Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (Just 5 ingredients!)

Homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing is so simple to make, there’s no reason to buy it by the bottle.

You likely already have all of the ingredients on hand.

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:

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.

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