Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette--5 Ways
I've been meaning to get this Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe to you all for awhile now.
Life has been crazy and things really get in the way sometimes, you know?
Anyhow, this one is a real keeper. And it's a great homemade salad dressing for those with food allergies as well - no dairy and some substitutions that should make this work for anyone.
It's wonderful and has been on our table for basically every meal for--well--I don't know how long. It's just that great.
I love having homemade seasonings and such on the table to dress up even the most bland simple meal.
You know - like we've got a plate of whole grain, a protein source, beans, and some veggies -
Kind of blah-
But when you add some amazing toppings like
- Moroccan Vinaigrette
- Chat Masala
- or this - our new dressing, which might be the Best Salad Dressing of all
you can turn Blah into Wow. It may not be the prettiest meal, but your taste buds will surely thank you! And when you make these seasonings and dressings yourself, your wallet will thank you too!!!
Where This Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Originated
Awhile ago I thought I'd try to shake things up a bit with a new dressing to grace our table and I went searching through my cookbooks and even put a shout out to readers on my Facebook page asking for the best salad dressing recipes. (If you haven't become a fan yet, you really should. I share tons of great things I find on the internet that I don't have time to blog about - and I also post reader questions so we can help each other out. Good stuff. Great community!)
A Favorite Cookbook
Well, one of the cookbooks that I turned to is an old favorite of mine, Cybele Pascal's The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.
I LOVE this book. Cybele's book is basically the first cookbook I bought when we knew we were dealing with food allergies in our household (if you haven't read it yet, check out my posts on Eczema and Food Allergies - From Despair to Healing).
Some of the recipes in this book have become family favorites (like Raf's Cuban Rice and Beans, Four Bean Stew, and yummy Coconut Squares) - it's one of those cookbooks that you will turn to again and again. - Note, it does use gluten (barley) and a fair amount of sugar, but I just adapt to our family's needs.
Well, anyway, once I read the description of Cybele's recipe, My Favorite Dressing, I just knew I needed to make it.
And boy, am I glad that I did. You will be too.
Cybele is the wife of Adam Pascal, a famous Broadway actor. And they live in a very "posh" area of New York (I used to date someone from the town where they live, and you could see Billy Joel's house from my boyfriend's grandmother's backyard. Really. That kind of "posh" :-). Anyway, if this dressing is Adam's favorite - you can bet it's a winner.
Here's the quote from the book:
This salad dressing never wears out its welcome. I've been making it for 15 years and every single time I have dinner guests they say, "Yum! What's in this dressing?!" My husband refuses to eat his salad with anything else.
Sounds good, right? Well, let me add that if this balsamic vinaigrette is on the table, our old favorite, the Moroccan Vinaigrette mentioned above, takes a back seat.
Enough, right? Let's get on with the recipe.
The only thing I've changed is one ingredient -- and I've doubled Cybele's recipe and I've added some dietary options. We eat this so fast you'll want to at least double it. Truth is, I make a quadruple batch each time :-)!
Before we get to the recipe for the Balsamic Vinaigrette, here are some tips to help you have the best tasting vinaigrette possible.
Ingredient Tips
1. Olive Oil
Cybele recommends using only high quality olive oil. I concur. I mean, of course who wants to use fake olive oil, but in case you didn't know, there are a lot of them out there.
I currently purchase mine from Costco but I'm hoping to try out more later. The Kirkland brand has been tested and it's quality has been verified.
2. Balsamic Vinegar
Cybele specifically mentions using a brand of balsamic that's been aged at least 10 years. At the time of writing this post, the highest-rated balsamic on Amazon was priced over $40 for 8.5 ounces - ouch! This one is waaay cheaper and still gets great ratings - even high ratings from Cooks Illustrated apparently (see the ratings). So that's one good choice.
However, since balsamic is made from grapes and they are often sprayed a lot, I would go for organic over the "10 year" rule and choose a good organic brand.
This balsamic seems to be pretty good. This one seems to be higher quality for a bit more money.
2. Love using fresh herbs? See my post on The Easiest Way to Preserve Herbs
Want some more ways to add flavor to your table? You for sure should check out:
- Chat Masala (on our table all. the. time - think it tops everything (except desserts, of course :-)!)
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Homemade Herbes de Provence
- Great All Purpose Seasoning (makes an AMAZING popcorn topping too!)
- I think this dressing would be wonderful on my "Throw it Together Pasta Dinner" Yum!!
Recipe Notes
- Substitute 1/4 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar plus 2 teaspoons xylitol or a dash of stevia for the balsamic vinegar for low carb / Trim Healthy Mama - S.
- The original recipe called for unseasoned rice vinegar but I use apple cider vinegar instead for it's extra health benefits.
- You could use about 2 tablespoons dried basil instead of fresh basil.
- I use xylitol, vegetable glycerine or 1 scoop stevia extract instead of honey for a low-carb option.
Variations
- Dill Dressing - Substitute 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried) for the basil.
- Oregano Dressing - Substitute 4 teaspoons fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano for the basil.
- Parsley Dressing - Substitute 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried) for the basil.
- Shallot Dressing - Substitute 1 small shallot, minced, for the garlic and omit the basil.
Recipe
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette - 1 Recipe 5 Ways -- vegan, low-carb, AIP
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (see Recipe Notes for low carb alternative)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 small garlic cloves (minced very fine)
- 20 fresh basil leaves (chopped or torn)
- 2 tablespoons honey (see Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (see below for substitutions)
If you don’t keep prepared mustard in the house, or if you are avoiding it due to dietary restrictions, you can substitute the following -
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 2 2/3 teaspoons ground yellow mustard
- 2/3 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Blend garlic through mustard into a paste.
