Fall in love with salad again with this recipe for Bright Herb and White Balsamic Vinaigrette. It whips up in less than five minutes and is oh, so delicious!
Jump to RecipeA case for white balsamic vinegar
I love all things tart, acid and vinegar. I eat my fries with malt vinegar. There’s nothing more appealing than a good squeeze of lemon on fish. Kombucha? Yes, please. And when it comes to salads, I will choose a vinaigrette over a creamy dressing more often than not.
Do I eat my Caprese salad with or without balsamic? As if you have to ask. But there’s one small thing I may do differently. I will often reach for the white balsamic vinegar instead of the red. For me, this preference is rooted first in the visual and then the taste buds.
I love everything about a Caprese salad – the deep, vibrant color of fresh tomatoes, the clean white of the mozzarella or burarata and the emerald green of the basil. I even love the contrast of fresh cracked pepper corns against the dish and the luscious appeal of olive oil drizzled over the top of it all. But a drizzle of red balsamic seems to muddy it for me visually. For this reason, I will often use a white balsamic to preserve the appearance. Perhaps I’m alone here, but it’s just a thing of mine.
When it comes to a good salad, I feel the same way. I want to see the beautiful, crisp colors of the greens and vegetables. And not to lose them under a sea of overly-seasoned and stodgy bottled dressings.
Enter white balsamic vinegar…..
White balsamic vinegar starts out as any other balsamic vinegar. Instead of red grapes, white grapes are used to make the starting mash. After a long process of reduction and a special cooking method to prevent it from browning, it’s barrel aged. The final result is a golden-hued, milder vinegar with great versatility.
A drizzle of white balsamic over grilled vegetables, salad or even in beverages and desserts brings an added layer of subtle sweetness to a dish. For example, I use a little white balsamic in my recipe for Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad.
In this recipe for Bright Herb and White Balsamic Vinaigrette, the choice to use white balsamic is intentional. It doesn’t muddy the vinaigrette. The color stays bright – allowing the beauty of the fresh ingredients to shine through. But its flavor is also milder. As much as I love all things tart, I’m constantly looking for balance in a salad dressing through the addition of other sweet and savory ingredients. With a milder, sweeter flavor profile, white balsamic checks all the boxes.
In March 2021, Cooked Best published a blog post on all things white balsamic vinegar. It’s a delicious 5 minutes read if you’re looking for other ways to integrate white balsamic into your kitchen rotation.
Balance is key to this Bright Herb and White Balsamic Vinaigrette
The trick to a good homemade vinaigrette is balancing the main components of the dressing. Use a good quality olive oil. I usually try to keep the ratio of oil to vinegar around 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. And I always add a sweetener at roughly 1/4 of the oil.
This recipe calls for 3 – 4 Tablespoons of either agave or honey as the sweetener. Agave is less sweet on the tongue than honey, and so when using agave, I often use the full 4 Tbsp. as opposed to only 3 Tbsp. of honey. The sweetener in partnership with the Dijon mustard, helps cut the acid and provide added body to the dressing. Don’t be tempted to skip these ingredients.
The fresh herbs and garlic add another layer of complexity and freshness to the dressing. And the same can be said for the salt and black pepper. This recipe calls for a generous pinch of each. Don’t be afraid to use a little salt. The impact on the finished product is noteworthy.
If you experience salad fatigue from time to time, try making your own dressings if you don’t already. Fresh, easy and like this recipe for Bright Herb and White Balsamic Vinaigrette, they’re oh, so good! If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like my recipe for Delicious 3-Minute Pomegranate Vinaigrette as well.
Bright Herb and White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Course: DressingCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
cup5
minutesThis recipe yields a little over 1 cup of dressing.
Ingredients
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
3 – 4 Tbsp. agave nectar or honey
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
A generous pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together until combined.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Dressing will keep for up to 2 weeks refrigerated.
Notes
- After storing my dressing in the refrigerator, it looks gelatinous. Is it still OK to use? Yes. It’s normal for the olive oil to firm up in the refrigerator. Allow the vinaigrette to come to room temperature for approximately 15 minutes before serving. As the oil warms, it will return to its liquid state again. Give it a good shake and you are ready to serve.
- I can’t find the fresh herbs I need. Can I use dried herbs instead? Absolutely. Reduce the amount of dried herbs to 1/3 the amount of fresh (example: 1 tsp. fresh rosemary will become 1/3 tsp. dried rosemary). You’ll have to eye-ball it somewhat as this recipe calls for small amounts and you’ll need to allow the vinaigrette to rest a few hours for the herbs to release their flavor, but you can still get a good result using dried herbs.
