This homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe has the perfect combination of flavors, it has the right amount of tang and sweetness, plus so easy to whip up. It is perfect to be drizzled over a mix of salad greens, grilled meat or veggies!
Spring is almost here in south Louisiana! This means a switch from curries, soups, and stews to lighter meals. This summer I really want to incorporate more salads in my diet.
Y’all know that I’m not much of a salad person. There was a time when I thought a salad was just boring diet food. But over the past couple of months, I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits of a simple salad. There are a few salads which I really love no matter what the season is. Expect to be bombarded with a couple of salad and vinaigrette dressing posts through the next couple of months or so 😀
There is so much more to a salad than just tossing a couple of ingredients! To enjoy that restaurant quality salad, you really need to have a good vinaigrette to dress it up. I’ve never purchased a store-bought dressing for salads and have no intentions of doing so. After all a good quality olive oil and acid is all that you need to whip up some salad dressing.
Today, let’s talk about this balsamic vinaigrette dressing , which is so easy, and better when made at home. I’ve never tasted the store-bought stuff to compare, but I already know my homemade olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing is incomparable! And I’m going to show you how to make it yourself, so you can enjoy your salad better.
- INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE EASY BALSAMIc VINAIGRETTE
- HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE?
- YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING ON THESE SALADS TOO
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE | EASY BALSAMIC DRESSING RECIPE
- HOW TO MAKE BALSAMIC DRESSING?
- Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | How To Make Balsamic Dressing
INGREDIENTS REQUIRED TO MAKE EASY BALSAMIc VINAIGRETTE
The ingredients needed to make a basic balsamic vinaigrette are,
- Balsamic Vinegar: The quality of balsamic vinegar that you use will determine how your dressing tastes. I highly suggest using a really good quality aged balsamic vinegar for this balsamic salad dressing recipe. So you don’t need to break the bank, a 12$ bottle for 8 oz is pretty great to start off with it! The inexpensive balsamic vinegar that cost 2-3$ are usually more acidic and will create a very tangy dressing, depending on the ratio of oil and acid you use. Look out for a bottle that says ‘aged’. Aged balsamic vinegar has a mellow flavor, less acidic and is sweet. It is perfect for this sweet balsamic vinaigrette. You could consider using white balsamic, pomegranate balsamic vinegar too.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You don’t need an expensive brand of olive oil, get the best you can. You could also use a herb infused olive oil. Or for a change skip olive oil and use other nut oil or simple salad oil. The taste of the dressing will change as per the oil you decide to use. I usually prefer a part of vinegar to three parts of oil in my salad dressing. But for this balsamic vinaigrette, I do 1:2 as the balsamic vinegar is not as acidic. You could even do 1:1 with a really good quality balsamic vinegar. Play around with the ratios until you find something that you like.
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Optional ingredients
- Mustard: A little bit of mustard helps in emulsifying the dressing. You can choose to go in with whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard. Please do not use yellow mustard!
- Sweetener: If you use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar, you may not need to add any sugar in this dressing. But if you’d like to add a touch of sweetness, consider adding honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or granulated sugar etc Besides adding sweetness, honey also acts as an emulsifier.
- Herbs: You can use fresh or dried herbs like parsley, rosemary, basil etc for a little variation.
- Shallots, garlic, or ginger: You can add fresh or in the powdered form. This should depend on how big a batch you want to make. Please read the storage info below, and use fresh or dried herbs as per your batch requirements.
Besides these ingredients, you will need a bowl and whisk, a Mason jar or any other jar with a tight-fitting lid or a blender to mix the ingredients.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE?
If you use dried herbs, onion and garlic powder etc, the dressing will keep well for weeks, on the countertop at room temperature. The oil and vinegar may separate, simply give the bottle a good shake before you use.
If you use fresh herbs, shallots, garlic, or ginger etc in the dressing, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Fresh herbs and aromatics lower the acidity of the vinegar. I recommend making a small batch if you decide to use these fresh ingredients.
That’s all there is to make a really simple, quick and easy balsamic dressing at home. Unlike me, my DH enjoys salads frequently, and he thinks that this is the best balsamic vinaigrette recipe that’s great with any salad. I used this refreshing and delicious balsamic dressing to dress some spinach strawberry salad, which I will be sharing next.
YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING ON THESE SALADS TOO
- Caprese Salad
- Watermelon salad
- Quinoa Chickpea salad
- Pear walnut salad
- Tortellini pasta salad
- Cucumber, tomato, and red onion salad
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE | EASY BALSAMIC DRESSING RECIPE
1.Add balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sweetener (if using), garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Avoid using a steel bowl.
2.Slowly stream in the olive oil, and whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, add all the ingredients in a jar, close with a tight-fitting lid and shake until emulsified or add everything in a blender and blend until emulsified.
NOTES
- Since aged balsamic vinegar is naturally sweet with a distinct tart flavor, I avoid adding any sweetener in this balsamic dressing. Add a teaspoon or so of honey/maple syrup/agave nectar or sugar for a touch of sweetness. If you use the regular balsamic vinegar which is more acidic, you will easily need a tablespoon or two of a sweetener.
- We prefer a 1:2 :: vinegar: oil ratio for this balsamic vinaigrette. You may use a 1:3 or 1:1 vinegar to oil ratio depending upon your preference.
- The dressing will keep well at room temperature for weeks, provided you have added dried herbs and aromatics. If using fresh herbs and garlic, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Thaw the dressing by placing the bottle from the refrigerator directly in a bowl of warm water.
HOW TO MAKE BALSAMIC DRESSING?
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | How To Make Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp whole grain or Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey/agave nectar/sugar, optional
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sweetener (if using), garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Avoid using a steel bowl.
- Slowly stream in the olive oil, and whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, add all the ingredients in a jar, close with a tight-fitting lid and shake until emulsified or add everything in a blender and blend until emulsified.
Notes
- Since aged balsamic vinegar is naturally sweet with a distinct tart flavor, I avoid adding any sweetener in this balsamic dressing. Add a teaspoon or so of honey/maple syrup/agave nectar or sugar for a touch of sweetness. If you use the regular balsamic vinegar which is more acidic, you will easily need a tablespoon or two of a sweetener.
- We prefer a 1:2 :: vinegar: oil ratio for this balsamic vinaigrette. You may use a 1:3 or 1:1 vinegar to oil ratio depending upon your preference.
- The dressing will keep well at room temperature for weeks, provided you have added dried herbs and aromatics. If using fresh herbs and garlic, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Thaw the dressing by placing the bottle from the refrigerator directly in a bowl of warm water.
I would love to hear from you if you do! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Regards,
Freda
Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe | How To Make Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, use a good quality aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp whole grain or Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey/agave nectar/sugar, optional
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sweetener (if using), garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Avoid using a steel bowl.
- Slowly stream in the olive oil, and whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, add all the ingredients in a jar, close with a tight-fitting lid and shake until emulsified or add everything in a blender and blend until emulsified.
Notes
- Since aged balsamic vinegar is naturally sweet with a distinct tart flavor, I avoid adding any sweetener in this balsamic dressing. Add a teaspoon or so of honey/maple syrup/agave nectar or sugar for a touch of sweetness. If you use the regular balsamic vinegar which is more acidic, you will easily need a tablespoon or two of a sweetener.
- We prefer a 1:2 :: vinegar: oil ratio for this balsamic vinaigrette. You may use a 1:3 or 1:1 vinegar to oil ratio depending upon your preference.
- The dressing will keep well at room temperature for weeks, provided you have added dried herbs and aromatics. If using fresh herbs and garlic, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Thaw the dressing by placing the bottle from the refrigerator directly in a bowl of warm water.
Strawberry spinach salad, a light, summery, delicious and refreshing salad with a lovely combination of flavors and textures!
It’s weird how the weather changes in a snap. Just when it was getting warm last week, it begins to cool down. I made this spinach and strawberry salad last week on a nice warm day. Fast forward to yesterday, and this salad was our lunch again. That’s twice in two weeks! And no complaints of this repeat 😀
- WHAT TO PUT IN STRAWBERRY AND SPINACH SALAD?
- STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD DRESSING
- HERE ARE SOME MORE VARIATIONS TO THIS DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD
- DO CHECK OUT THESE DELICIOUS SUMMER SALADS TOO
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE STRAWBERRY AND SPINACH SALAD | SPINACH SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES AND PECANS
- HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE RECIPE?
- Strawberry Spinach Salad With Balsamic Dressing
WHAT TO PUT IN STRAWBERRY AND SPINACH SALAD?
Besides, strawberry and spinach, of course, you can add whatever you like into this spinach strawberry salad. I’ve kept the ingredients minimal and used the following,
- Baby spinach and spring mix: I did a mix of 50/50 baby spinach and spring mix, simply to add more color to this salad. It is just as good with just baby spinach as well.
- Lots of fresh strawberries
- Thinly sliced red onion: If you don’t like raw onions in your salad, leave them out, it won’t matter. Here’s a tip though to remove that pungency of raw onions. Simply soak the sliced onions in cold water for 10 minutes. Discard the water and your onions are all ready for any salad.
- Nuts: I’ve used toasted pecans, but you could also use other nuts like walnuts, pistachios, cashew nuts or almonds. For a really delicious twist, use candied pecans. They make this salad even better. Of course, if you are watching your sugar intake, stick to the dry toasted pecans, like I’ve used today here.
