Balsamic Vinaigrette - The Recipe Critic (2024)

Balsamic Vinaigrette is a staple in the kitchen that every cook should have the perfect recipe for. THIS is that perfect recipe! It’s tangy and refreshing, and will spruce up your salads and better than every other recipe I’ve ever tried.

I always used to pick up my dressings and sauces from the store. In fact, it never even crossed my mind that I could make them at home! As a young mom, I realized that I wanted to make more things from scratch and got started with a basic fry sauce, and I was hooked! This homemade cheese sauce is a perfect beginner’s recipe, and Alfredo Sauce is another staple that tastes way better homemade.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

There are a few dressings that I think everyone should be able to make at home, and balsamic vinaigrette is at the top of that list! It’s so perfect for salads, and it’s really really easy to make too. Other dressings that I always make at home are ranch dressing, the classic Caesar salad dressing, and Cafe Rio’s Cilantro Ranch. There is nothing better than a fresh dressing to go with your next dish.

Store-bought dressing has added preservatives and sugars. They often use lower-quality oils and additional ingredients that aren’t needed. This balsamic dressing has only the basic high quality ingredients that make this dressing the best one you’ll ever have. Even my kids love this homemade salad dressing. I know how much we all want our kids to be eating more vegetables. This dressing is a great way to get those kids gobbling up whatever you pour it over.

Ingredients

This balsamic vinaigrette dressing recipe is simple and down to the basics. It’s great served over vegetables and especially with pork. I love dipping our pork chops in this dressing, it adds so much flavor. As you can imagine, it’s also amazing on tomatoes. You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.

• Balsamic Vinegar: This ingredient tastes amazing on it’s own. Blended with the rest of the ingredients it’s absolutely divine.
• Honey: This is to balance the acid in the vinegar. You could use maple syrup instead if you wanted to.
• Dijon Mustard: This adds a lot of flavor and a little spice.
• Garlic Powder: This is optional, but it adds a lot of savory flavors.
• Onion Powder: I like adding this to deepen the flavors.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: This is the best tasting oil. You could use avocado oil instead.
• Salt and Pepper: This is to bring out all of the amazing flavors. I like using Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

I can’t think of a better way to add flavor to your chicken and spinach salad than this balsamic vinaigrette. I’ve poured it over the top of a tomato and mozzarella salad (caprese salad) and it was seriously life-changing. The best part is, it’s also the easiest salad dressing you’ll ever make. Just pour all your ingredients into a bowl and then whisk together until combined! If you love simple and delicious recipes, then this one is for you.

1. Whisk: Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic powder, and onion powder.
2. Steam in Oil: Stream in the olive oil and then continuously whisk to emulsify the olive oil into the vinaigrette.
3. Season: Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The vinaigrette will keep up to 2 weeks.