You absolutely need a great Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe! It’s a kitchen staple that you will find yourself making for so many different meals. My favorite balsamic vinaigrette is creamy, tangy, and sweet. It is the perfect dressing to top any salad, but don’t sleep on using it as a simple dip to upgrade a vegetable tray, too.
I don’t even spend that much time on social media, but somehow I still have been inundated with hilarious content about Europeans freaking out about America’s America-ness. There are a ton of people visiting here for the first time to see the World Cup. TSA even put a limit on how much ranch dressing travelers were allowed to stash in their suitcases on the way home, which is about the most American thing I’ve ever heard. Apparently ranch is not a thing over there?? How?? Welcome to the fold, Europeans.
Another guy from France went to Buc-ees in Texas (which, if you’ve never been to Buc-ees, you should probably road trip it right now.) He said, “I came to judge. I stayed for the snacks.” Amen.
My friend Stephen was on a flight home from Europe recently and was seated next to an Irish woman. “I just love America,” she said. “It’s the only place I’ve ever been where you can enjoy such excess. I can have a Red Bull delivered to my hotel room within 10 minutes in the middle of the night.”
Well, we have the ranch, Red Bull, and heart disease, but the Europeans have the balsamic, and to them I will forever be grateful.
A creamy, perfectly balanced Balsamic vinaigrette is one of salad’s greatest pleasures. I’ve perfected my recipe and I’m super excited to share!!
The real deal balsamic
Eric and I are heading to Italy soon for the adventure of a lifetime (eee!!!), so I keep pulling up maps of the homeland as we are planning. Every time, without fail, I spot products and food I eat all the time, right there on the map.
Oh, San Pellegrino sparkling water is actually a city? Bologna is where my childhood sandwich originated? Parma is the only place Real Parmesan is made?? It’s actually kind of surreal.
Modena is the super special region where Certified Balsamic Vinegar is made, aged in barrels over the course of 12 years. It is extremely thick and rich, and also extremely expensive.
If you have some real deal Modena Balsamic vinegar, I wouldn’t make it into a salad dressing. It’s too good for that. I would just drizzle it directly onto salad, or pizza, or serve on a Charcuterie board.
But. If you have some still-amazing-even-if-not-authentic balsamic, definitely turn it into a mean salad dressing. I love to use the Balsamic vinegar from Costco, which is still made from grape must in Modena, even if it is not officially certified. (Grape must is unfermented grape juice made from the grape, seeds, and stems.)
Look for a balsamic vinegar that has grape must as the only ingredient (best), or at least a brand that has grape must as the first ingredient (followed by wine vinegar.)
Balsamic vinaigrette: ridiculously easy
Balsamic vinaigrette is a very simple recipe, and yet there are lots of ways it can go wrong. The most common pitfall is to use too much balsamic, which can make your dressing overly sweet and cloying. High quality balsamic vinegar is shockingly sweet.
My secret ingredient for a perfectly balanced vinaigrette is to use lemon juice. I love the freshness and brightness that it adds to the final dressing. It does not make it taste lemony; the balsamic is too strong for that. It just adds these perfect notes in the background that make the final dressing tangier and less overwhelming and cloying.
The whole thing comes together in about 5 minutes, which is awesome for a weeknight! I like to double the recipe to have it on hand for lunch salads for a couple weeks. It is tangy-sweet, naturally creamy and has the most amazing balsamic flavor.
What you need
The full ingredient list is in the recipe card, but here are the stars:
- Balsamic vinegar is one of those items that you truly do get what you pay for. A high-end (but not certified) balsamic vinegar is the best kind to use for this dressing! Grape must should be the first ingredient listed. I like to buy mine at Costco.
- Lemon juice is the key ingredient that will take your dressing from overly sweet to perfectly balanced. Fresh lemon juice ONLY!
- Fresh garlic adds just a hint of a bite, and lots of extra savory flavor
- Extra virgin olive oil is the gold standard for most vinaigrettes. I love the mild flavor it adds, but if you want the oil to be even more neutral you can use light olive oil or avocado oil.
How to make balsamic vinaigrette
Here’s the lineup! This recipe literally takes 5 minutes. Pause the World Cup long enough to put this all in the blender.
First add in the balsamic. Give is a taste first! If it is very sweet, it might impact the amount of honey you want to add.
Same goes for the lemon. If it’s not very sweet at all, use a little less lemon juice.
Then add in some Dijon, which adds a little sharpness, tang, and a tiny hint of spice. But most importantly, it adds savoriness.
Same goes for the garlic. It’s one of the most important ingredients for adding savory depth.
Blend it up, making sure the garlic gets blended.
Then turn the blender on low and add the oil slowly in a thin stream. This emulsifies the oil and other liquids instantly, creating a unified, creamy dressing, as opposed to one that will continually separate on you.
It get’s nice and creamy, a little frothy even, which will calm down soon enough.
This recipe makes about 1 and 3/4 cup dressing. Easy to double in a regular size blender!
Pour it into a mason jar and enjoy your taste of Italy!
What to eat with this dressing
What not to eat may very well be the better question here.
- Obviously salad! This is such a versatile dressing that you could probably use it for just about any salad you like. I think it would be particularly delicious on this Cobb Salad or maybe my Fancy No Chop Salad. You can look through the Salad Recipes page on the blog for even more ideas!
- As a marinade for meat, especially chicken and fish. Just coat the meat well in the dressing, let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple hours, then grill or bake.
- As a simple dressing for pasta salad, like this Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Toss it over vegetables before or after roasting, or toss in a splash after sauteing mushrooms!
I have a new recipe coming out in two weeks called “The Seasonal Goat.” It’s a Mendocino’s copycat and it’s literally the best salad I have ever eaten. Here is a sneak peak!
Yes…that’s goat cheese drizzled with hot honey and then this amazing vinaigrette. It’s so good!!
How to store your vinaigrette
Make sure to add it to a container with an airtight lid. My preferred container is a mason jar with a lid, that way I can shake it up really well again before using the next time, and bring all the boys to the yard. Keep the jar or container in the refrigerator, but set it out on the counter for 5-10 minutes before using so the oil has time to become liquid again. It will last for several weeks this way.
I don’t recommend freezing this vinaigrette. Not only does it last so long in the refrigerator that it hardly seems necessary, but the emulsification that makes the dressing creamy is likely to break (meaning the oil and vinegar will separate). If you do try freezing and it separates, you can try re-blending it and streaming in another 1-2 tablespoons of oil to see if it will come together again. Let us know in the comments if you try it!
More dressings for all the salad
One thing you should know about me: almost every single day I eat leftovers over salad for lunch. True story! It’s a great way to add those greens, keep meals lighter, and still use up what I have. Here are some more of my favorite dressings I use regularly to pull it all together!
Sauces & Dressings
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
Easter Recipes
Raspberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
Appetizers, Dips & Snacks
Best Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe
Salad Recipes
My Favorite Green Goddess Salad
Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, use a little less if all you have is table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 small garlic cloves, or 2 large cloves
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the oil to a blender: 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup FRESH lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 3 small garlic cloves.*
- Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add oil in a stream. It will be quite creamy.
- Keep the blender lid on, but remove the cap from the top. With the blender running on low, add 3/4 cup olive oil in a thin stream. Keep blending until it has come together and is completely emulsified.
- Makes about 1 and 3/4 cup balsamic dressing.
- Transfer the dressing to a mason jar or other sealed container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 months. Do no freeze!
- Make this Balsamic Vinaigrette to go with Cobb Salad, Fancy No Chop Salad. Basil Chicken Arugula Salad, or any other salad on my Salad Recipes page! This vinaigrette is also a great surprise as a dip for a veggie tray, instead of the traditional Ranch.
