a jar and season. Shake vigorously to mix. Store in a cool place (not the fridge) until ready to use. Use for all your salads or try one of our recipes, right.

What is vinaigrette dressing made of? ›

In general, vinaigrette consists of 3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are often added. Herbs and shallots, too, are often added, especially when it is used for cooked vegetables or grains. Sometimes mustard is used as an emulsifier and to add flavour.

What is house vinaigrette made of? ›

The standard house dressing is a combination of vinegar, oil, garlic, herbs, and a touch of sugar, but each restaurant has its own method, proportions, and add-ons.

What is the ratio of oil to vinegar when making a vinaigrette? ›

Culinary Tips for a Basic Vinaigrette Dressing (with Variations) This is a standard vinaigrette recipe, so we use the traditional oil to vinegar ratio: three parts oil to one part vinegar/acid, but this ratio can vary depending on your choice of vinegar/acid and personal taste.

References

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