Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe (Easy Salad Dressing)

Name: Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced; 1 rounded TB dijon or brown mustard; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1/3 C quality balsamic vinegar; 2/3 C extra virgin olive oil

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This balsamic vinaigrette recipe uses garlic and mustard as its base to give it an amazing depth of flavor. It comes together in less than five minutes and is worth the tiny amount of extra effort. Once you make this homemade salad dressing from scratch, you will never buy the store-bought junk in a bottle again. It comes together in just a few minutes and lasts for months in the fridge.

Why I Love This Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

This balsamic vinaigrette recipe has given me a reputation around town. Let me ask you this. When you attend a potluck, is there a certain recipe you have to bring every time or you will get in trouble? For me, it’s the big salad that I make and it has to be tossed with this dressing. And of course, homemade French bread!

About once a month, we have a potluck after our church services and if I don’t bring my salad with this balsamic vinaigrette recipe, all I hear are complaints. You know, a gal like me lives for the chance to try new recipes and show off her skills, but it isn’t worth the hassle anymore. I give up. I hereby vow to always bring my salad with this dressing.

This salad dressing recipe is always on request after every potluck. But, I’ve always had a hard time giving out because I have never measured the amounts of each ingredient. I just whisk it all together in a bowl until it tastes right.

So this week, I took the extra time to measure it all as I whisked it together. This balsamic vinaigrette recipe has a lot of punch to it from the high vinegar-to-oil ratio. That is how I like my vinaigrettes. That punch is what everyone loves so much about it. It isn’t boring like most oil and vinegar dressings. Give it a try as written on a salad before trying to dilute it with more oil. Just be warned that if you bring this to a potluck, you will be bringing it until the end of time.

What is a Balsamic Vinaigrette

A balsamic vinaigrette is an Italian salad dressing made from balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Different seasonings are added to create a more robust flavor, such as garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, and sometimes a sweetener such as honey.
Balsamic vinegar is a naturally sweet acid made by fermenting and aging white grape juice in oak barrels. It is one of the most complex-tasting kinds of vinegar, which is why it is delicious in a vinaigrette. Authentic balsamic vinegar can only come from Modena, Italy but that doesn’t mean other quality balsamic vinegar can’t be found at your local grocery store. Just be cautious of inexpensive options. Lower-end balsamic are often nothing more than white vinegar with sugar and coloring added to it.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients

Like all amazing recipes, this balsamic vinaigrette recipe includes all the best ingredients so the dressing is super flavorful. Quality ingredients lead to the best-tasting end result.

Quality balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh garlic
Brown or Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

How to Make a Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

If you can mix together a few ingredients, you can make this balsamic vinaigrette recipe. No intimidation about making a salad dressing at home. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to buying it at the store.

Time needed: 5 minutes.

How to Make a Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

Mix the balsamic vinegar and seasonings in a large bowl
You need a large bowl to give the space needed to whisk in the oil.
Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil very slowly
As the oil goes in, whisk vigorously so the oil and vinegar emulsify together.
Serve the dressing
Store leftover vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 30 days, or at room temperature for 7 days. The oil and vinegar might separate but you can whisk or blend it again before using.

balsamic vinaigrette during onto a salad

Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe FAQs

Is there a difference between balsamic vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette?

Balsamic vinegar is an aged, fermented form of white grape juice. It is sweet but acidic like vinegar should be. Balsamic vinaigrette is a salad dressing made by combining balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil together in an emulsion, along with seasonings and other flavors.

What is balsamic vinaigrette made of?

A traditional balsamic vinaigrette recipe is a combination of quality balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil as its base. There are a variety of flavoring and seasoning additions that are added in with the vinegar and oil. Oftentimes, garlic, mustard, honey, kosher salt, and black pepper are used in the dressing as well.

What type of balsamic vinegar do you recommend?

Like most food products, the quality of the vinegar makes all the difference in this balsamic vinaigrette recipe. Lower-end balsamic can be nothing more than white vinegar with sugar and coloring added to it. Spend a few extra dollars for the quality balsamic. A little goes a long way so one bottle lasts for a long time.

Do I have to emulsify this balsamic vinaigrette recipe?

No, you can simply mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil together in a bowl with a whisk, or I sometimes make the dressing in an airtight container and shake it really well. The only downfall of not emulsifying the dressing is that it will quickly separate so you should dress your salad right after whisking or shaking it.

An easier option for emulsifying your dressing is to use an immersion blender. It is simply a blender on the end of a stick and can go inside your bowl or container instead of having to haul out your favorite full-size blender.

balsamic vinaigrette recipe in a clear jar

Can I substitute garlic powder for the fresh garlic?

Yes, you can make this substitution but the flavor will be slightly different. For this recipe, use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of the fresh cloves of garlic.

How to easily mince fresh garlic cloves

While you can certainly use a large chef’s knife to smash the garlic and chop it up, I prefer to use a microplane. I simply hold microplane over the bowl and grate the whole garlic cloves right into the bowl. Learned that trick many years ago from the amazing Rachael Ray.

Can I add honey to this balsamic vinaigrette recipe?

This salad dressing is naturally sweet from the balsamic vinegar but if you are needing a recipe that is even sweeter, you can add a teaspoon or two of honey in the first step. You could also use agave nectar, granulated sugar, or brown sugar. I would start with one teaspoon, taste it, then add more if you feel it needs more. One of the most important cooking lessons: You can always add more but you can never take out too much!

Looking For More Salad Dressing Recipes?

If this balsamic vinaigrette recipe is just what you were looking for, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes. Go grab them now before you forget!

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tomatillos avocado ranch dressing — Homemade Caesar Dressing

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