This thick and creamy homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is so easy to make you’ll never buy bottled dressing again! With just a few ingredients, it comes together in no time and is the perfect dressing for salads and an excellent marinade for grilled chicken!
When it comes to salad dressing ingredients, simpler is better, which is why I never buy bottled dressing and always make homemade.
In our home, we end almost every dinner with a salad of mixed greens, and this balsamic vinaigrette is one of our go-to dressings to top it off.
It’s creamy and thick with just the right balance of sweet and sour and can be ready in just a few minutes!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Balsamic vinegar. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on balsamic vinegar for vinaigrette. Costco usually sells a large bottle at a great value.
- Oil. I use a blend of good extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
- Shallot. Shallots work especially well for vinaigrettes and are a key ingredient in many of our salad dressings.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
- Mince 1 large shallot and add it to a food processor or blender along with 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard and pulse to combine. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together in a glass bowl.
- Once the ingredients are well combined, add 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup of neutral flavored oil, such as avocado oil, to the blender and blend until smooth and emulsified. Taste the balsamic vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle on top of your favorite salads, grilled chicken, and sandwiches. Enjoy!
More homemade dressing recipes
Here are a few of my go-to vinaigrette recipes. I hope you love them!
- French Vinaigrette – champagne vinegar, shallots, fresh herbs, and Dijon.
- Italian Vinaigrette – Pecorino Romano, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.
- Buttermilk Ranch – with mayo, sour cream, dill, and parsley.
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Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon honey see notes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard smooth or grainy
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except the oil to a blender or food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the oil and blend until smooth and emulsified. Taste the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- One serving of dressing equals 2 tablespoons.
- Balsamic vinaigrette can also be made by hand whisking, or combining the ingredients in a covered mason jar and shaking aggressively, however, the texture may appear different than the photos. We do recommend using a blender for the creamiest texture.
- Balsamic vinaigrette can be saved in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Scale the honey up or down depending on how sweet you like your dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this tonight. My salad was romaine lettuce, garbanzo or cece beans, castelvetrano olives and a chunk of feta. Was planning on using cucumber but the one one I had was toast. Cukes do not last anymore. Even the English cukes. The salad was a hit. Also a lot left. Lovely recipe.
Made this tonight with white balsamic as I had it. Everyone loved it and commented on the dressing specifically.