Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Posted Oct 07, 2021, Updated May 25, 2024
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This maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing is made in 2 minutes with 5 ingredients. It’s the most delicious dressing and it’s so much better than store-bought (with no artificial ingredients). Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free & vegan.
Today I’m sharing how to make this healthy & delicious Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe! This dressing literally takes 3 minutes to make and only contains five ingredients. It’s a healthy and delicious way to make any salad taste amazing.
Why Should you Make Homemade Salad Dressing?
- No Chemicals. We eat a lot of salad in this house. As a result, I make this dressing all the time. It adds rich flavor to your salad while skipping all the chemicals & sugars found in many store-bought dressings.
- Nutritious. This Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette is made using healthy oil, natural sweetener, and high-quality balsamic vinegar. It is completely dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan & paleo.
- Easy & Convenient. Once you give this a try & see just how easy it is to make your own dressing at home…you will never have to worry about running to the store for the bottled stuff ever again.
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette: Ingredients & Substituions
This Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette is my favorite dressing. However, I do have to pause for a moment to implore you to use high-quality ingredients when making this recipe.
- Balsamic Vinegar. There is a difference between excellent balsamic vinegar and your run-of-the-mill varieties. As I’ve discussed before, traditional balsamic vinegar should be so thick that it pours like syrup. It should be dark brown and taste sweet. It should most definitely NOT be thin, watery, or sour-tasting. My absolute favorite balsamic vinegar in the entire world can be found here. If you haven’t tried true, aged, high-quality balsamic vinegar yet, please please give it a whirl. You will NOT be disappointed.
- Olive oil. The same holds true for high-quality olive oil. One way I enjoy mixing this recipe up is using flavor-infused olive oils instead of plain. They really add an extra special flavor.
- Mustard. Any variety of mustard works well in this recipe.
- Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is my favorite way to sweeten this homemade salad dressing recipe, because it really imparts a beautiful flavor. However honey is also a great choice.
How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette
This recipe is really easy to make. Simply put the ingredients in a glass jar, secure the lid and shake it up. Here are the steps, don’t forget to watch the video, too.
Begin by putting the ingredients into a glass jar with a lid.
In these photos I used a regular glass jar, however I have this Salad Dressing Mixer Jar and I love it! It is almost always sitting in my fridge with some variety of homemade dressing (like this Greek dressing or pomegranate dressing) or another (usually this balsamic vinaigrette).
One the ingredients are in the jar, secure the lid and shake it up. The ingredients will separate as it sits so you’ll need to shake it up before serving.
Store
Store this balsamic vinaigrette in a glass container in the refrigerator. It keeps for up to a month in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving, then give it a good shake to re-incorporate all the ingredients (which can separate when chilled).
Serve
There is not resting or waiting time needed between mixing and serving. You can pour this balsamic vinaigrette over your favorite salad right away, or store it to serve later. Here are some of our favorite salads:
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Balsamic vinaigrette contains very little sugar and fats.
Yes! Balsamic vinaigrette has more ingredients and is sweeter.
Store this balsamic vinaigrette in one of the aforementioned glass containers in the refrigerator. It keeps for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, although it never lasts that long in my house.
I find that this recipe makes enough for a medium-sized crowd. But if you are serving more people, it is very easy to double or even triple this maple balsamic vinaigrette recipe.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ Tablespoon honey mustard (or Dijon)
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Add ingredients into a glass container or jar (with a lid) in the order listed.
- Shake jar vigorously until completely combined.
- Serve on your favorite salad or store in the refrigerator to use later!
Video
Notes
- Balsamic Vinegar. Good balsamic vinegar is thick and it pours like syrup. It should be dark brown and taste sweet. It should not be thin, watery, or sour-tasting. My absolute favorite balsamic vinegar in the entire world can be found here.
- Olive oil. The same holds true for high-quality olive oil. One way I enjoy mixing this recipe up is using flavor-infused olive oils instead of plain. They really add an extra special flavor.
- Mustard. Any variety of mustard works well in this recipe.
- Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is my favorite way to sweeten this homemade salad dressing recipe, because it really imparts a beautiful flavor. However honey is also a great choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great ideas x I’m inspired
Thanks Sue!