Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | How To Make Balsamic Dressing

This homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe has the perfect combination of flavors, it has the right amount of tang and sweetness, plus so easy to whip up. It is perfect to be drizzled over a mix of salad greens, grilled meat or veggies!

Spring is almost here in south Louisiana! This means a switch from curries, soups, and stews to lighter meals. This summer I really want to incorporate more salads in my diet.

Y’all know that I’m not much of a salad person. There was a time when I thought a salad was just boring diet food. But over the past couple of months, I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits of a simple salad.  There are a few salads which I really love no matter what the season is. Expect to be bombarded with a couple of salad and vinaigrette dressing posts through the next couple of months or so 😀

There is so much more to a salad than just tossing a couple of ingredients! To enjoy that restaurant quality salad, you really need to have a good vinaigrette to dress it up. I’ve never purchased a store-bought dressing for salads and have no intentions of doing so. After all a good quality olive oil and acid is all that you need to whip up some salad dressing.

Today, let’s talk about this balsamic vinaigrette dressing, which is so easy, and better when made at home. I’ve never tasted the store-bought stuff to compare, but I already know my homemade olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing is incomparable! And I’m going to show you how to make it yourself, so you can enjoy your salad better.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE EASY BALSAMIc VINAIGRETTE

The ingredients needed to make a basic balsamic vinaigrette are,

1. Balsamic Vinegar: The quality of balsamic vinegar that you use will determine how your dressing tastes. I highly suggest using a really good quality aged balsamic vinegar for this balsamic salad dressing recipe. So you don’t need to break the bank, a 12$ bottle for 8 oz is pretty great to start off with it! The inexpensive balsamic vinegar that cost 2-3$ are usually more acidic and will create a very tangy dressing, depending on the ratio of oil and acid you use. Look out for a bottle that says ‘aged’. Aged balsamic vinegar has a mellow flavor, less acidic and is sweet. It is perfect for this sweet balsamic vinaigrette. You could consider using white balsamic, pomegranate balsamic vinegar too.
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You don’t need an expensive brand of olive oil, get the best you can. You could also use a herb infused olive oil. Or for a change skip olive oil and use other nut oil or simple salad oil. The taste of the dressing will change as per the oil you decide to use. I usually prefer a part of vinegar to three parts of oil in my salad dressing. But for this balsamic vinaigrette, I do 1:2 as the balsamic vinegar is not as acidic. You could even do 1:1 with a really good quality balsamic vinegar. Play around with the ratios until you find something that you like.
3. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4. Optional ingredients

• Mustard: A little bit of mustard helps in emulsifying the dressing. You can choose to go in with whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard. Please do not use yellow mustard!
• Sweetener: If you use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar, you may not need to add any sugar in this dressing. But if you’d like to add a touch of sweetness, consider adding honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or granulated sugar etc Besides adding sweetness, honey also acts as an emulsifier.
• Herbs: You can use fresh or dried herbs like parsley, rosemary, basil etc for a little variation.
• Shallots, garlic, or ginger: You can add fresh or in the powdered form. This should depend on how big a batch you want to make. Please read the storage info below, and use fresh or dried herbs as per your batch requirements.

Besides these ingredients, you will need a bowl and whisk, a Mason jar or any other jar with a tight-fitting lid or a blender to mix the ingredients.

HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE?

If you use dried herbs, onion and garlic powder etc, the dressing will keep well for weeks, on the countertop at room temperature. The oil and vinegar may separate, simply give the bottle a good shake before you use.

If you use fresh herbs, shallots, garlic, or ginger etc in the dressing, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Fresh herbs and aromatics lower the acidity of the vinegar. I recommend making a small batch if you decide to use these fresh ingredients.

Keep in mind, if you use a good quality olive oil, it will solidify in the refrigerator. And letting it thaw at room temperature is not a good idea, as the fresh garlic in oil creates an environment that is viable for toxic production of bacterium Clostridium botulinum. You can read more about that here. Place the bottle in a bowl of warm water to help it thaw quickly instead of letting it sit out to thaw.

That’s all there is to make a really simple, quick and easy balsamic dressing at home. Unlike me, my DH enjoys salads frequently, and he thinks that this is the best balsamic vinaigrette recipe that’s great with any salad. I used this refreshing and delicious balsamic dressing to dress some spinach strawberry salad, which I will be sharing next.

YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING ON THESE SALADS TOO

• Caprese Salad
• Watermelon salad
• Quinoa Chickpea salad
• Pear walnut salad
• Tortellini pasta salad
• Cucumber, tomato, and red onion salad

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE | EASY BALSAMIC DRESSING RECIPE

1.Add balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sweetener (if using), garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Avoid using a steel bowl.

2.Slowly stream in the olive oil, and whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, add all the ingredients in a jar, close with a tight-fitting lid and shake until emulsified or add everything in a blender and blend until emulsified.

NOTES

• Since aged balsamic vinegar is naturally sweet with a distinct tart flavor, I avoid adding any sweetener in this balsamic dressing. Add a teaspoon or so of honey/maple syrup/agave nectar or sugar for a touch of sweetness. If you use the regular balsamic vinegar which is more acidic, you will easily need a tablespoon or two of a sweetener.
• We prefer a 1:2 :: vinegar: oil ratio for this balsamic vinaigrette. You may use a 1:3 or 1:1 vinegar to oil ratio depending upon your preference.
• The dressing will keep well at room temperature for weeks, provided you have added dried herbs and aromatics. If using fresh herbs and garlic, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Thaw the dressing by placing the bottle from the refrigerator directly in a bowl of warm water.

HOW TO MAKE BALSAMIC DRESSING?

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I would love to hear from you if you do! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com

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Regards,

Freda