This Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette is a flavorful salad dressing that's great on salads, but also on roasted vegetables and grilled meats.
I eat salad very often in my home. The salads I make are usually full-meal salads with all of the food groups included in just one bowl. However, this type of salad can be time-consuming to make, with each ingredient often requiring its own separate step to prepare and/or cook it.
So sometimes it's nice to have on hand a really delicious salad dressing that can just be poured over some lettuce and maybe one or two other easy ingredients when I'm in a rush or don't feel like cooking. That's where this Basil Balsamic Dressing comes in.
I first created this flavorful salad dressing to go with my Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi, but the dressing is good enough (and versatile enough) that it can stand on its own, and I decided that it needed its own post all to itself.
How to make Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
Making this slightly sweet, savory, and herb-flavored vinaigrette is incredibly easy and takes only minutes. The only prep work you need to do is coarsely chop the basil (my immersion blender seemed to have a hard time with whole basil leaves - chopped leaves worked out much better), and your immersion blender (or small blender or mini food processor) will do the rest of the work.
To make the vinaigrette, simply add the chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic (you can put the clove in whole), dijon mustard, salt, and pepper into a 2-cup measuring cup (or another vessel that fits your immersion blender) or a small blender or mini food processor.
Blend until the mixture is smooth, then slowly start drizzling in the canola oil while you continue to blend. Once all of the oil is added and the dressing is thick and emulsified, stop blending. You can serve the dressing right away, or store it in an airtight jar or bottle in the fridge until ready to use. Serve it over salad (it even tastes great over plain packaged mixed greens), roasted vegetables, or grilled or roasted meats or fish.
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves - don't substitute dried basil here
- Balsamic vinegar - avoid substituting another type of vinegar here as it's a main flavor component of this dressing, and no other vinegars are similar enough
- Honey - see below for substitution ideas
- Garlic - use fresh garlic
- Dijon mustard - don't skip this. It's not enough to give it a strong mustard flavor, but it helps to emulsify the dressing. My mustard-hating husband enjoyed this dressing.
- Kosher salt - or use MSG-salt to enhance the savory flavors in this dressing, and whatever you put this dressing on.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil - see below for substitution ideas
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette Substitution Ideas
Instead of honey, use maple syrup or agave to make this dressing vegan.
Instead of canola oil, use another neutral-flavored cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil. Or if you don't mind a slight olive flavor, you can use olive oil.
Want more salad dressing recipes?
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette Nutrition Notes
The recipe below makes approximately 1 cup of dressing. The nutrition information in the recipe below is for 2 Tablespoons of vinaigrette.
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian as written. Maple syrup or agave can be used instead of the honey to make this recipe vegan.
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Immersion blender or small blender or food processor
Ingredients
- ½ cup lightly packed basil leaves coarsely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or MSG-salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup canola oil or other neutral oil like grapeseed or avocado
Instructions
- Add the coarsely chopped basil, 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 small clove garlic, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to a 2-cup measuring cup (or any vessel that will fit your immersion blender). Blend until smooth.
- With the immersion blender running, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup canola oil and continue blending until emulsified. Use immediately on salad, roasted vegetables or meats, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
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