The Best Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

When you decide to make your own salad dressing, something kind of magical happens—you might find yourself actually craving salads. This simple vinaigrette is one of those game-changer recipes. It’s quick to mix up, endlessly customizable, and works not just as a salad dressing, but also as a marinade, dip, or drizzle over anything from roasted veggies to grilled chicken. Basically, once you make this vinaigrette, you’ll want to pour it on everything.

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What is a vinaigrette?

• Vinaigrette dressings can vary, but this recipe is a simple mixture of apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.  That’s it!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Takes just 5 minutes to make
• Versatile – use it as a dressing, marinade, or finishing sauce
• Made with pantry staples you probably already have
• Customizable to your taste or what’s in your fridge

If you’ve never made homemade vinaigrette before, don’t worry – it’s incredibly easy. Once you’ve tried it, you may never go back to bottled dressing again.

Serving Suggestions

• Toss with mixed greens or spinach
• Drizzle over grilled chicken or fish
• Use as a marinade for proteins or roasted veggies
• Pour over warm potatoes or rice bowls for an extra layer of flavor

While this recipe is super tasty on a salad, it works great as a marinade as well! Just pour it on salad, chicken, fish, potatoes, roasted veggies or whatever else you can think of.  It’s so versatile.

Vegetables are great, but grilling vegetables are even more delicious. If you can grill outside all year long, you have to try these two grilled vegetable recipes:

• Balsamic Grilled Vegetables
• Grilled Broccoli 

Customizations

One of the best parts about this vinaigrette is how easy it is to adapt:

• Swap the apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar, white vinegar, or even lemon juice
• Use apricot jam or berry preserves in place of honey for a fruity twist
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs like oregano or thyme if you’re pairing it with something heartier (this is what I do when I’m making the dressing for this spinach salad with a soft boiled egg and bacon)

This is so helpful to have the option to make substitutions, especially if you’re out of one ingredient.  Each little tweak will change the flavor a bit, so you can make a variety of different vinaigrettes and see which on you like the best!

Tips for Success

• Mix Well: Whisk vigorously (or shake in a jar) so the oil and vinegar come together into a smooth dressing.
• Taste as You Go: Adjust honey, salt, and mustard to balance sweetness and acidity for your personal taste.
• Keep It Cold: Store in an airtight container in the fridge and shake before using – separation is normal.
• Serve Fresh: For salads, dress greens right before serving so lettuce stays crisp.

How to make vinaigrette dressing:

1. Add all ingredients and whisk together!

2. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.

When you’ve made a batch of this vinaigrette dressing, we love to store it in one of these Weck jars.  They seal air tight, which is essential in keeping this dressing fresh.  If you’re able to cover the dressing in any type of air tight container, you can keep this for up to 4 weeks in your refrigerator! 

And just a quick note that, in the refrigerator, the dressing will likely separate and that’s ok!  When you’re ready to use it, just whisk it back together and enjoy.

FAQs for vinaigrette dressing

• How long does homemade vinaigrette last? Store in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for up to 3–4 weeks. Just shake well before using.
• Why does my vinaigrette separate? Oil and vinegar naturally separate – just whisk or shake again before each use.
• Can I make this sugar-free? Yes – omit honey or replace it with a sugar-free sweetener to suit your needs.
• Is this dressing good on other foods besides salad? Absolutely – it makes a great marinade and drizzles beautifully over veggies, proteins, and grain bowls.
• Can I add fresh herbs? Yes! Fresh basil, parsley, thyme, or dill add bright, layered flavor.

Here are some other make-ahead recipes you might like:

• Quick Pickled Asian Vegetables
• Spinach Salad and Dressing Recipe
• The Whole Bowl – Tali Sauce Recipe {naturally Gluten Free}
• How To Make Herb Butter

Find all of my make-ahead recipes here.

The Best Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

Jazz up your everyday salad with the best vinaigrette ever and use it as a marinade or even to top veggies!

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 jar

Equipment

• Whisk
• Weck Jar
• Measuring spoons

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbs. dijon mustard
• 2-3 tsp. honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

• Add all ingredients and whisk together!
  
• Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.

Video

Notes

There are plenty of modifications and substitutions you can make with this recipe!

• You may use white vinegar or red wine vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar
• You can replace honey with apricot jam or even raspberry or strawberry jelly
• Consider adding 1/2 tsp. of oregano or thyme

 

The nutrition information presented on this site should be considered an estimate as the calculations will change based on the exact products you use in your own kitchen.    

Nutrition

Calories: 1020kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 109g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 1301mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg