Best Balsamic Vinaigrette

This amazingly rich and creamy homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is the best ever! The key is blending it in the blender for velvety smoothness. Your salads will never be the same!

Jeff and I have salads pretty much every night. And I have this balsamic vinaigrette recipe of EPIC proportions to thank for it! I posted how I make this healthy balsamic vinaigrette recipe on my Instagram stories and so many of you went on to make it! That made my heart sing.

Like my delish Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing and Italian Dressing, a bunch of you asked for the exact recipe. And here we are!

What is balsamic vinaigrette dressing made of?

Homemade balsamic vinaigrette is typically made with extra virgin olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. You may also see flavor add ins like sugar (or maple syrup/honey) or herbs.

Blending this balsamic vinegar dressing recipe is an absolute MUST. It emulsifies everything and makes the dressing thick and creamy. I recommend a blender, but a food processor could also work.

What's balsamic vinegar of Modena?

This is the real deal high quality stuff when it comes to balsamic vinegar. I buy it at Costco! Aged balsamic vinegar of Modena is made from wine vinegar and concentrated Trebbiano grape must, i.e. crushed whole grapes with skins, seeds, and stems.

Balsamic vinegar of Modena is packed with flavor because it has matured in wood barrels for at least three years. You'll notice the bottles have the yellow and blue I.G.P stamp, a certification guaranteeing it's made from grape varietals typical of Modena, Italy.

The dark brown color we all know and love comes from aging the vinegar in wood casks. When the vinegar hasn't been aged for long, companies will add caramel color to mimic the deep, rich color of true aged balsamic vinegar. While the color will be the same, clearly the flavor won't be. Balsamic vinegar contains naturally occurring sulfates, but none should be added.

How to make the best salad

When I'm making our daily salad, I like to use a variety of red or green leaf lettuce versus spinach or romaine because it's such a soft green. I buy a couple of heads of leaf lettuce each week. I wash them in our handy dandy salad spinner and keep the chopped greens in a glass Pyrex in the fridge for easy salads.

To make the salad, I fill a mixing bowl with greens (sometimes we'll add veggies, cheese, etc), drizzle on the balsamic vinegar dressing, and then season it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I use tongs to toss everything together until every piece of lettuce is coated in luscious balsamic dressing.

What is the difference between balsamic vinegar and balsamic dressing?

Fab question! Balsamic dressing is the end product of blending oil and balsamic vinegar to make salad dressing.

What do you use balsamic vinaigrette for?

Balsamic salad dressing isn't just fantastic for dressing greens! It's stellar:

• drizzled on sandwiches
• on roasted vegetables
• as dressing for pasta salad
• dip for pizza
• as a marinade

More amazing salads

• Brussels Sprout Kale Caesar Salad
• Israeli Power Salad with Za'atar Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Crunchy Thai Salad with Creamy "Peanut" Dressing
• Rosemary Roasted Potato, Lentil, and Mushroom Kale Salad

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