This Vinaigrette recipe is quick and easy to make using pantry staple ingredients. Make a batch today and drizzle it over salads all week long!
Homemade salad dressing is so simple to make, and this simple vinaigrette recipe is my favorite. It’s made with just four ingredients, plus salt and pepper. Once you master this basic recipe, you can customize it to make it your own. I’ve included some variation suggestions below.
This vinaigrette is tangy and perfect for drizzling over your favorite green salad. You can store it in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, so you can always have homemade vinaigrette dressing ready to enjoy.
I prefer homemade dressing over store bought because it tastes fresher and you can choose what to put in your salad dressing. Without any preservatives or other questionable ingredients, this vinaigrette dressing is perfect for serving with your healthy salads. You might also enjoy my balsamic vinaigrette, Italian dressing, honey mustard dressing, greek salad dressing and homemade ranch dressing recipes.
How to make Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil in a vinaigrette because the olive oil is a key ingredient in your dressing. The flavor of the olive oil plays a big role in the flavor of the dressing.
Apple Cider Vinegar: The best vinaigrette is the perfect balance of an acidic ingredient (in this case vinegar) and a sweetener. Apple cider vinegar is my favorite vinegar for salad dressings because of the flavor. You can substitute another vinegar if you prefer.
Honey: The honey balances out the tartness of the vinegar. You can add more or less, to taste.
Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard helps to emulsify the vinaigrette. It also adds flavor. If you don’t care for mustard, you can leave it out.
Salt and Pepper: Always season your salad dressings to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Steps
To make this vinaigrette dressing, all you need to do is combine the ingredients and mix them together well. You can mix everything together in a bowl, with a whisk. Or, you can combine the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to mix. I usually make homemade salad dressing in a mason jar because then I can store the dressing right in the jar in my refrigerator.
Once everything is mixed together, taste the dressing and adjust the ingredients as necessary. The ratio of ingredients listed in the recipe below can be adjusted to your tastes. If your dressing tastes too sweet, you can add a little more vinegar or olive oil. If it is too acidic, add a little more honey or olive oil. You can also add more salt and pepper, to taste.
Vinaigrette Variations
You can change the flavor of this recipe by using a different type of vinegar. Try red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar.
You can use maple syrup instead of honey.
Like this Lemon Vinaigrette recipe, instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice as your acidic ingredient.
Try this Salad Dressing with these Salads:
Avocado Kale Salad
Massaged Kale Salad
Spinach Salad with Bacon
Green Salad Recipe
5 from 6 ratings
Simple Vinaigrette Recipe
Servings: 4servings
Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Total Time: 5 minutesmins
This Vinaigrette recipe is quick and easy to make using pantry staple ingredients. Tastes so much better than store bought! Make a batch today and drizzle it over salads all week long.
Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid or in a small bowl. Seal the jar with the lid and shake until well combined, or whisk until well combined.
Taste and adjust the ingredients as necessary. If the dressing is too sweet, add a little more vinegar or olive oil. If it is too acidic, add a little more honey or olive oil.
Dressing can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
The dressing will separate as it sits and the oil may solidify in the refrigerator. Let the dressing sit at room temperature until the oil melts and then shake or stir vigorously to recombine the ingredients.
Apple cider vinegar may be substituted with white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.
This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Kristine's Kitchen!
Traditional vinaigrette recipes call for a ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar. However, some people—like me—prefer their dressings to pack more punch and choose a 2:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio.
Put the mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a jar and season. Shake vigorously to mix. Store in a cool place (not the fridge) until ready to use. Use for all your salads or try one of our recipes, right.
How Long Does Homemade Vinaigrette Last? Traditional vinaigrettes, like the balsamic version listed below, will last longer—sometimes up to a few weeks. However, anything with fresh garlic should be consumed within a few days, as the combination of garlic and oil can form harmful bacteria over time.
An emulsifier is used in a vinaigrette to stabilize the oil and vinegar. Common emulsifiers include egg yolks, soy lecithin, and mustard. These ingredients all include lecithin--the stabilizing compound. In many vinaigrettes, mustard is the go-to stabilizer.
Emulsifiers mix easily with both oil and water and act as the glue that keeps your vinaigrette from separating. Common ingredients used as emulsifiers in vinaigrettes include Dijon mustard, honey, egg yolks, tomato paste or even roasted garlic (some are better emulsifiers than others).
First Oil, Then Vinegar. It's somewhat akin to the old Far Side adage, "First Pants, Then Shoes." If you add the vinegar first, the oil slides off and ends up in a puddle at the bottom of the bowl, instead of coating every leaf. 3 to 1. This is the standard ratio of oil to vinegar: three parts oil to one part vinegar.
Simply throw the ingredients into a mason jar and give them a good shake right before you're ready to use it. The shaking part is key. You want your vinaigrette to be at least partially emulsified before you add it to your salad so the greens get coated evenly.
For a traditional vinaigrette, you'll need to mix about 3 tablespoons of oil to 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You'll also want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Of course, for all four ingredients, the better the quality you use, the better your vinaigrette will taste.
Our recipe uses a store-bought oil and vinegar mixture, but if you'd rather make it from scratch you'll need three-quarters of a cup of oil and one-quarter of a cup of white vinegar. The 3:1 ratio is a cooking standard of fat to oil when making a vinaigrette, the classic dressing for vegetables.
A 3-to-1 ratio of oil to vinegar makes for a perfectly smooth, thick emulsion. Dijon mustard helps emulsify the oil and vinegar/water while shallots add mild sweetness.
In general, vinaigrette consists of 3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are often added. Herbs and shallots, too, are often added, especially when it is used for cooked vegetables or grains. Sometimes mustard is used as an emulsifier and to add flavour.
The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you. My simple system is: In a small screw-top jar, place vinegar and a pinch of salt; cover and shake (this helps to dissolve the salt).
Salad dressings represent one of the typical oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions composed of vegetable oil, vinegar, egg yolk, and starch, which can be categorized into three groups based on the oil content: (1) mayonnaise, (2) spoonable, and (3) French-type dressings.
Expert-Verified Answer. The primary ingredient in salad dressing among the given ones is oil. Salad dressing typically consists of a combination of ingredients, but the primary ingredient that forms the base of most salad dressings is oil.
Lets start with a vinaigrette. These are the lightest of all dressings. On the simplest level they're merely any kind of acid (think lemon, lime, vinegar etc.)whisked together with oil salt and pepper.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
