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, there’s no reason you shouldn’t 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 doesn’t get simpler than that!
And this recipe isn’t just simple – it’s flavorful, too. Thanks to the balsamic, mustard, and a touch of honey, it’s bold, sweet, and tangy. It’s a perfect way to jazz up salads, roasted veggies, and more. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked.
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this balsamic dressing recipe:
- Balsamic vinegar – It fills the dressing with bold, sweet, and tangy flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It gives the dressing body and richness.
- Dijon mustard – For extra tang.
- Honey or maple syrup – It mellows the acidity of the mustard and balsamic.
- Garlic – For sharp, savory depth of flavor.
- And salt and pepper – 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 you’re 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 doesn’t 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
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ 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.
Absolutely delicious! My teenagers loved this on the strawberry salad I made.
This recipe is amazing! Short simple and straight to the point! I doubled up the ingredients to make enough for the week, and it turned out great!
I opted to use a balsamic vinegar that has 50% less sugar, so that may change up the taste a bit, but the dressing still tastes great.
Your final product is only as good as the ingredients you use, so don’t cheat yourself. You will still save considerably in the long run over buying leading brands on the supermarket shelf.
Thank you for this awesome recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
What can I substitute for sea salt?
kosher salt
How long does this last before it goes bad?
I made this dressing for the first time last week and it’s going to be my go-to from here out! I think a quality balsamic vinegar and the fresh garlic are the game-changers. Thank you!
Hi Christina, I’m so glad you loved the dressing!