5 Vinaigrette Recipes: Olive Oil & Balsamic

Whisk oil, vinegar, mustard in a bowl and you’ve got a french vinaigrette dressing that works on everything. Takes 10 minutes, maybe less if you’re fast. But there’s more than one way to do this—five versions here depending on what’s in your pantry and what you’re actually trying to eat.

Why You’ll Love This French Vinaigrette Dressing Collection

Five different vinaigrettes because one isn’t enough. Each one tastes completely different, hits different salads. French style works cold, works room temp, works on anything. Walnut oil vinaigrette with red wine vinegar if you want something richer—tastes like money. Maple bacon dressing because sometimes you want something that’s not trying to be healthy. Indian yogurt one sits in the fridge and gets better. Homemade Catalina if you just want something familiar without the bottle. Takes 17 minutes total to make any of them.

What You Need for Five French Vinaigrette Varieties

French style: olive oil or vegetable oil, white wine vinegar, agave syrup, Dijon mustard, shallots chopped fine. That’s it. Salt and pepper.

Walnut oil vinaigrette with red wine vinegar: walnut oil and canola oil mixed together. The red wine vinegar—not white. Maple syrup instead of honey. Just works better this way.

Homemade Catalina: corn or canola oil, white wine vinegar, a single garlic clove chopped small, ketchup. People don’t think about ketchup in dressing. Should be a crime.

Balsamic twist: extra virgin olive oil goes into balsamic vinegar slowly. That’s the move. Agave syrup, fresh oregano chopped. Not dried. Dried tastes like nothing.

Indian yogurt dressing: plain yogurt—a full cup. Curry powder, ground ginger, cardamom if you have it. Cayenne pepper. One more thing if you want a totally different angle on everything.

Maple bacon: cooked bacon diced, green onions chopped, garlic minced. Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup. Bacon drippings if you’re not scared.

How to Make French Vinaigrette Dressing

Walnut oil vinaigrette with red wine vinegar goes first. Whisk the oils together—walnut and canola. Pour in the red wine vinegar slow, keep whisking. Maple syrup next. Salt, pepper. That’s the whole thing. Set it aside.

French style is easier. Olive oil, white wine vinegar, agave syrup, Dijon mustard all in a bowl at once. Add the shallots—finely chopped, not chunks. Salt and pepper. Whisk it until it looks like it’s holding together. Should take a minute.

Homemade Catalina goes in a jar. Oil and vinegar first. Garlic chopped fine, ketchup next. Cap it. Shake it hard for 30 seconds. That’s the emulsifying part. Don’t skip it.

Balsamic twist needs patience. Pour the olive oil into the balsamic vinegar while you’re whisking—don’t do it all at once or it gets weird. Agave syrup and fresh oregano go in. Whisk until it thickens a little. Season it. Done.

Indian yogurt one happens in a cold bowl—temperature matters here. Mix the yogurt with curry powder, ginger, cardamom, cayenne. Whisk hard until it’s smooth and no lumps. Taste it. Add more salt if it needs it.

Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing Techniques

Maple bacon dressing is the only one with heat involved. Cook bacon until it’s crisp—golden, shattering when you bite it. Take it out. Leave the drippings in the skillet—that’s the whole point. Mix those drippings with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup. It should still be warm. Pour it into a bowl with the minced garlic and green onions. Stir everything together. Fold the bacon in last so the pieces stay crispy instead of getting soggy.

The emulsifying part matters on the oil-based ones. French vinaigrette dressing holds better if you whisk it hard. The Dijon mustard acts like a binder—that’s why it’s there. Walnut oil vinaigrette with red wine vinegar holds longest because of the walnut oil. It’s thicker.

Balsamic breaks if you don’t add the oil slow. That’s the only tricky part. If it breaks anyway, start over. Not worth trying to fix it.

Olive Oil White Wine Vinegar Vinaigrette Tips and Mistakes

Make these fresh if you can. They work cold from the fridge, but they taste better warm or room temperature. Olive oil white wine vinegar vinaigrette separates—that’s normal. Just shake it or whisk it again before you use it. Nothing wrong with it.

Store all of them in mason jars in the fridge. French vinaigrette dressing lasts two weeks, maybe three. Indian yogurt one tastes better after a day. The flavors flatten out after a week. Maple bacon dressing should get eaten fast—the bacon gets soft in there.

