Skip the store-bought salad dressing! Instead, make this balsamic vinaigrette at home. It's rich, tangy, and SO easy to make. Just 7 ingredients!
If you keep a bottle of balsamic vinegar in your pantry, thereβs no reason you shouldnβt be making your own balsamic vinaigrette at home. Really, skip the store-bought stuff: this balsamic vinaigrette recipe calls for 7 ingredients and comes together in under 5 minutes. It doesnβt get simpler than that!
And this recipe isnβt just simple β itβs flavorful, too. Thanks to the balsamic, mustard, and a touch of honey, itβs bold, sweet, and tangy. Itβs a perfect way to jazz up salads, roasted veggies, and more. Try it once, and youβll be hooked.
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients
Hereβs what youβll need to make this balsamic dressing recipe:
- Balsamic vinegar β It fills the dressing with bold, sweet, and tangy flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil β It gives the dressing body and richness.
- Dijon mustard β For extra tang.
- Honey or maple syrup β It mellows the acidity of the mustard and balsamic.
- Garlic β For sharp, savory depth of flavor.
- And salt and pepper β To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
You can make this balsamic dressing two ways: in a small bowl or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
If youβre making it in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then, drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously. When the dressing is emulsified, season to taste.
If you want to make the dressing in a jar, add all the ingredients (oil included!), and secure the lid. Shake vigorously until the dressing is emulsified. So easy!
How to Use Balsamic Vinaigrette
This homemade balsamic vinaigrette is as versatile as it is delicious. I hope you enjoy finding different ways to use it! Here are a few of my favorites to get you started:
- Toss it with a salad, like this beet salad, this pear salad, or any simple green salad.
- Drizzle it over a Caprese salad or Caprese skewers. Who doesnβt love tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella with balsamic?
- Use it as a marinade. Try it with these grilled portobello mushroom burgers!
- Spoon it over roasted veggies, like Brussels sprouts, fennel, beets, or butternut squash.
- Or grilled veggies. I love it on eggplant, zucchini, onions, or these grilled veggie skewers.
How do you like to use balsamic vinaigrette? Let me know in the comments!
More Favorite Dressing Recipes
If you love this balsamic vinaigrette, try one of these delicious dressing recipes next:
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Lemon Vinaigrette
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ΒΌ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Β½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking and continue to whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, combine everything in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.
This balsamic dressing recipe is amazingβ¦! I suggest using an immersion blender for a more consistent mixture. I have made this dressing over 10 times, itβs a crowd favorite.
Simple and perfect
So glad you loved it!
Love, love, love your recipes! Thank you
The best dressing I have ever tasted, no adjustments necessary. Thank you!!!!
Hi Alyssa, Iβm so glad you loved it!
Soooo good, I make this all the time. I use garlic powder when Iβm feeling lazy and itβs not a huge diff!
How much garlic powder do you use? I also like garlic powder bc it doesnβt give me bad breath!
How long does this dressing last for please ?
Great easy recipe! Used blackberry balsamic vinegar we picked up in Temecula added shallots over butter lettuce and avocado! Amazing!
I just made this, this week. Waah! I can finally stop wondering why restaurant dressings taste better. This is so awesome, I will likely make this often from now on. Thank you.
Hi Geraldine, aww so glad you loved it!
My husband and I both loved this dressing! It is the perfect combination of ingredients. It will definitely be made often. Thank you!
Iβm so glad you loved it!
Perfection. I added 1 more tablespoon of oil to tsme the acidity for my kids, but so delish!!
This took just a few minutes with ingredients that I had in the kitchen. Fast , easy and tasty,
Doesnβt get better than that
So glad you loved it, Helene!
Love love love this recipe. Delicious and was a hit at my party!
So glad it was a hit, Heather!
Very delicious and very quick and easy to make!!!
Hi Matt, so glad you loved the dressing!
Loved this, Iβm a bit of a beginner and this was perfect! Easy to remember also.
This is now my go to dressing recipe, I have it on hand at all times!!
Iβm so glad you love it!
Hi, do I need to refrigerate this to keep leftovers?
Sorry just saw your last response!
Do we refrigerate this dressing?
Hi Carol, yep! It keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.
The easiest and best dressing Iβve made in a long time. We will be making this a lot!
Hi, Iβm so glad you loved the vinaigrette!
Okay Iβm not great about leaving reviews for recipes but I just had to for this salad dressing! Iβve made it for three different events and every time several people have commented on how good it is and at least 1-2 people ask for the recipe. The kicker is that it takes less than 5 minutes for it to all come together! So it goes without saying that this is going to be a staple in our house moving forward. So delicious and so fresh tasting! Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Alicia, thank you for your sweet comment, Iβm glad itβs become a staple!
I just made this dressing and itβs fantastic.