Quick & easy balsamic vinaigrette dressing (Just 5 ingredients!)

Unlike store bought, you can easily adjust the dressing to fit your preferences, and make a larger or smaller batch depending on your needs.

It lasts a long while in the fridge. So this is one you can pull from again and again, whenever you need a delicious salad topping in a hurry.

In this post:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

• Quality balsamic vinegar adds a bold sweet yet tart flavor
• Extra virgin olive oil mellows the vinegar with fat & body
• Stoneground mustard adds a thicker viscosity to the dressing & helps it from separating
• Maple syrup balances with sweetness
• A pinch of salt accentuates the flavors

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Whisk the following together in a bowl:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Stoneground mustard
• Maple syrup
• Salt

Once it has reached a nice, thick viscosity, it’s ready to use.

You can make this vinaigrette dressing recipe your own by varying the ingredients & adjusting to taste.

Vary the ingredients

• Replace balsamic vinegar with red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• Replace EVOO with your preferred mild-flavored oil
• Instead of stone-ground mustard, use Dijon mustard for a stronger nose-clearing flavor or go milder with yellow mustard
• Maple syrup can be replaced with agave syrup
• Add minced garlic or shallots for a kick
• Add a pinch of your favorite herbs like fresh or dried basil, thyme, and/or oregano
• Add a dash of ground black pepper

Adjust to taste

• If you want more tartness, add more balsamic
• If you want a more muted flavor, add more oil
• If you’d like more tang, up the mustard
• If you’d prefer a sweeter dressing, increase the maple syrup

Store balsamic dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Because oil solidifies in cold temperatures, be sure to move the dressing to the kitchen counter about a half an hour before you want to use it. Then give it another shake or stir to reincorporate all of the ingredients before pouring onto a salad.

Since all of the ingredients last forever on the refrigerator door, balsamic vinaigrette will keep for several weeks, as long as you’re not adding any fresh ingredients (like fresh herbs).

Balsamic vinaigrette complements most leafy green salads.

It’s especially nice on any of the following:

• Easy spinach salad
• Salad with strawberries & vegan feta
• Avocado caprese
• Vegan chef salad
• Kale salad with roasted chickpeas

You can toss it with a pasta salad. Or use it as a marinade for grilled vegetable skewers or grilled Portobello mushrooms.

Variety is the spice of life. Keep your salads interesting by mixing up the dressings.

Here are some of my favorite options:

• Creamy cashew dressing
• Vegan ranch dressing
• Lemon tahini dressing
• Basil vinaigrette
• Vegan blue cheese dressing

📖 Recipe

Quick & easy balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 4 votes

Balsamic vinaigrette is a classic dressing that uses pantry-friendly ingredients. It's quick, easy, and inexpensive to make. Use it on leafy green salads, pasta salads, or as a marinade for grilled vegetables.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute minute

Total Time: 3 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: easy salad dressing, maple vinaigrette

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon stoneground mustard
• ▢ ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ Pinch of salt

Instructions

• ▢
  Put the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, stoneground mustard, maple syrup, and salt into a bowl. Whisk with a fork or whisk until it has a thick viscosity.
• ▢
  Serve right away. Or store for later use in a covered container. If the oil separates from the vinegar, just give it a good shake or stir.

Notes

This dressing is easy to adjust to suit your preferences. If you want more tartness, add more balsamic. If you want a more muted flavor, add more oil. If you’d like more tang, increase the mustard. If you’d prefer a sweeter dressing, increase the maple syrup. For more variation ideas, see the full blog post.

Store the dressing in the refrigerator. Oil is prone to solidifying in cold temperatures. So remember to move the dressing to the kitchen counter for about a half an hour to come to room temperature. Then give it a shake or stir. It will last for several weeks.

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Nutrition

Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg