Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe — Tangy Herb Dressing for Salads

This Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette is a bright, herb-forward dressing that works beautifully on salads, roasted vegetables, and grilled meats.

I eat salads a lot at home, and I often build them into full meals with proteins, grains, and vegetables in one bowl. Those salads are delicious but can be time-consuming because each ingredient sometimes needs separate prep or cooking.

On busy days I like keeping an excellent dressing on hand so I can toss it with greens and a couple of simple add-ins when I don’t have time to cook. That’s why I developed this Basil Balsamic Dressing—it’s quick, flavorful, and versatile.

How to make Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

This dressing is slightly sweet, savory, and bright with fresh basil. It comes together in minutes. The only prep is roughly chopping the basil so your blender can process it evenly—whole large leaves can be trickier for some immersion blenders. An immersion blender, small blender, or mini food processor will finish the job.

Combine the chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic (a whole clove is fine), Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a 2-cup measuring cup or the jar that fits your immersion blender. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil until the dressing becomes thick and emulsified.

Serve the vinaigrette immediately or store it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It brightens simple bagged mixed greens, roasted vegetables, or grilled and roasted meats and fish.

Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients

• Fresh basil leaves — do not substitute dried basil
• Balsamic vinegar — this is a primary flavor, so avoid swapping in another vinegar
• Honey — see substitutions below for vegan options
• Fresh garlic — one small clove
• Dijon mustard — helps emulsify the dressing and adds depth
• Kosher salt — or use MSG-salt to boost savory notes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Canola oil — a neutral oil; substitution ideas below

Substitutions and tips

To make this dressing vegan, replace honey with maple syrup or agave. For the oil, use another neutral-flavored oil such as grapeseed or avocado oil. If you don’t mind a hint of olive flavor, extra-virgin or regular olive oil will work, though it will change the dressing’s profile slightly.

Want more salad dressing recipes?

Nutrition notes

The recipe yields about 1 cup of dressing. Nutrition values below are for a 2-tablespoon serving. As written the dressing is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. Use maple syrup or agave instead of honey to make it vegan.