Want to add sweet and tangy flavor to a salad, appetizer, or side dish? Make this balsamic reduction! You just need 10 minutes and 1 basic ingredient.
Since it’s the season for all things Caprese (find my salad recipe here and my skewer recipe here!), I thought I’d go ahead and share a simple balsamic glaze recipe too. This punchy reduction couldn’t be easier to make, and its sweet and tangy flavor is the perfect accent for seasonal ingredients like basil and tomatoes.
That being said, this balsamic glaze recipe can come in handy at other times of year, too. You can toss it with Brussels sprouts in the fall, drizzle it over roasted acorn squash in the winter, and serve it with ruby red strawberries in the spring. Honestly, once you know how to make a balsamic reduction, you’ll start drizzling it over everything.
How to Make Balsamic Glaze
Here’s the good news: you only need 1 ingredient to make this balsamic glaze recipe! While some recipes call for maple syrup or brown sugar, I find it’s not necessary. Reduced balsamic vinegar is plenty sweet and syrupy on its own.
The other good news? Making this balsamic glaze only takes about 10 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Then, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often so that the vinegar doesn’t burn, until the vinegar thickens. The exact timing will depend on how thick you want your balsamic reduction to be. Keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools.
That’s it! Making a homemade balsamic glaze couldn’t be simpler.
How to Use Balsamic Reduction
Use this balsamic glaze anytime you want to give a dish a kick of sweet and tangy flavor. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Drizzle it over a Caprese salad. It’s great on Caprese skewers, too!
- Toss it with roasted Brussels sprouts. This combination is a classic for a reason.
- Or other roasted veggies! Some of my favorites include butternut, acorn, and delicata squash, broccoli, beets, fennel, and tomatoes.
- Spoon it onto grilled vegetables. Think zucchini, onions, and mixed veggie skewers.
- Serve it with fruit. Try it in this strawberry salad, or add it to this burrata recipe with tomatoes and peaches. It’d be divine on grilled peaches, too.
- Drizzle it onto pizza. It’s especially at home on a Margherita.
- Serve it on bruschetta for a classy summer appetizer. When tomatoes and basil are in the picture, this balsamic reduction will always taste great.
- Or enjoy it for dessert. It’s an out-of-this-world ice cream topping!
How do you like to use balsamic glaze? Let me know in the comments!
More Favorite Dressings and Sauces
If you love this balsamic reduction recipe, try one of these dressings or sauces next:
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Lemon Butter Sauce
- Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Basil Pesto
Balsamic Reduction (Balsamic Glaze)
Ingredients
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Add the vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until thick and reduced, about 8 to 12 minutes. The timing will depend on your desired thickness. The balsamic will also thicken as it cools.
- See the blog post above for serving suggestions.
So good on bruschetta
So glad you loved it, Priscilla!
How long will this keep? Should it be refrigerated?
Hi Lynne, I would store in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
I see that it serves four but I’d like to make this for gifts. Does it reduce to 1/2-3/4 cup?
I read that 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette yields 1/2 cup of balsamic glaze.
I like dipping French bread into olive oil and balsamic glaze ites delicious
Hi Terry, yum! Such a tasty appetizer or snack.
Delicious! Thanks for posting this for this newbie cook to find!
will this work with Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing?
Hi Rob, You need plain balsamic vinegar for this recipe. A vinaigrette has oil in it, which won’t reduce.
Easy and effective! Thank you!
Hi Dave, so glad the recipe was helpful!
I give it 5 stars ⭐️
I was thinking of this reduction on the plate with fried Sturgeon with an orange glaze on top. What are your thoughts?
Drizzle it on a wedge salad over the Bleu cheese dressing. The sweetness helps city the butter of the Bleu cheese.
Great suggestion!
How thick will it get?
Hi, it will have a lightly syrupy texture. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be. It will thicken more as it cools.
Can you store the leftover reduction sauce? If so for how long?
Thank you
Hi Kathleen, yes! You can keep it in the fridge for about a week.
I use it to make fig sauce for pork tenderloin
Would this also work with malt vinegar?
Hi Tom, I haven’t cooked with malt vinegar much, so I’m not sure.
I cooked for 30 minutes or longer…the balsamic vinegar would not thicken? The liquid reduced to half..or more…same consistency!
Hi Elaine, Did the reduction thicken at all once it cooled? If the volume decreased by half, it should thicken, as much of the water has been cooked out.
I am thankful for this simple recipe. My first try, great flavor, but it didn’t thicken to my expectations even when the volume was reduced significantly . I used a little, put it in the fridge and just tested – meh. Maybe it has something to do with the quality of the vinegar? – I used a bottle that had been in my cupboard for a while.
Balsamic vinegarette glaze on top of sourdough avocado toast with burrata cheese tomatoes and raw onions. X. Excellent excellent
Sounds so delicious!
Delicious – the instructions were perfect.
So grateful to find a recipe that doesn’t add sugar! Thank you!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I think balsamic is sweet enough on it’s own.