This easy vinaigrette recipe makes the best salad dressing ever. It’s our take on the classic French vinaigrette salad dressing and it’s incredibly delicious, delightfully tangy and very versatile. We use it on loads of salads, I’ve been known to drizzle it on hummus, and I even add it to my favourite braised chicken.
Shaken not whisked, our easy vinaigrette recipe is not strictly a classic French vinaigrette recipe – which is traditionally one part vinegar to three parts olive oil (considered the perfect combination of fat and acid), uses Dijon mustard, and is whisked as the olive oil is poured into the bowl to emulsify it.
In addition to white wine vinegar, we add freshly squeezed lemon juice; along with Dijon, we add wholegrain mustard – the French classic Maille a l’Ancienne Wholegrain Mustard – and instead of whisking, we simply shake the jar. It’s perfection in this cucumber salad recipe for crunchy cumbers tossed in the vinaigrette and piled onto a creamy butter bean purée.
If you’ve never made a classic French vinaigrette recipe and usually buy a bottles of salad dressing from the supermarket, then try this easy vinaigrette recipe. You probably won’t buy a store-bought salad dressing again.
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Vinaigrette Recipe for the Best Salad Dressing – Delicious, Tangy and Versatile
If you buy supermarket salad dressings simply because it’s easy and you’ve never made a salad dressing at home because you think it’s hard, then please try our easy vinaigrette recipe, as it will change your mind about both. I’ll go as far as to say that you might never buy a store-bought salad dressing again.
This vinaigrette recipe makes a much more delicious salad dressing than any in a supermarket bottle, and it’s actually cheaper to make your own homemade salad dressing if you have all the ingredients on hand. And if you don’t have the ingredients, well, they’re a much better investment than bottled salad dressing.
I honestly can’t remember having ever bought a store-bought salad dressing. Not to be snobby or anything. My mum and grandmothers, both my nanna and baboushka, made their own salad dressings, and they were often very simple, just olive oil and vinegar with salt and pepper. Hard to go past that.
It was actually Terence who introduced me to more complex Italian salad dressings and French vinaigrettes many years ago, after he began taking deep dives into traditional Italian and French cooking, and we’ve never looked back.
It’s hard to beat a classic French vinaigrette recipe and then there are an infinite array of recipes out there in food magazines, recipe sites and cooking blogs that are essentially variations of the traditional French vinaigrette.
And here’s where I confess that this easy vinaigrette recipe is adapted from a Gordon Ramsay vinaigrette recipe, which Terence has been using for years. I’ve just made a few tweaks to my taste – enough that I can’t call it a Gordon Ramsay vinaigrette and risk the wrath of the chef.
Just a few tips to making this easy vinaigrette recipe as it really is a cinch to make.
Tips to Making this Easy Vinaigrette Recipe for the Best Salad Dressing
This easy vinaigrette recipe could not be easier, so just a few quick tips to making this speedy salad dressing. Firstly, use the best quality ingredients you can afford. You want an excellent quality extra virgin olive oil, a good mustard such as Maille a l’Ancienne Wholegrain Mustard, which I linked to above, and the juice of fresh lemon if possible.
Secondly, most classic French vinaigrettes are made by whisking the ingredients as you pour the olive oil in to emulsify it, but the easy bit about making this vinaigrette is that you just transfer the ingredients to a well-sealed jar, such as a vintage mason jar or clip-top Kilner jar, and shake, shake, shake. (Thank you, Gordon!)
(It’s here that I need to point out that the images in this post were taken before shaking the jar, as Terence doesn’t like the murky look of the finished vinaigrette. Ah, photographers.)
After shaking, taste the vinaigrette and if needed adjust the ingredients or seasoning to suit your palate. If it’s too tangy, add more extra virgin olive oil. For even more acidity, add more vinegar or lemon juice. For more texture, more wholegrain mustard.
The longer you let the vinaigrette sit, the more the flavours meld together, so you could easily make this a day or two before you plan to use it. In fact, this will easily last 2-3 weeks and during that time it will just keep getting better.
Having said that, don’t add any additions such as herbs or spices until just before you’re going to use the vinaigrette, as those flavours might overpower the dressing. This is especially true of freshly minced garlic, with the added potential risk of botulism from garlic in oil; best to discard any vinaigrette with garlic after a day or two.
This vinaigrette recipe will make enough to fill a 200ml jar as we use this a lot. If you don’t think you’re going to use as much as we do, then it’s best to make half what our recipe suggests.
Vinaigrette Recipe for the Best Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 shallot - eschalot, purple onion, finely minced
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard - such as Maille a l'Ancienne Wholegrain Mustard
- ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil - best quality possible
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice - preferably freshly squeezed
- ½ tsp sea salt or to taste
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper - optional
Instructions
- To a sealable glass jar, add all the ingredients.
- Put the lid on tight and shake well to combine.
- Taste and if needed adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.
- Pour over salads and toss just before serving.
Notes
If adding minced garlic before serving, do not keep for more than a couple of days.
Nutrition
Please do let us know in the comments below if you make our easy vinaigrette recipe as we love hearing from readers.
Oh my this is amazing. I went all out and made a jar. I eat salads every day so I will use this a lot. Thanks for another great recipe :)
Hi Rita, that’s what we love to hear! If you make salads as often as that, you will get through a jar in no time. And try it just with a variety of lettuces, too. Use super fresh crispy leaves. So good! :)
I only made half but wished I’d made a jar cause I also eat lots of salad. I only used half the wholegrain mustard as my husband eats it more than me but it was yum. I’m converted now.
Hi Audrey, I’m wondering if your husband will be happy we converted you to the wholegrain mustard or not… it’s easy to add more. Just give it another good shake after you do. Thanks for the comment! :)