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This Honey Balsamic Dressing recipe is one of my family’s favorites. It has the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors, and uses a little less oil than traditional vinaigrette recipes to lighten up the calories.
How to Make Honey Balsamic Dressing
To make this dressing, all you need is a handful of ingredients that you probably already have on hand, and a blender. If you don’t have a blender, you can simply mince the garlic and shallot finely and use a whisk to stir the dressing together, but I find a blender works to get the dressing a little thicker, since we’re not using as much oil.
Paired with fresh shallot and enzyme-rich honey, I think this dressing is just as good as any restaurant’s version. I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (preferably aged 3 years)
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
- 1 garlic clove , or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, shallot, garlic, salt, honey, olive oil, and water in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust any seasoning to taste. (You can add a little extra honey if your vinegar is too sour.)
- Allow to chill for 4 hours before serving, for best flavor and texture. Shake well before serving each time.
- This dressing should keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Per 2 tablespoons: Calories: 110, Fat: 10g, Carbohydrtes: 4g, Fiber: 0g, Protein: 0g
Recipe Notes:
- I find the flavor is best when I use a balsamic vinegar that has been aged at least 3 years. If you use a cheaper balsamic vinegar, add a little more honey to balance the flavor, since cheaper vinegar is more pungent and acidic in flavor.
- To make this recipe vegan, you could use maple syrup instead of honey to taste, or even try using dates as a natural sweetener if you have a really good blender.
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Reader Feedback: Do you have a favorite salad dressing?
Easy and delish! I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to it and it was amazing!
Delicious! This recipe is a favorite in our house. I make it all the time.
What brand honey do you recommend?
I’m not partial to a certain brand, but I prefer to look for local honey when I can.
Love this salad dressing!
This is my favorite salad dressing. It’s so good I could almost eat it on its own. I’m vegan, so I use maple syrup instead of honey.
This is absolutely delicious! It will be a go to dressing in our household. Thank you!