Ditch the store-bought bottled dressing and make a batch of this homemade balsamic vinaigrette instead the next time you need a salad dressing. It’s bright, tangy, and zingy and not just for salads! Drizzle this balsamic dressing over grilled meats, grilled vegetables, pasta salads, and more.
You can easily scale this recipe up or down to fit your needs, and you’ll never have a collection of half-used, almost expired bottles of dressing taking up room in your fridge again!
Key Ingredients You Need
- Olive oil — Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil as this is the base of the balsamic vinegar dressing. Extra virgin olive oil that is first cold-pressed has flavor and texture differences with more nutrition than low-quality olive oil pressed multiple times.
- Balsamic vinegar — Again, I suggest using high-quality balsamic vinegar. A little goes a long way, so you want to avoid the cheaper giant bottles. Those large bottles tend to be more bitter or acidic.
- Dijon mustard — Not only does Dijon mustard add to the tangy flavor of the dressing, it also helps with the emulsion process of the dressing.
How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette
Step 1: To a bowl, add the olive oil.
Step 2: To the same bowl, add freshly minced garlic.
Step 3: Add balsamic vinegar to the bowl.
Step 4: Add Dijon mustard to the bowl.
Step 5: Finish off with honey, salt, and pepper.
Step 6: Whisk the ingredients together until well combined.
Tips For This Recipe
- If you do not have olive oil, I recommend using another light-tasting oil such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil in its place.
- Use a larger bowl than you feel is necessary. You want to be able to whisk everything together quickly and vigorously, so the olive oil and balsamic vinegar will emulsify together. You’ll end up with some spillage if you use a small bowl.
- If you want extra added flavor to this, you can add some dried or fresh herbs.
- For a smoother consistency, you can add the ingredients to a blender to blitz the garlic up.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to make a vegan balsamic vinaigrette, you can swap the honey for maple syrup or agave.
You can store homemade balsamic vinaigrette in a mason jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. The olive oil may start to solidify when in the refrigerator, but not to worry, it’ll turn back into liquid once the dressing is back to room temperature. Shake the dressing or whisk it again before using.
While the dressing can technically be frozen, I would advise against it. The balsamic dressing will not thaw well, and the ingredients will separate. Once separated, it’ll be difficult to get the ingredients back together after being frozen. Luckily, this recipe only takes a couple of minutes to whip together that you can make it in a pinch.
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If you’ve tried this recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Store in a jar or airtight container in refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- If you do not have olive oil, I recommend using another light-tasting oil such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil in its place.
- Use a larger bowl than you feel is necessary. You want to be able to whisk everything together quickly and vigorously, so the olive oil and balsamic vinegar will emulsify together. You’ll end up with some spillage if you use a small bowl.
- If you want extra added flavor to this, you can add some dried or fresh herbs.
- For a smoother consistency, you can add the ingredients to a blender to blitz the garlic up.
Nice flavour, but my dressing came out very thick and pasty. Any ideas as to why?
Hi- That's interesting, usually it is quite loose and easy to drizzle. Did you make any substitutions to the ingredients? Thanks