This Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette is a flavorful salad dressing that’s excellent on salads and also brightens roasted vegetables and grilled meats.
I eat salads often at home. Usually I make full-meal salads with multiple food groups in one bowl, but those can take time since each ingredient sometimes needs its own preparation or cooking step.
When I’m short on time or don’t feel like cooking, it’s handy to have a simple, delicious dressing that can be poured over lettuce and a couple of easy add-ins. That’s why I keep this Basil Balsamic Dressing on hand.
I originally developed this vinaigrette for my Kale Salad with Beets and Halloumi, but it’s versatile enough to deserve its own spotlight. The dressing is bright, slightly sweet, and herb-forward, making it a great everyday option.
How to make Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
This vinaigrette comes together in minutes. The only prep is coarsely chopping the basil—an immersion blender handles chopped leaves much better than whole ones. Use an immersion blender, small blender, or mini food processor to finish the dressing.
Combine the chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic (a whole clove is fine), Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a vessel that fits your blender. Blend until smooth.
While blending, slowly drizzle in the canola oil to emulsify the dressing. When the mixture is thick and combined, stop blending. Serve immediately over salad, roasted vegetables, grilled meats, or fish, or store in an airtight jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves — do not substitute dried basil
- Balsamic vinegar — a primary flavor in this dressing; avoid swapping to a dissimilar vinegar
- Honey — see substitutions below
- Fresh garlic — use fresh for best flavor
- Dijon mustard — helps emulsify the dressing and balances the sweet and acidic notes
- Kosher salt — or use an MSG-salt blend if you like to enhance savory flavors
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil — or another neutral oil (see substitution ideas)
Substitutions and tips
To make the dressing vegan, replace honey with maple syrup or agave.
Instead of canola oil, use another neutral-flavored oil such as grapeseed or avocado oil. If you don’t mind a hint of olive taste, extra-virgin olive oil works as well.
Want more salad dressing recipes?
Nutrition notes
The recipe yields about 1 cup of dressing. Nutrition values shown below are for a 2-tablespoon serving. As written the recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. Use maple syrup or agave in place of honey to make it vegan.
Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
Equipment
Method
Nutrition
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, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to a 2-cup measuring cup or any vessel that fits your immersion blender. Blend until smooth.
- With the immersion blender running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil and continue blending until the dressing is emulsified. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
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