- Cheese: I’ve used Goat cheese for this spinach salad with strawberries. I love the creaminess of goat cheese, that compliments the sweetness of the fresh, juicy strawberries really well! You can also opt-in for feta cheese, blue cheese, gorgonzola or any other cheese of your choice.
- Other topping options: Cooked and crumbled bacon, homemade croutons, cranberries etc
I sometimes make a strawberry chicken spinach salad by adding some diced rotisserie chicken breasts. The addition of protein makes it a really hearty and healthy meal. So good!
STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD DRESSING
I dressed this spinach salad with my tangy-sweet, and smooth balsamic vinaigrette! A bite of this strawberry spinach pecan salad is like a summer party in your mouth! We are obsessed with this salad and enjoy it frequently.
Though we think that the best dressing for strawberry spinach salad is balsamic vinaigrette, that’s totally a matter of preference. Here are some more delicious salad dressing options that you can choose to dress up a strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese.
- Citrus/lemon dressing
- Poppyseed dressing
- Strawberry vinaigrette
- Raspberry vinaigrette.
I don’t have these recipes on the blog yet, but I hope to share some of these soon.
HERE ARE SOME MORE VARIATIONS TO THIS DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD
- Strawberry kiwi spinach salad: Peel and slice a kiwi and add to this recipe.
- Strawberry orange spinach salad: Add orange segments along with the sliced strawberries. You can add any variety of orange, Cara Cara, Navel, Blood Oranges, mandarins, tangerines, they all work great and add a nice citrusy note to this salad.
- Spinach salad with strawberries and feta: Use crumbled feta cheese instead of goat cheese.
- Strawberry pasta spinach salad: Use your favorite pasta, about 2 cups of dried pasta, cooked as per package instructions, drained, cooled and add it to the salad.
- Strawberry-blueberry spinach salad: Swap out the strawberries with blueberries or use any other summer berry of your choice or better still a mix of berries.
- Strawberry avocado spinach salad: Add a diced avocado in this salad. I love adding avocados to this salad if I happen to have some at hand. It adds a nice creamy flair, and also boosts the nutritional value of the salad with some healthy fats! Highly recommended!
DO CHECK OUT THESE DELICIOUS SUMMER SALADS TOO
- Caprese Salad
- Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE STRAWBERRY AND SPINACH SALAD | SPINACH SALAD WITH STRAWBERRIES AND PECANS
1.Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans, and toast them for a few minutes until they begin to brown and turn fragrant. Transfer from the skillet to a plate and let it cool completely.
2.Wash and hull the strawberries and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.
3.Dress up the greens first: Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle about 2 tbsp of dressing. Toss the leaves gently with your hands to coat the leaves well.
4.Place the dressed up greens in a shallow bowl, top with strawberries, sliced onions, pecans, and cheese. You could place all the ingredients in separate bowls, and let each person assemble their salad in a plate or small wide bowl instead.
5.Drizzle some more balsamic dressing, reserving the rest to serve along with the salad if required. Toss very gently and serve right away.
NOTES
- This salad is best served cold. Use refrigerated spinach and strawberries. Make sure the greens are completely dry.
- Do not dress up the salad until ready to serve. The greens will begin to wilt the longer it sits.
- You can chop up the toasted pecans into smaller pieces.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE RECIPE?
Strawberry Spinach Salad With Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients1x2x3x
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 5.5 oz baby spinach and spring mix greens, or use only baby spinach, approx 6 cups
- 8 oz strawberries, 1.5 cups sliced strawberries
- 2 tbsp finely sliced red onion, optional
- 1/3 cup raw pecans
- 2 oz crumbled goat cheese, or any other cheese of choice
For the Balsamic vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp good balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans, and toast them for a few minutes until they begin to brown and turn fragrant. Transfer from the skillet to a plate and let it cool completely.
- Hull the strawberries and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Dress up the greens first: Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle about 2 tbsp of dressing. Toss the leaves gently with your hands to coat the leaves well.
- Place the dressed up greens in a shallow bowl, top with strawberries, sliced onions, pecans, and cheese. You could place all the ingredients in separate bowls, and let each person assemble their salad in a plate or small wide bowl instead.
- Drizzle some more balsamic dressing, reserving the rest to serve along with the salad if required. Toss very gently and serve right away.
Notes
- This salad is best served cold. Use refrigerated spinach and strawberries. Make sure the greens are completely dry.
- Do not dress up the salad until ready to serve. The greens will begin to wilt the longer it sits.
- You can chop up the toasted pecans into smaller pieces.
Nutrition
If you haven’t tried this yet, please do give it a go! I am certain you will enjoy this summer spinach salad with strawberries as much as we do!
I would love to hear from you if you do! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Regards,
Freda
