Here's a recipe for an easy, homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Aimee Blume, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read

What could be prettier than a salad of fresh, colorful summer vegetables drizzled with a sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette?

Salad dressings are easy to make, but so many people rely on getting them out of a bottle. They’re quick in a pinch and if it means you eat more salad, that’s a good thing. But it’s even better if you get comfortable with whipping up your own healthy and preservative-free dressings.

There are two must-know tricks to making great vinaigrette dressings at home.

First, add some mustard. Not the bright yellow stuff, please, but Dijon, coarse brown, or whole grain types. Or a combination of those. Mustard is an emulsifier, and even a little bit will help hold your dressing together and give it a flavor boost.

This easy honey and balsamic vinaigrette hits all the spots with its sweet, tangy and savory flavors. Have it on a salad of crunchy, colorful vegetables.
This easy honey and balsamic vinaigrette hits all the spots with its sweet, tangy and savory flavors. Have it on a salad of crunchy, colorful vegetables.

Second, dressings take more salt than you think. Anything sour requires a good deal of salt to balance the acid. If you make a dressing and it tastes too sour, chances are the problem isn’t too much vinegar – it’s not enough salt. Remember, you’re making a cup of dressing, but that cup is going to season a dozen or more servings of salad, so it needs to be highly flavored.

We like grapeseed or avocado oil for this dressing, because they taste like nothing and let the flavor of the vinegar, honey and mustard come through. Stay away from canola oil, as it’s heavy and can taste… oily.

Olive oil is fine if you want your dressing to taste like olive oil. Beware, however, of extra virgin olive oil, which can develop a bitter aftertaste if it is whisked or stirred too violently. You can always make the dressing with almost the full portion of a neutral oil and then gently stir in a little extra virgin olive oil to finish.

Balsamic vinegar is very mild, so we add a touch of lemon juice to brighten up this recipe and keep the vinegar from becoming overwhelmed by the honey.

This is a thick dressing that goes best with a sturdy salad. Use it with a base of firmer lettuces, kale, spinach, radicchio, or Asian greens with lots of colorful and crunchy vegetable additions. Avoid spring mix, which will wilt and stick together under a dressing this heavy. It is complemented well by shavings of sharp cheddar cheese.

Recipe for Honey Balsamic dressing

Makes roughly 1 cup or 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste if necessary

  • Fresh black pepper to taste

  • ½ cup grapeseed or avocado oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper and mix well.

2. Whisk in the oil in a stead stream to emulsify. Taste and add more salt if necessary to balance sweet, sour, and salty tastes.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Recipe: Quick, easy honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing