How to Make Vinaigrette: Recipe & Tips

Here’s a grocery bill buster: Homemade vinaigrette salad dressing. It’s very easy to make, ingredients couldn’t be cheaper and it’s one of the most popular dressings to top a salad with.

Luckily, it’s super easy to make with the main two ingredients being vinegar and oil.

Standard Ratio: Vinegar & Oil

• The standard ratio is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, you’ll find the ratio may need adjusting depending on which types of oil and vinegars you use.

You want the vinaigrette to be a nice balance between oil and vinegar, with the vinegar not overwhelming the dressing so that it causes you to pucker.

Vinaigrette Ingredients

Vinegar

• The vinegar can be pretty much anything you like, try a red or white wine vinegar, herb infused vinegar, a nice balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar or cider vinegar.
• You can use fresh juices from lemons, limes or oranges as part of the vinegar ratio for added flavor.

Oil

• The oils used are a light oil such as vegetable oil, salad oil, grapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil.
• Choose an oil that’s light and has no strong taste.

Seasonings

• A basic vinaigrette is seasoned with salt and pepper (sea salt or Kosher salt with freshly ground black pepper can’t be beat).
• You can also add things like minced garlic, ginger, shallots, herbs and assorted spices.

Emulsify The Dressing

Because oil and vinegar won’t hold together when mixed, you need to emulsify the dressing which is just a fancy way of saying: vigorously mix it up. This will hold the vinegar and oil together temporarily so you can enjoy it on your salad.

I find the easiest way to mix a vinaigrette is by mixing all the ingredients but the oil first, then add the oil in three parts. Place the ingredients in a jar, twist the lid on tight and shake it up. You can also use a blender or whisk and bowl, any method that mixes the ingredients well will work just fine.

Tips:

• For easier emulsifying, first mix the seasonings together, next add the vinegar then finally the oil (in three parts or slowly add the oil while mixing).
• The ingredients are best mixed at room temperature since this will help the emulsifying process (the oil is trickier to emulsify when it’s chilled).

Basic Homemade Vinaigrette Recipe

The sky’s the limit when making a vinaigrette, I’ve included a basic recipe below. Once you get the hang of making a basic homemade vinaigrette, experiment with different flavors by adding herbs and trying different vinegars.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Source: Rachel Ray

Vinaigrette Tips

• If the vinaigrette is too strong, try adding a bit of honey or brown sugar to sweeten.
• Include a bit of good mustard (like Dijon), it adds flavor as well as helps prevent the oil and vinegar from separating (it thickens the dressing a bit too). Mix it with the vinegar first before adding the oil.
• Before adding the vinaigrette to a salad, make sure all the salad ingredients are dry. Water on lettuce can dilute the vinaigrette and help it separate.
• Seal extra vinaigrette in an airtight container and refrigerate, take out before using to bring the dressing to room temperature. You’ll likely need to shake it up well again. Most vinaigrettes will keep nicely for one week.
• Did you know: vinaigrette dressings make delicious meat marinades. Just adjust the oil and vinegar ratio to 50/50.

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