Homemade French Vinaigrette is easy to make and so much better than anything in a bottle! This vinaigrette comes together quickly and is perfect tossed with mixed greens, drizzled over warm veggies, and makes a wonderful marinade for chicken.
We end nearly every meal in our home with a green salad.
We’ll often use our Italian vinaigrette, but lately this French vinaigrette has been our go-to.
The shallot and herb combo help this vinaigrette stand out, and the touch of Piment d’Espelette provides that quintessential French dressing flavor and color.
This vinaigrette can be whipped up in minutes and is so easy you’ll never buy a bottled brand again.
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.
- Herbs. I use fresh parsley, chives, and tarragon for incredible freshness and flavor.
- Shallot. For flavor, and texture. If you can’t find shallot you could substitute with 1 clove of fresh garlic, grated.
- Vinegar. I used champagne vinegar but you can easily substitute apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar.
- Oils. I like to use a blend of extra virgin olive oil, and a neutral-flavored oil, such as sunflower oil or avocado oil.
- Piment d’Espelette. This French dried red pepper adds the flavor and color French vinaigrette is known for. You can find it in specialty stores or on Amazon. If you can’t find it, you can omit it and the dressing will still be great.
- Dijon mustard. You can use smooth or grainy Dijon mustard.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
- Mince 1 medium shallot and place in a bowl or mason jar with 1/2 cup of champagne vinegar and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mince 1 tablespoon of fresh chives, 1 tablespoon of flat-leaf parsley, and 1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon. (Photo #1)
- Add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of honey, 3/4 teaspoon of Piment d’Espelette, if using, 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of sunflower oil, and whisk (or shake if using a mason jar) until combined. Add the minced chives, tarragon, and parsley, and mix once more. Taste test and adjust salt, pepper, or honey to taste and serve with your favorite salad greens and enjoy! (Photo #2)
Top tips
- Taste test. Be sure to give your vinaigrette a taste before tossing it with salad and add salt and pepper to your preference. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, add a touch more honey.
- Mixing. You can whisk the dressing thoroughly in a bowl, but it’s even easier to place in a mason jar and shake aggressively.
- Serving. Our favorite way to use this French vinaigrette is with a simple green salad. Select 2-4 different types of greens, such as butter lettuce, romaine, red leaf lettuce, or frisée for a beautiful and tasty salad. This vinaigrette is also great drizzled over grilled or roasted vegetables and warm potatoes, or as a marinade for chicken or pork.
More dressings and condiments
Here are a few more homemade dressings and condiments I know you’ll love!
- Buttermilk ranch dressing – creamy dressing perfect with salads or as a dip for veggies.
- Easy Balsamic vinaigrette – with Dijon, shallots, and honey.
- Cannellini bean dip – ready in moments, this dip is garlicky, creamy, and delicious!
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French Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard grainy or fine
- 2 1/2 tablespoons honey plus more to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette optional
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil or other neutral-flavored oil, such as avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon chives minced
- 1 tablespoon tarragon minced
- 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the minced shallot and champagne vinegar to a bowl or large mason jar and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the Dijon mustard, honey, Piment d'Espelette (if using), the olive oil and avocado oil and whisk until combined.
- Add the minced chives, tarragon, and parsley, and mix once more.
- Taste test and add salt and pepper to taste, then serve with your favorite salad greens and enjoy!
Notes
- Piment d’Espelette adds color and flavor but is optional.
- You can use apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar in place of champagne vinegar.
- French vinaigrette can be saved in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love your site and try many of your recipes. Just saw your vinaigrette recipes, all sound wonderful. I love creamy garlic dressing, do you have a recipe for it?
Thank you, Phyllis. We don’t have a creamy garlic dressing recipe yet but we have it on our long list of to-dos!
This dressing will be on my next salad
I opted to keep the pimento in and it’s delicious, I used a neutral oil, avocado oil and it was delicious!