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! Incredible drizzled on these Harvest Bowls or Strawberry Spinach Salad.
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.
More ways to use it
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
Better Than Bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Dressing
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This amazingly rich and creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette is the best ever! The key is blending it in the blender for velvety smoothness. Your salads will never be the same!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar (aged balsamic vinegar of Modena)
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
- heaping ½ tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender (blending is key for a thick and creamy dressing, I used my Nutribullet) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Dressing will thicken as it chills, so stir in 1-2 tbsp more water as needed. Dressing will keep up to a week or longer in the fridge. I store mine in this shaker bottle.
Melinda says
Tasty dressing!
Alexis Joseph says
Thanks, Melinda!
nicole says
I've never found a homemade balsamic I liked until this one 🙂
Thank you! Also very interesting about the Modena scandal. My new $15 bottle of Modena vinegar contained colouring agent 🙁 so I bet this recipe tastes even better with the read stuff.
Alexis says
Caramel color is so common, which is a bummer because you don't need it! Thanks so much for letting me know you loved this one 🙂
Julia says
This is the best balsamic! I always use these measurements and it comes out perfect every time! Thank you 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome! I have an Italian dressing coming soon that I think you’ll love 🙂
Abbey Gleason says
Seriously best balsamic you’ll ever make! So dang good!
Alexis Joseph says
Woop woop! So pumped to hear it.
Kathy Marek-Bissonnette says
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!! It is sooo easy to make and delicious; I used it for pasta salad as well as regular salad. Truth be told, you’ll want to drink it...and put it on everything!!!
Alexis Joseph says
Ohhh pasta salad! I like where your heads' at 🙂
Cheryl says
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
Alexis Joseph says
Thank you, Cheryl! If you'd be up for leaving a star rating next time, that would be superb 🙂 It helps other people find my recipes. Enjoy!
Caroline says
This recipe tastes exactly like the dressing at my favorite restaurant! I always look forward to eating salad when I have this dressing to top it with! Thanks for another great recipe!
Alexis Joseph says
That's the ultimate compliment! I find blending makes it so creamy and amazing. Thanks for the review, Caroline!
Edward says
What you show in the picture is multiple cloves of garlic. What's the correct amount?
Alexis Joseph says
I used one large clove and a lot of that garlic looking stuff in the image is Dijon mustard 🙂
Rachel says
This is so freaking good, omg.
Alexis says
Awww yay!! Thank you so much, Rachel!
Lucia Wright says
We LOVE this balsamic vinaigrette - I think I'm going to keep a jar of it in the fridge at all times from now on! Thanks for a great recipe!
Lucia Wright says
We LOVE this balsamic vinaigrette - I think I'm going to keep a jar of it in the fridge at all times from now on! Thanks for a great recipe!
Alexis says
Thank you SO much, Lucia! We're pretty addicted, too 🙂
Alexis says
Me too! So cravable 🙂 Love the extra Djion!
Ttrockwood says
I eat salad at least once a day- and i swear adding a sprinkle of salt to the greens and seasoning to the dressing is SO key to a good one!
I made this using my immersion blender but added a lot more dijon, maybe 2TB total, and went heaby handed with the fresh black pepper to help balance the slightly sweet badalmic. Really delicious and definitely a great silky creamy texture!
My go to vinegrette is similar but using apple cider vinegar, i make an enormous batch of massaged kale each sunday and then add in whatever other veggies and a handful or so of other greens like arugala. I totally crave salad !
Alexis says
Me too! So cravable 🙂 Love the extra Djion!
Nancy A says
Clearly didn’t proof that before I hit send... ?
Nancy A says
I eat salad pretty much every day if my life - this dressing it my absolute favorite!! I’ve shared it with all my friends a family!
Alexis says
Thank you SO much, Nancy! That means a ton.
Alexis says
Hahahah the ultimate compliment! Thank you SO much.
Maclean says
Hands down, the best salad dressing!
I made it last night and my partner went back for more salad "just so he could have more dressing".
Thank you so much!
Alexis says
Awesome news, thanks Madeline! Love that you're making it your own.
Alexis says
Yay! Isn't it so creamy?!
Alexis says
Mmmm dipping in sourdough is such a good idea!!
Michelle says
Alexis -- I'm not a salad dressing kind of gal BUT I've been watching you make this dressing on your Instagram stories for awhile and it sounded really good (super simple too). Verdict: I really love it! It was amaaaazing on an arugula salad I made and for dipping sourdough. Thanks for the recipe!
Carly says
My roommate & I loved this dressing! Blending it takes a quick second and makes all the difference. So yummy!
Madeline Garverick says
Hi! Just made this dressing for the first time! It was so good! I think next time for my preference I’ll use less balsamic. Very yummy though! Makes salads savory and satisfying! Thanks for sharing!
Alexis says
I hope you love it!
Kori says
I need to get a bottle of quality balsamic vinegar and make this asap!
Elaine says
I started making this after you shared it in your stories and I LOVE it! The creaminess made by blending is awesome, and it stays emulsified in the fridge! Thanks for sharing!
Alexis says
I am SO THRILLED you like it, Elaine!
Dylan Miles says
I use this salad dressing every day! It’s SO good! Blending the balsamic definitely makes a difference 🙂
Dylan Miles says
I use this salad dressing every day! It’s SO good! Blending the balsamic definitely makes a difference 🙂
Alexis says
Wahoo!! Thanks so much, Dylan 🙂
Dylan says
I use this salad dressing every day! It’s SO good! Blending the balsamic definitely makes a difference 🙂