How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (2024)

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How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (1)

We’re going back to basics today with one of my most essential everyday recipes, vinaigrette! You know how much I love salads, and I’m surprised I didn’t think to share my basic vinaigrette recipe with you until now.

Vinegar and olive oil-based vinaigrette is a light, zippy, heart-healthy salad dressing. It’s great on greens, vegetables and fruits. You can change up the flavor by using different vinegars. Vinaigrette is easy to adjust to taste, and I’ve included notes how to do so in the recipe.

Once you start making homemade vinaigrette, you won’t go back. Whisk together some basic ingredients, and you’ll end up with dressing that tastes infinitely better than store-bought dressings. No preservatives here!

Homemade vinaigrette keeps for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, so it’s worth the 5 minutes it takes to mix it up. Then you can keep it on hand for all of your salad needs.Let’s get to it!

How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (2)

Basic Vinaigrette Ratio & Ingredients

The traditional French vinaigrette formula calls for 1 tablespoon vinegar for every 3 tablespoons olive oil. Modern vinaigrettes often call for a bit more vinegar than that, but it’s always up to you. Kale salads can tolerate more zingy dressings, while you’ll want to use less vinegar for mild greens like spring greens.

Here’s what you’ll need to make vinaigrette:

  • Olive oil for your base
  • Vinegar of choice
  • Dijon mustard for some flavor complexity and creaminess
  • Maple syrup or honey for a little sweetness that balances the vinegar
  • Garlic for oomph
  • Salt and pepper

How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (3)

Vinaigrette Varieties

While you can use any tasty vinegar you’d like to make vinaigrette, here’s how I choose between my three go-to vinegars.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Balsamic vinegar makes a bold, slightly sweet dressing that is wonderful on green salads with fruit, such as apples, strawberries or peaches. Examples include my strawberry arugula salad and favorite green salad with apples.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Red wine vinegar packs a punch and works well with other bold flavors and bright veggies, like tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, feta and more (think Greek salads or Italian salads).

White Wine Vinaigrette

White wine vinegar a more mellow vinegar and it’s especially nice with more delicate flavors like spring greens, cucumber, zucchini and sweet corn. It’s lovely on just about every green salad out there. I’ve used it recently in my orange orzo salad and corn salsa.

Additional Options

Champagne vinegar is even more mild than white wine vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is sweet-tangy and tastes lightly of apples. Sherry vinegar is similar to red wine vinegar but slightly less intense.

Watch How to Make Vinaigrette

How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (4)

Please let me know how you like this vinaigrette in the comments! I love hearing from you and I’m dying to hear about the salads you make with it (#saladobsessed).

If you’re looking for more salad dressings that keep well, don’t miss my sunshine salad dressing (yogurt-based honey-mustard dressing), green goddess dressing, carrot ginger dressing or jalapeño-cilantro dressing (made a little creamy with some tahini).

You’ll also find four delicious salad dressings in my book, Love Real Food. Many more salads here!

How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (5)

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Basic Vinaigrette (Plus Variations!)

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  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: ¾ cup 1x
  • Category: Salad dressing
  • Method: By hand
  • Cuisine: French

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4.9 from 250 reviews

Here’s my go-to vinaigrette recipe! It’s so easy to make and tastes way better than store-bought dressings. You can change up the flavors by choosing the vinegar that suits your salad best. Recipe yields ¾ cup dressing, enough for about 6 medium salads (assuming 2 tablespoons per salad).

Scale

Ingredients

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar of choice (balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir well with a small whisk or a fork until the ingredients are completely mixed together.
  2. Taste, and adjust as necessary. If the mixture is too acidic, thin it out with a bit more olive oil or balance the flavors with a little more maple syrup or honey. If the mixture is a little blah, add another pinch or two of salt. If it doesn’t have enough zing, add vinegar by the teaspoon.
  3. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for future use. Homemade vinaigrette keeps well for 7 to 10 days. If your vinaigrette solidifies somewhat in the fridge, don’t worry about it—real olive oil tends to do that. Simply let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes or microwave very briefly (about 20 seconds) to liquify the olive oil again. Whisk to blend and serve.

