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Splash of Taste – Vegetarian Recipes

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Home / Vegetarian

Easy balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Published October 5, 2021 | Updated November 27, 2022 | By Mandy & Jane

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A balsamic dressing should be a perfect blend of silky sweetness with a pleasant tang, and that’s exactly what our homemade balsamic vinaigrette is.

When we were in Italy, we would start our evening meal dipping fresh ciabatta bread into the most wonderful oil and vinegar, we knew that we had to make a dressing when we got home and, 12 years later, we’ve perfected the best balsamic vinaigrette recipe you could hope to taste.

Homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing in an oil bottle.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • This balsamic dressing is so easy, and we mean EASY! It will take you literally 2 minutes to make.
  • It’s so flexible, use it with bread, over salads, pasta salads, roasted vegetables and so much more!
  • It keeps fresh for 4 days in the fridge, so you can make it ahead.
  • It’s 100% vegetarian and vegan, so everyone can enjoy it!

Using store cupboard ingredients, you can whip up the most delicious balsamic vinaigrette dressing in 2 minutes. We guarantee that you’ll never want to buy store-bought vinaigrette again.

Ingredients for making balsamic vinaigrette dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and English mustard.

What is balsamic vinaigrette dressing made of?

When you look for a balsamic vinaigrette recipe, you’ll find that there are so many to choose from.

The simplest will be literally balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, with a ratio of three parts olive oil and one part balsamic vinegar.

In this Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing recipe, we add a few extra flavors, garlic, Dijon must, salt and pepper to season, and depending on the quality of your balsamic vinegar, a little honey.

We love our blend and use it on so many of our dishes!

Freshly made balsamic vinaigrette dressing in mason jar with a spoon with vinaigrette flowing over it.

What type of balsamic vinegar should I use?

A traditional aged balsamic vinegar comes from Italy and in particular, the kinds of vinegar that are considered to be the highest quality, are those from two regions, Reggio Emilia and Modena.

Some high-quality balsamic vinegar can be crazy expensive – can you believe they can cost up to $300 – $400?

You don’t want to be using these in your balsamic vinaigrette dressing!

For a good balsamic vinegar, check the label on the bottle, you should see either ‘Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia’ or ‘Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena’.

If the bottle you’re looking at doesn’t have these, then put it down and look for one that does.

Luckily for us all, not all traditional balsamic vinegar is crazy prices, and you should be able to pick one up that suits your budget.

Homemade Balsamic vinaigrette dressing being poured over a freshly made salad.

What’s the difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?

Extra virgin olive oil is made in a process that uses pure, cold-pressed olives, they grind the olives into a paste form and then press them to extract all the oil out of them.

Extra virgin olive oil is perfect for making dressings, dips, and for final finishing touches on the food.

Regular olive oil is a combination, it does contain cold-pressed oil but it also contains processed oils.

It’s perfect for sauteing and general cooking.

So, for your balsamic vinaigrette dressing, choose extra virgin olive oil.

How long is balsamic vinaigrette good for?

Using our balsamic vinaigrette recipe, your salad dressing will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

What can I use this vinaigrette on?

Our balsamic vinaigrette makes a great salad dressing drizzled, over roasted vegetables, and we love it drizzled over a cold Caprese pasta salad.

Homemade Caprese pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, basil and fusilli pasta.

Recipe tips and notes

  • Don’t have any honey? Use maple syrup instead.
  • Not got a mason jar?
    Just place all the ingredients in a measuring jug and give them a good whisk, that’ll work just fine.
  • Want to zest your salad dressing up some more?
    Why not try experimenting with a little lemon juice?
  • Not keen on garlic?
    Just leave it out!

More dressings, dips, and sauces for you to try

If you like our balsamic vinaigrette then why not give these easy recipes a try? Blue cheese dressing, pesto, sour cream and chives, ranch dressing, and tzatziki.

Homemade basil pesto in a mortar on a board.

Basil pesto recipe

Sour cream and chives dip in a bowl.

Sour cream and chives dip

A bowl of fresh ranch dressing with chives and dill dressing, a jar full of dressing and lettuce leaves with ranch on them in the background.

Homemade ranch dressing recipe

Blue cheese dressing in a bowl.

Best blue cheese dressing recipe

Tzatziki sauce in a serving bowl.

Tzatziki sauce

Why not try this keto salad dressing?

How to make a balsamic vinaigrette with step-by-step instructions

You’re going to love just how easy our homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe is, you’ll make it in just 2 minutes!

In a sterilized mason jar, add extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, fine sea salt, ground black pepper, and garlic.

Process shots showing how to make a balsamic vinaigrette dressing add balsamic vinegar to extra virgin olive oil, honey and English mustard.

Now, secure the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for approximately 20 seconds until it’s combined.

Taste the vinaigrette, and if you think it needs a little sweetening, then use a little honey, then shake again.

Process shots showing how to make a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, add salt, pepper and garlic.

Taste and add more salt or honey to suit your taste and just shake the jar once again to combine.

Enjoy your delicious homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing!

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing freshly made in a mason jar.

Follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, for more tasty inspiration!

We hope that you love making our balsamic vinaigrette recipe and we’d love to hear how you got on.

Please leave a comment below or feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Homemade balsamic vinaigrette in a bottle.
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EASY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

Sweet and tangy, our balsamic vinaigrette dressing is perfect for drizzling over fresh salads, roasted vegetables, and for dipping crusty Italian bread into. We show you how simple this vinaigrette dressing is to make. Make ahead and store in your fridge, so it's perfect for buffets and BBQs.
Prep Time2 mins
Course: Dressing
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Mandy Applegate | Splash of Taste
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Ingredients

  • ¾ cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp Fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp Ground black pepper
  • 1 clove Garlic minced
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • In a sterilized mason jar, add extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, fine sea salt, black pepper, and garlic
    Process shots showing how to make a balsamic vinaigrette dressing add balsamic vinegar to extra virgin olive oil, honey and English mustard.
  • Now, secure the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for approximately 20 seconds until it's combined
    Process shots showing how to make a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, add salt, pepper and garlic.
  • Taste the vinaigrette, and if you think it needs a little sweetening, then use a little honey, then shake again
  • Taste and add more salt or honey to suit your taste and just shake the jar once again to combine
  • Enjoy your delicious homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing!

Notes

  • Don’t have any honey?
    Use maple syrup instead
  • Not got a mason jar?
    Just place all the ingredients in a measuring jug and give them a good whisk, that’ll work just fine
  • Want to zest your salad dressing up some more?
    Why not try experimenting with a little lemon juice?
  • Not keen on garlic? 
    Just leave it out!

Disclaimer

Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.

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About Mandy

A vegetarian for over 35 years, Mandy has taught herself to be creative in the kitchen. Traveling extensively, Mandy loves learning and adapting vegetarian recipes from across the world. Read more...

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