Best Balsamic Vinaigrette
The Very BEST Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe – This tangy Balsamic Dressing will make your salads sparkle, and takes only 5 minutes to prepare!
Why We Love This Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Is there anything more satisfying than skillfully whipping up your own dressing right at home? It makes you wonder why you ever bothered buying the 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.
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 balsamic dressing, and keep it in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Ingredients You Need
With just a handful of ingredients, you can make a balsamic vinaigrette that rivals any store-bought brand in taste and cost.
- Aged balsamic vinegar – It’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.
- Honey – You’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 mustard – For that perfect tangy element that brings out the boldness of the balsamic.
- Dried thyme – This balances the sweet and zesty notes of the dressing with a mild earthy flavor.
- Minced garlic – Because every good vinaigrette needs garlic!
How To Make Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Place all the ingredients in a jar and seal tightly.
- Shake vigorously. The mustard will help emulsify the vinaigrette and give it a thick, luxurious quality. Alternatively, you could whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl!
That’s it. Seriously!
Serving Suggestions
Use this homemade balsamic dressing on all of your favorite green salads, over freshly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, or as a dressing on top of roasted veggies! Here are some of my favorite things to pair with it:
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Antipasto Spinach Salad
- Grilled Fattoush Salad
- Roasted Vegetable Flatbread
- Caprese Panzanella
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Fried Goat Cheese Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Bell Pepper Salad
- Easy Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
Tips & Tricks
- Olive oil and vinegar will separate after sitting in the fridge! When you use it after storing it, be sure to give it a good shake. High-quality olive oil will even solidify sometimes, so give it a few minutes to warm up and then shake again.
- Use high-quality ingredients! High-quality ingredients go a long way in creating a homemade balsamic dressing that tastes amazing. However, you don’t need the most expensive balsamic vinegar either! Just use one that you know you like the taste of.
- Adjust to taste! Everyone likes their vinaigrettes a little bit different. Taste it and adjust it with extra vinegar, more oil, or perhaps more honey if you want it a little sweeter!
Get the Full (Printable) Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
This dressing will keep well for 2-3 weeks, if you place it in an airtight container in the fridge. Just give it a good shake before serving.
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.
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.
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
Video
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper
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.
Notes
Nutrition
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The only dressing I ever make now. So good! I use brown sugar instead of honey but otherwise make no changes and it’s perfect.