This basic vinaigrette recipe is all you need to make the best homemade salad dressings. With the minimum of four ingredients, you can mix and match different spices, vinegars, and flavorings to make all your favorite dressings.
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The secret to a great salad is, of course, the sauce. Or the dressing as we say.
When you top fresh crunchy vegetables with a mediocre, bottled dressing, you take away from their tasty goodness. A delicious dressing, like my basic vinaigrette recipe, makes you want to keep eating!
And there’s nothing wrong with eating more salad, is there?
Why Make a Basic Vinaigrette Yourself
It’s easy! Salad dressing, particularly a basic vinaigrette, is super easy to make yourself. There’s a general basic formula that you need to know and then you can tweak and change ingredients to your heart’s content.
It’s quick. Mixing up a vinaigrette takes just a few minutes. I typically don’t measure. I just grab a small mason jar, pour in vinegar or citrus juice, add some herbs, spices, jam, garlic and/or mustard, shake well, add the oil, shake again. Voila!
It’s delicious. With this recipe, you can make an untold number of vinaigrette varieties. Experiment and find your favorites!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this basic vinaigrette recipe:
You don’t need much to make a basic vinaigrette from scratch, just a few staples from the pantry and spice cupboard.
vinegar – Vinaigrette starts with a base of vinegar. You can use whatever vinegar you like, such as red wine, white wine, balsamic, rice vinegar, and apple cider vinegar. Taste the different ones. Some are naturally sweet, some are not. If you don’t have vinegar you can also use another acid like orange, lime, or lemon juice.
salt and pepper – At its very basic, vinaigrette is salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. But you can dress it up however you like. Just be sure to add the salt and pepper to the vinegar first, before you add the oil, otherwise the salt won’t dissolve properly.
paprika – I love to add this spice made from ground dried peppers. It adds both color and flavor. You can buy sweet paprika or smoked; each will give a different flavor to your dressing.
herbs – You can add dried or fresh herbs to your salad dressing. It’s really up to you. If you use fresh, you’ll need three times what a recipe calls for in dried herbs. And be sure to chop it finely.
other optional mix-ins – Feel free to add a pinch or dollop of any of these mix-ins to your salad dressing: sugar, honey, maple syrup, jam, mustard, minced garlic, or BBQ sauce.
oil – Once you’ve got all the flavorings mixed well, whisk in the oil of your choice. I typically use olive oil or avocado oil.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making your own homemade vinaigrette is super easy!
- In small jar or bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika, and other mix-ins. Stir or shake well to combine.
- Add the olive oil. Whisk or shake to combine.
- Serve with salads or use as a marinade for meats or veggies.
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Is it cheaper to make your own basic vinaigrette?
An 8-ounce bottle of good quality, bottled dressing typically costs $3 or more. The same amount of homemade breaks down so much more economically.
- olive or sunflower oil $0.80
- vinegar $0.25
- generous allowance for scant herbs, spices, condiments $0.25
Total for 8-ounces of homemade dressing = $1.30. This is so much less than
An added bonus is that you can control the ingredients in your dressing. Bottled dressing is most commonly doused with corn syrup. Corn syrup?!
Make your own and make it good!
More Great Dressings You Can Make at Home
Tell us what you think!
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Basic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or other vinegar or citrus juice or a combination
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- mix-ins for dressing choose a few: 1 tablespoon jam, ½ teaspoon Dijon or dry mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic, ¼ teaspoon favorite dried herbs such as basil, oregano, Italian herbs, herbes de provence, tarragon
- ½ to ¾ cup neutral oil
Instructions
- In a Mason jar, pour the vinegar, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the mix-ins of your choice. Cap the jar and shake until well combined.¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, mix-ins for dressing
- Add the oil and cap again. Shake.½ to ¾ cup neutral oil
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 9, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Julie
When on Whole30 which vinegar did you use for this?
Jessica Fisher
I’m pretty sure all vinegars are allowed, it’s the mustards or jams that you add that you’ll need to check the labels. Most Dijon mustards have white wine, but there are a few that do not. Use naturally-sweetened jams.
Sally
There used to be a blog with a recipe for a simple green salad with 3-2-1 dressing: 3 parts oil, 2 parts vinegar (or citrus juice) and 1 part honey with salt and pepper to taste. I’ve also added about a teaspoon of Dijon, or a teaspoon of soy sauce (it adds umami). Some favorite versions: lime juice instead of vinegar, 1 part each red wine vinegar and lemon juice, and, especially good with salads containing apples, cider vinegar and maple syrup with Dijon.
Jessica Fisher
Yep. That sounds like a great formula.
TSandy
I make my own raspberry balsamic vinaigrette. I was spending a small fortune on bottled raspberry balsamic vinaigrette. It’s easy to make and the reduced raspberry sauce will keep a month in my refrigerator. Then I make up a new batch of dressing each week. During the summer raspberry sales I freeze the raspberries to use throughout the year. My favorite salad is over a spinach and strawberry salad with slivered almonds.
Susan
How long does homemade dressing last (if refrigerated)? Do you need to make it every time you make a salad?
Jessica Fisher
A week if you’re using vinegar, about 3 to 4 days if using citrus juice. I usually make a big batch to last the week, but some weeks I make a small amount for whatever salad I’m making.
Sandi
I do make my own vinaigrette but I don’t think I’ve ever measured it out. I’ve certainly never considered putting jam into it. That is an interesting idea. I generally prefer the more vinegary kind rather than a sweet dressing, but I might try it sometime just for kicks. I usually add all the other mix-in ideas, though. The kid doesn’t like vinegar much, and he’s a definite Ranch dressing person. I’ve never tried actually making that myself, although I know I really should. I have done my own bleu cheese dressing – the other dressing I enjoy when not using vinaigrette – but decided it was easier to just purchase a bottle of that when it was on sale.
Kristi
I just made balsamic vinaigrette last night. My family liked it. Thanks for this basic recipe! I’ll have to try some new combinations.
Jennifer Blacker
I love homemade salad dressing. While I do make vinaigrette from scratch I do admit to using mixes. Still much cheaper than buying a bottle. Penzey’s Spices sells a wonderful buttermilk ranch and Italian mix. I believe a bag of mix is about 4 bucks and it makes at least 20 bottles of dressing.
I eat salad every night so more dressing ideas are always good for me!
Ellen
I second their buttermilk ranch mix. I use it for recipes that call for a packet of Hidden Valley ranch. No preservatives… just spices. It’s great!
Claire
LOL, that story gave me such a great laugh this A.M. oh, my!!!! Thank the Lord he gives I s moments like that in our lives!! 🙂
I’m sure we each have a story similar to share. LOL
Making homemade dressing just makes sense. I love a greek dressing, but i need to try a new one. Loving your series!!!!!!