Substitutions: can’t really swap these around much. French style needs the white wine vinegar—apple cider is too sweet. Red wine vinegar in the walnut oil one is nonnegotiable. If you’re out of walnut oil, use avocado oil and it’s still good. Balsamic twist with regular vinegar doesn’t work—you lose the whole point. Indian yogurt dressing can take Greek yogurt, but it gets thick. Add milk or water to thin it.

Dijon mustard in every version that has one because it keeps things from separating. Don’t skip it. Agave syrup works anywhere honey would—they’re basically interchangeable. Maple syrup tastes different so use it on purpose, not as a replacement.

5 Vinaigrette Recipes: Olive Oil & Balsamic

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

7 min

Total:

17 min

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients

• French Style
• 175 ml (3/4 cup) olive oil or vegetable oil
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) white wine vinegar
• 20 ml (1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) agave syrup
• 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) Dijon mustard
• 8 ml (1 1/2 tsp) finely chopped shallot
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• Walnut Oil Blend
• 50 ml (1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) walnut oil
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) canola oil
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) red wine vinegar
• 12 ml (3 tsp) maple syrup
• Homemade Catalina
• 140 ml (2/3 cup) corn or canola oil
• 50 ml (3 1/2 tbsp) white wine vinegar
• 1 small chopped garlic clove
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) ketchup
• Balsamic Twist
• 90 ml (just under 1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 100 ml (about 1/2 cup) balsamic vinegar
• 12 ml (3 tsp) agave syrup
• 12 ml (1 tbsp plus 1 tsp) fresh oregano, chopped
• Indian Yogurt
• 250 ml (1 cup) plain yogurt
• 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) curry powder
• 4 ml (just under 1 tsp) ground ginger
• 3 ml (1/2 tsp) ground cardamom (optional)
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) cayenne pepper
• Maple Bacon
• 5 slices cooked bacon, diced
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 small garlic clove, minced
• 140 ml (just under 3/4 cup) olive oil
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) apple cider vinegar
• 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) Dijon mustard
• 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) maple syrup

Method

1. Walnut Oil Blend
2. 1 Whisk walnut and canola oils in bowl.
3. 2 Add red wine vinegar and maple syrup.
4. 3 Season with salt and pepper; whisk until blended.
5. 4 Set aside.
6. Indian Yogurt
7. 5 In chilled bowl, mix yogurt with curry, ginger, cardamom, cayenne.
8. 6 Whisk vigorously until smooth.
9. 7 Adjust seasoning as needed.
10. Maple Bacon
11. 8 Cook bacon in skillet until golden and crisp.
12. 9 Remove bacon, leaving drippings.
13. 10 Mix drippings with olive oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup.
14. 11 Add garlic and green onions to bowl.
15. 12 Stir in dressing; fold in bacon bits last.
16. Homemade Catalina
17. 13 Combine oil and vinegar in jar.
18. 14 Add finely chopped garlic and ketchup.
19. 15 Shake vigorously for 30 seconds to emulsify.
20. Balsamic Twist
21. 16 Pour olive oil slowly into balsamic vinegar while whisking.
22. 17 Add agave syrup and chopped oregano.
23. 18 Whisk together until slightly thickened.
24. 19 Season with salt and pepper.
25. French Style
26. 20 Mix oil, vinegar, honey alternative, mustard in bowl.
27. 21 Add shallots; season with salt and pepper.
28. 22 Whisk thoroughly until emulsified.

Nutritional information

Calories

180

Protein

1g

Carbs

4g

Fat

18g

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Frequently Asked Questions About French Vinaigrette Dressing

Can I make these ahead? Yes, except maple bacon. That one’s only good the day you make it. French vinaigrette dressing sits fine for two weeks in a jar. Walnut oil vinaigrette with red wine vinegar goes maybe three weeks. Indian yogurt one actually gets better after a day—flavors blend more.

Does the olive oil white wine vinegar vinaigrette separate? Every time. That’s oil and vinegar. Shake the jar before you use it. Not broken. Just physics.

Can I use a different vinegar in the French style? Not really. White wine vinegar is the move. Red wine vinegar changes it completely. Apple cider is too sweet. Has to be white wine.

What’s the point of the Dijon mustard in the Dijon mustard vinaigrette dressing? Holds everything together. Keeps it from separating as fast. Also tastes good. Don’t leave it out.

How long does the maple bacon dressing last? Eat it that day if you can. Next day the bacon’s soft and kind of sad. The dressing itself keeps but the whole thing’s not worth it after 24 hours.

Can I double the Indian yogurt recipe? Yeah. Just stir it by hand instead of whisking, or it gets weird and stringy. More yogurt means less air and more work to get it smooth.