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Home » Recipes » Sauces & Dressings

The Best Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

By Laura Fuentes Updated Aug 6, 2024

5 from 19 votes

Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

The perfect balsamic dressing for drizzling over salads, roasted vegetables, or as a marinade.

If you’re looking for the perfect, sweet-tangy dressing to top over your favorite salads, look no further than this homemade balsamic dressing.

You can whip this dressing up fast with 6 simple ingredients.

mason jar with homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Don’t you love that mason jar trick? It’s a smart way to make your favorite sauces and dressings without dirtying up a bunch of dishes! I don’t think I’ll go back to a bowl and whisk, although that’s perfectly fine if you choose that route.

Healthy Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

Tangy and slightly sweet, Balsamic vinaigrette is easily one of the most popular choices. It’s super versatile for drizzling over salads, roasted vegetables, or as a marinade for chicken.

It’s the perfect balance of acid, sweet, and fats that delicately coat any salad or ingredient you toss it with, it’s why I like to keep a batch in my fridge at all times. The storebought is no match for this homemade version, and it takes 2 minutes to whip up.

Ingredients

All you need are basic pantry staples to make this vinaigrette happen, another reason it’s the one dressing you’ll find in my fridge at all times. Honey might seem out of place in a tart, savory dressing, but it helps to balance out the tang from the Dijon and Balsamic vinegar.

  • Balsamic vinegar: essential for Balsamic vinaigrette.
  • Olive oil: gives the vinaigrette a smooth consistency and helps the vinaigrette coat the salad ingredients.
  • Dijon mustard: adds flavor and helps ’emulsify’ the oil and vinegar.
  • Honey: to counteract the acid from the vinegar.
  • Salt: enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
  • Black pepper: fresh black pepper gives it a little extra kick.

How to Make Balsamic Dressing

Making your own Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing couldn’t be easier! Below, I show you how to prepare it in a lidded jar, but you could mix it up in a medium-sized bowl with a whisk.

  1. Grab a jar
    Add vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper to the jar.
  2. Give it a shake
    Seal the lid on the jar and give it a good shake until the contents are fully blended.

Watch this quick video to see it come together in minutes!

Best Salad Dressing Containers

If you like to pack lunches for salads, then this vinaigrette is a must! I remember when I would take lunches to the office and get so frustrated when I couldn’t find a the right sauce container to pack salad dressing; some would leak, others were too big…

Over the years I’ve found 2 that are super handy for dressings, sauces, and dips.

EasyLunchboxes Sauce Containers
I’ve been using these for years! They’re spill-proof and pack a generous amount of dressing or dip. 

Sistema Sauce Containers
Another great buy are these mini cups. They come 4 to a pack and hold 1 ounces, roughly 2 tablespoons. 

image: small glass jar of homemade balsamic dressing

How to Store Salad Dressing

After making, you can refrigerate it in a lidded glass jar or bottle for up to a week.

As far as plastic goes, I don’t recommend storing homemade dressings long-term in plastic. Over time the plastic absorbs the oil, and it makes the container harder to clean, it’s best to keep it to glass bottles and jars.

As oil and liquids tend to do, this vinaigrette does separate as it sets but a good shake or two and it will go right back to that smooth consistency.

Favorite Recipes Using Balsamic Dressing

Now that you know how to make your own balsamic vinaigrette here are some recipes to try with it: 

  • Chicken Caprese Salad – as a dressing
  • Chicken Farro bowls– as a marinade for the chicken
  • Fig & Arugula Salad– swap for raisin vinaigrette
  • Salmon Nicoise Salad– swap it for the Dijon Vinaigrette
  • Watermelon Feta Salad– swap it for the Citrus Vinaigrette

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 3 minutes mins
Total Time: 3 minutes mins
The perfect balsamic dressing for drizzling over salads, roasted vegetables, or as a marinade.
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin

Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • In a lidded jar, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper, shake to combine.

Equipment

Best Grain-Free Meals on the Planet
Glass Lunch Containers

Nutrition

Serving: 2 tablespoons | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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Comments

    5 from 19 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Eileen says

    April 21, 2025 at 8:55 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious!!! But, I kept it in the fridge and it hardened (the olive oil), and when I shook it up, there were still “pieces” of olive oil floating around. Yuck. How do I keep it from hardening?

    Can this be kept out of the fridge, and if so, how long will it be good?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes says

      April 29, 2025 at 11:11 am

      Hi Eileen, when you refrigerate any vinaigrette, the olive oil will solidify in cold temperatures (this is a natural process). When you’re ready to use it, leave it out on the counter for 15 minutes or simply run the bottle or jar under hot water for a minute, giving it a shake here and there, until the olive oil blends itself back into the dressing. You can keep it on the counter for up to 2 days since all the ingredients in it are shelf stable. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  2. Helen says

    July 30, 2024 at 8:22 am

    5 stars
    You can’t beat a classic balsamic vinaigrette! Thanks for this recipe.

    Reply
  3. Adri says

    July 30, 2024 at 8:02 am

    5 stars
    This is such an easy, flavourful salad dressing. It’s my new go-to recipe!

    Reply
  4. dina and bruce says

    July 30, 2024 at 7:46 am

    5 stars
    This was perfect served with our steak salad this weekend!

    Reply
  5. Heather says

    July 30, 2024 at 6:30 am

    5 stars
    This Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing recipe is wonderful! The flavors are perfectly balanced, making it a great addition to any salad. It was easy to make and tasted so fresh. I’ll be using this recipe regularly. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Katherine says

    July 30, 2024 at 6:20 am

    5 stars
    This balsamic dressing really is the best! We loved it on salad tonight with dinner. Pinned to make again and again!

    Reply
  7. Chenee says

    July 29, 2024 at 11:27 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious! Once you’ve had homemade dressing you never go back to the storebought kind!

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    November 05, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    5 stars
    Exactly what I’ve been looking for! I am a garlic lover, so I did add some garlic powder and a little onion powder. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes says

      November 06, 2023 at 3:52 pm

      Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  9. Kimmy says

    May 29, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    Homemade Balsamic is just so good!

    Reply

Hi! I'm Laura.
Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, mom of three, and the woman behind the world’s best pancakes—here to help you ditch the mealtime drama with recipes your family will actually eat.

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