How To Make Any Vinaigrette Dressing
Vinaigrette dressing is one of the easiest and most versatile ways to elevate a meal. Whether you’re dressing up a salad, drizzling it over roasted vegetables, or marinating proteins. They’re fresh, and flavorful and are made with mostly pantry ingredients.
Looking for homemade salad dressing recipes? Try my carrot ginger dressing, sun dried tomato vinaigrette, shallot lemon vinaigrette, or vegan poppy seed dressing.
What You’ll Love About Homemade Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Here are the base ingredients in a basic vinaigrette recipe:
- Base Oil – Extra virgin olive oil is best for vinaigrettes. It’s full of healthy fats and is a flavorful base to build upon. However, you can also use avocado oil or another neutral-tasting oil of your choice.
- Vinegar or acid:
- Apple cider vinegar (raw & unfiltered) for its tangy and mildly sweet flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar for its slightly sweet, yet bold flavor and its ability to work equally well with both fruits and vegetables alike.
- Red wine vinegar for its tangy and sharp flavor that’s especially great in Greek or Italian dishes.
- Rice vinegar/rice wine vinegar for its mild flavor that works incredibly well in Asian dishes.
- White wine vinegar for its mellow, soft flavor that works beautifully in most salad dressings.
- Champagne vinegar has a slightly brighter flavor than white wine vinegar but is comparable and can be used interchangeably.
- Sherry vinegar for its complex, savory flavor that’s not as sharp as red wine vinegar.
- Fresh citrus juice such as lemon juice or lime juice. This can be used either in conjunction with vinegar or alone.
- Dijon mustard – mustard is a natural emulsifier that helps bind the oil and vinegar together. It also adds more depth of flavor and tanginess.
- Seasonings – Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and any additional spices you enjoy.
- Sweetener (optional) – maple syrup, honey, or fresh fruit juice to balance the acidity. Honey can also act as an emulsifier.
- Aromatics & extras (optional) – minced fresh garlic, shallots, dried or fresh herbs add depth of flavor.
How to Make Any Vinaigrette Dressing: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below
- Choose your oil and vinegar. Start with a ratio of 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or citrus juice.
- Add emulsifier. Add a squeeze of Dijon mustard and/or honey to combine the oil and vinegar.
- Season. Add kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and any other seasonings or aromatics.
- Whisk, shake, or blend. If using the whisking method, slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking to properly emulsify the dressing. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a mason jar with a lid and shake vigorously, or add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Taste & adjust. Add more acidity for brightness, more oil for richness, salt, to taste, or a touch of sweetness to balance flavors.
Helpful Tips
- Use a liquid sweetener such as honey or maple syrup over a granulated sugar like brown sugar. Otherwise, the vinaigrette will have a gritty texture.
- Avoid using distilled white vinegar. It has a harsh taste and often overpowers the other ingredients making the dressing taste unpleasant.
- Play around with ratios. Sometimes recipes have a higher ratio of lemon or lime juice to vinegar, and other times, they have no vinegar, just lemon or lime juice. If you like a tangier dressing, increase the vinegar slightly. For a mellower taste, add more oil.
- Avoid using a strong oil for the base such as toasted sesame oil or other nut oils as they can be quite overpowering. Use these stronger-tasting oils as add-ons for building flavor. For example, if you were making a dressing to go with an Asian dish, you could use a small amount of toasted sesame oil, like in my carrot ginger miso dressing.
Quick Tip: If the dressing starts to solidify once it’s been refrigerated, either run the jar under warm water or let it come to room temperature. Then give it a shake or stir to combine again before using.
Storage
Store homemade dressings in a tightly sealed container for up to 1-2 weeks. A mason jar works great, but you can use any type of airtight container.
If you’ve used fresh herbs, fresh citrus juice, or shallots, store the dressing in the fridge for up to 1 week. Otherwise, store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make any vinaigrette dressing using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Make it extra creamy – swap out a majority of the oil for tahini, nut butter, mayo, avocado, or yogurt. My creamy lemon miso dressing or lime tahini dressing recipes are great examples of this.
- Make it vinegar-free – use only fresh citrus juice like in my zucchini corn salad or black bean and corn salad.
- Spicy kick – add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
- Add-ins – chopped vegetables, dried fruit, fresh fruit, fruit juice, etc.
Vinaigrette Recipes
Apple cider vinegar recipes:
- vegan poppy seed dressing
- butternut squash and feta salad with apple vinaigrette
- kale crunch salad with maple dijon dressing
Balsamic vinegar recipes:
Red wine vinegar recipes:
- fall harvest salad with cranberry vinaigrette
- Italian artichoke salad
- marinated portobello mushrooms
- dairy free Italian pasta salad
- peach panzanella salad
- warm potato asparagus salad with roasted garlic vinaigrette
- fresh tomato relish
Rice vinegar recipes:
White wine vinegar recipes:
- shaved fennel apple salad with kale
- chicken tender salad with honey mustard vinaigrette
- shaved brussel sprout salad with za’atar vinaigrette
Champagne vinegar recipes:
Sherry vinegar recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions
A vinaigrette is a simple dressing made with oil and vinegar.
Olive oil and vinegar-based dressings add lightness, a punch of flavor, and a dose of heart-healthy fats to your meals. Dress up any type of salad or pasta, or use it as a marinade for proteins or vegetables.
For a classic vinaigrette, the ratio of oil to vinegar is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. In a recipe, this would look something like ¾ cup oil to ¼ cup vinegar.
However, some prefer to use less oil and use a 2 part oil to 1 part vinegar ratio which would look something like ½ cup oil to ¼ cup vinegar.
To determine which ratio you like best, make one with the 3 parts to 1 part ratio and another with the 2 parts to 1 part ratio. Then taste and compare which one you prefer.
A mason jar is great for a simple vinaigrette recipe. There’s minimal cleanup with this method and it’s already in a storage container.
A whisk and a medium bowl work well when mustard is used to emulsify the dressing, otherwise, it tends to separate quickly. I find that a wire whisk works exponentially better than a silicone whisk.
A blender is best when adding vegetables, fresh fruit, or dried fruit to a vinaigrette, where you want an extra creamy, smooth result.
More Cooking Basics
- How to Create A Capsule Pantry (+ Free Checklist)
- Quick Guide to Cooking With Salt
- 5 Basic Tastes
- Homemade Peanut Butter
I hope you love this homemade Vinaigrette Dressing guide! If this was helpful, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
How To Make Any Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar of choice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons raw honey or maple syrup to taste
- diamond crystal kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional add-ins
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, garlic, or shallot minced
Instructions
- Choose your oil and vinegar. Start with a ratio of 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or citrus juice (like with the recipe above)
- Add an emulsifier. Add a squeeze of Dijon mustard and/or honey to combine the oil and vinegar.
- Season. Add kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and any other seasonings or aromatics.
- Whisk, shake, or blend. If using the whisking method, slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking to properly emulsify the dressing. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a mason jar with a lid and shake vigorously, or add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Taste & adjust. Add more acidity for brightness, more oil for richness, salt, to taste, or a touch of sweetness to balance flavors.