- Add apple cider vinegar and balsamic and mix completely.
- Add the olive oil slowly, blending while adding.
- Serve.
Alternative "Quick" Method
- Mix all ingredients in a glass container.
- Serve :-).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Now, truthfully, I typically don't even bother to blend this dressing and it is still wonderful. But of course, blend away if you'd like. I think you will love it either way!
I look forward to seeing what you think of this dressing!
Do you have a favorite salad dressing to share?
This looks really good! I'm glad to see a recipe for a dressing that's homemade, easy, and healthy!
Linda
Hey, thanks for sharing so many $ saving ideas. You have helped me in so many ways. I have a challenge for you. I need Salad dressings with NO: Vinegar, Oil, or Mustard. I know you love a challenge so I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for all you do to help improve my life:)
Why no oil? This is going to be hard :).
Has olive oil!
I'm confused about your comment. Could you explain please?
You said "Why no oil?" and I said it has olive oil. 🙂
The commenter above said she needed a dressing w/ no oil so I was asking her why :).
Oh, I guess you were replying to the post above yours about someone wanting a dressing with no oil! So sorry. I thought it was just a random comment. Nevermind! 🙂
Honey Mustard Dressing
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
sprinkle of pepper blend
Ranch Salad Dressing or Dip
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp thyme
pinch of dill weed
For dressing add 3/4 cup mayo and 1 cup buttermilk (I use homemade kefir and Vegenaise)
For dip add 1 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk
Thanks!
Adrienne,
Thank you for posting this recipe. I'm making it right now. 🙂
I'm curious, do you think the anti-bacterial properties of the garlic and honey create any interference with the probiotics in the acv and vice versa? I'm sure we'd still get some healthy properties from all of them, my brain just thinks of these crazy things. LOL
Whitney
PS I am enjoying the ebook bundle and appreciate the bonus soap nuts, too. Thank you for letting me know about the bundle *and* throwing in a gift!
Interesting. I don't know. I guess I personally would just think they are all good for me and not worry about it. But I don't count on my ACV for my probiotic needs. Did you see my post on probiotics?? You're welcome! Which book do you like the best? I haven't checked them all out yet.
I haven't read them all yet, either. Some threw me off and I was curious why they were in the paleo bundle as they vehemently argued against Primal/Paleo, but they were definitely food for thought! 🙂 Well Fed is my favorite, but I've had my hard copy for a while and love so many recipes!
I'll check out your probiotic post, but we don't rely on acv as our only probiotic. I do use it to inoculate my fermenting chicken feed and put it in their water. We (the humans) have all sorts of homemade ferments in our diet...yum! 🙂
I agree that we don't need to worry about mixing things that are good for us. I just have a science background and enjoy working with live foods so I think of these things!
I'll ask some blogger friends:).
I just heard from another blogger and they said ACV doesn't have probiotics - they only have enzymes.
How long will this keep in the fridge? Sounds great.... can't wait to make some!
Hmm.. I would think longer than the plain oil since the salt will help preserve it - does that help?
Yum 🙂 I use a similar recipe, but with wholegrain mustard and substitute some of the olive oil for flaxseed oil to get some omega 3s.
The recipe looks great!
do you have a substitution for the balsamic vinegar though, as I no longer use it due to it's high sugar content and the fact that it is not really vinegar at all.
Will be trying this soon.
I know about the sugar issue - I would just try Apple cider. I still have balsamic in the house but I don't use it as much now. I didn't know it isn't a vinegar - what do you mean by that?
This looks fantastic Adrienne! You've been featured on Weekend Whatever!
This dressing sound delicious! I love apple cider vinegar! Thank you for sharing another great recipe at Fit and Fabulous Fridays!!
This recipe sounds fabulous, and I love the variations too!
What a great dressing recipe! We'd love for you to link this up at our party! https://housewivesofriverton.blogspot.com/2012/09/riverton-housewives-round-up-33.html
Great post and the salad dressing sounds amazing!
I'd love it if you would link this (and a couple other recipes if you'd like) up to Wonderful Food Wednesday. I hope you can stop by.
Jessica @ At Home Take 2
Yum. This sounds perfect!
These sound delicious! Coming over to visit from Tempt your Tummy Tuesday. I am hosting Try a New Recipe Tuesday now. Would love for you to come over and join us! 🙂 Many blessings, Lisa
https://our4kiddos.blogpsot.com
yum-OH! I love using trader joe's dijon adds a little pep!
Blessings!
These sounds fantastic! Pinning 🙂
Thanks for the pin and for stopping by!!!
Sounds delicious and I am always up for a good homemade dressing! You can use them for so many things. 🙂
Thank you for the ideas on substituting for dijon. Dijon mustard is currently one of my daughter's eczema triggers, but most of my salad dressing recipes call for it.
I make one similar to yours, but only ACV instead of the balsamic and then a tsp of basil and a tsp of thyme. I don't add any sweetner to it. It is tangy and oh so tasty.
I'd love your recipe sometime - :-). Thanks!!!! and you're welcome!!
This recipe and the others you referenced all look great! Can't wait to try them. Sure don't mind seeing Ball jars on the table, but the bottles sound like a good option. Was happy to see the suggestion to donate the unused package of dressing (or any other unused item) to the food bank. They count on us :o)
This is a well-timed recipe! I have a half-bunch of fresh basil in the fridge that I wasn't sure what to do with, and we're out of salad dressing. Thank you!