Notes

Balsamic vinegar: Makes a bold, slightly sweet dressing that is wonderful on green salads with fruit, such as apples, strawberries or peaches.

Red wine vinegar: Packs a punch and works well with other bold flavors and bright veggies, like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, cabbage and more (think Greek salads).

White wine vinegar: This is a more mellow vinegar and it’s especially nice with more delicate flavors like cucumber and sweet corn. It’s lovely on just about every green salad out there.

Greek/Italian variation: Use red wine vinegar. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano and, optionally, a pinch of red pepper flakes.

▸ Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.

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How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!) (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for vinaigrette dressing? ›

The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you.

What are two ingredients that can be used to help emulsify a vinaigrette? ›

The most common emulsifiers in your kitchen are likely egg yolks, mayonnaise, prepared mustard (preferably Dijon), honey, and tomato paste (though I'm not a fan of raw tomato paste, the flavor works quite well in a vinaigrette). For a more neutral flavor, use mayonnaise.

What is the standard recipe for a basic vinaigrette group of answer choices? ›

The Basic Vinaigrette Formula

The most basic ratio for making a salad vinaigrette is: one part vinegar (or other acid) three parts oil.

What is the ratio of oil to vinegar when making a vinaigrette? ›

Here is a perfect example of a culinary ratio, one that's fairly standard: The 3-to-1 vinaigrette, or 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar.

Which vinegar is best for vinaigrette? ›

In addition to white wine vinegar, red wine, sherry, balsamic and cider vinegars can all be used in the same quantities as above. It's really down to personal taste and it's great to have a selection of vinegars in your cupboard to give variety to even the simplest salads.

What is classic vinaigrette made of? ›

In a pint-size jar, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cover and shake to dissolve the salt. Add the olive oil and shake to blend. Taste for seasoning.

What's the ratio of traditional vinaigrette? ›

For a traditional vinaigrette, you'll need to mix about 3 tablespoons of oil to 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You'll also want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Of course, for all four ingredients, the better the quality you use, the better your vinaigrette will taste.

What are some variations that can be made from a basic vinaigrette? ›

Once you have figured out the ratio of oil to vinegar, season it with salt and pepper to create a basic vinaigrette. Basic vinaigrette can be made in a large batch as a base and you can add garlic, Italian seasoning, mustard, herbs, honey/agave for sweetness etc to create different variations.

How long does homemade vinaigrette last? ›

Homemade vinaigrette keeps for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, so it's worth the 5 minutes it takes to mix it up. Then you can keep it on hand for all of your salad needs.

What is vinaigrette made of? ›

Vinaigrette (/ˌvɪnɪˈɡrɛt/ VIN-ih-GRET, French: [vinɛɡʁɛt]) is made by mixing an oil with a mild acid such as vinegar or lemon juice (citric acid). The mixture can be enhanced with salt, herbs and/or spices. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but can also be used as a marinade.

What is the standard recipe for a basic vinaigrette quizlet? ›

oil and vinegar dressing; a basic vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to one part vinegar, 3 to 1. mixed ingredients that permanently mix.

What is the best oil to use for a vinaigrette? ›

The Oils. Generally speaking, any oils labeled "vegetable oil" or "salad oil" are fine for making a basic vinaigrette. You could also use any light, neutral-flavored oil like safflower, canola, or soybean oil. One of the most common variations is to substitute olive oil for salad oil.

What stabilizers are in vinaigrette? ›

An emulsifier is used in a vinaigrette to stabilize the oil and vinegar. Common emulsifiers include egg yolks, soy lecithin, and mustard. These ingredients all include lecithin--the stabilizing compound. In many vinaigrettes, mustard is the go-to stabilizer.

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