White Balsamic Vinaigrette is a simple yet sophisticated salad dressing that is light, crisp, and a little tangy. Whip up a batch with five common ingredients and serve over traditional garden salads or summer fruit salads. Makes a sweet and tangy marinade for chicken and seafood too!
A longtime favorite of mine, making your own salad dressings is one of the easiest kitchen skills to learn. Blend the ingredients and give it a little shake. It takes about as much time as opening a new bottle and saves fridge space too!
One of my favorites dressings is white balsamic vinaigrette. It’s slightly different from traditional balsamic. However, white balsamic vinegar is slightly more subtle and sweeter due to the aging and barreling process.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Takes less than 5 minutes to make!
- Super versatile from using on salads to a marinade.
- All natural and just a few ingredients.
- The perfect balance of both a little sweet and a little tart taste.
- Make ahead for healthy lunches and dinners.
Ingredients and Notes
Here is an overview of what you will need and what I use to make this dressing:
White Balsamic Vinegar - You can use white or regular (black) balsamic vinegar. White Balsamic tends to be less syrupy with a cleaner aftertaste.
Light Oil - I use a very light-tasting olive oil, but grapeseed and vegetable oil are slightly milder in taste.
Dijon Mustard - I use stone-ground Dijon mustard since that is what I have in the pantry. I wouldn’t recommend regular yellow mustard.
Honey - I use honey, but agave nectar or stevia would work.
Minced Garlic - 1 clove of fresh garlic or 1 teaspoon of store-bought minced garlic is perfect.
Recipe Tips + Suggestions
Making this salad dressing is as easy as whisking together the ingredients in a small dish. It may settle and separate as it sits, so give a good stir or shake before putting on the salad.
- You can add some creaminess by adding a ½ cup of mayo or yogurt. I would generally cut the oil if I added mayo but that’s a personal preference.
- If making ahead, leave the dressing on the side until just ready to serve to keep the veggies crisp.
- This dressing is also really delicious as a marinade for chicken and lamb!
What to Serve with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
I originally created this White Balsamic Vinaigrette to dress my Cobb Salad, but the dressing was such a homerun that I’ve since found soooo many uses for it.
Summer Salads: It’s delicious to toss on any salad, but it’s especially delicious when paired with fruit like on Mango Shrimp Salad, Strawberry Poppyseed Salad, Blackberry Salad, or Winter Fruits Salad.
Marinade: Delicious over grilled meats such as chicken, steak kabobs, pork chops. My personal favorite is grilled seafood (mahi is amazing!)
Veggies: Sometimes I use it for veggies bowls for lunches. Roasted red peppers and Brussel sprouts are especially good.
Make Ahead Options
This recipe is even better doubled as a make-ahead salad dressing for lunches! Simply double/triple/quadruple the recipe for whatever you need for storing make-ahead salad dressing.
While it’s fine in any food grade container such as tupperware, I store it in clean glass jars. There are also a variety of options including:
Leftovers Storage
Room Temperature - Because there is no dairy, this white balsamic vinaigrette has a longer shelf life and can be left out at room temperature for up to a day. Once opened and mixed together, the dressing is safer to refrigerate but should be allowed to come to room temp before using for best mixing of ingredients.
Refrigerator - Store the dressing in an airtight container for up to one month in your refrigerator.
Freezer - The ingredients will separate, and it's not recommended to freeze.
More Satisfying Salad Dressings To Try
Frequently Asked Questions
White balsamic vinegar is not as sweet and syrupy as regular balsamic. Made from the Trebbiano grapes, white balsamic vinegar is cooked slowly under pressure, instead of being caramelized like regular Balsamic. It is then aged in uncharred wooden barrels anywhere from 1-12 years.
White Balsamic Vinegar has a sweet, subtle flavor and a clean color, which also comes across when making a vinaigrette as well. This vinegar is mainly used in marinades, salad dressings and other light-colored sauces.
Yes. Conventional balsamic is a little sweeter tasting and caramelized, but it makes an excellent substitute if you cannot find a white variety.
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White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ½ cup light tasting olive oil
- 4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
- Combine all the balsamic dressing ingredients in a bottle or mason jar. Close the lid and shake vigorously. If you do not have a bottle with lid, whisk in a bowl. Store at room temperature until needed. Re-shake if the ingredients have separated.
- Drizzle dressing just before serving or serve on the side and allow guests to add their own.
Rachel says
Quick and easy! Delicious on fresh mozzarella, tomato, and fresh basil!
Sara says
I made it but I didn’t have honey, so I used maple syrup instead! It came out yummy!
Ora says
It came out great! but I think its needs more honey.
Jess says
Delicious
Danny says
So easy and so good!! Added a bit of garlic & herb to ours
Keith says
Very good basic recipe. You can add or subtract to suit your personal tastes.
Maria says
Love this simple vinaigrette! It’s my go-to.
Carol says
added apples to the salad to make it sweeter! so good!
Kristilyn says
This is so easy and tastes delicious. I use a flavored garlic olive oil and a flavored Italian fig balsamic vinegar, and it is amazing!
Charlotte says
I make this almost every time I make a salad!! it’s so good!