My all-time MOST USED white wine vinaigrette is tangy, slightly sweet, and the perfect all purpose vinaigrette for any salad. Prep a batch with simple pantry ingredients and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!
A good salad absolutely needs a good dressing! Some of my go-to vinaigrettes include a classic balsamic vinaigrette, and a red wine vinaigrette. But my most used recipe is hands down this white wine vinaigrette!
Why do I reach for this recipe time and time again when I have 7 vinaigrette recipes on the blog to choose from? The white wine vinegar is tangy, but neutral. Combined with honey, dijon and extra virgin olive oil, this vinaigrette will help all the other flavors in your salad come to life!
Not only is it delicious, but so so simple to prep, and I bet you already have these ingredients sitting in your pantry 😉
Why you’ll ♡ this white wine vinaigrette
- it's super simple (only 4 ingredients!)
- is easy to customize with different flavors (see more on this below)
- and goes with pretty much everything (it's the magical ingredient to make all the flavors in your salad stand out!)
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Ingredients you'll need
It's so simple and requires just four pantry staples:
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- White wine vinegar- NOT to be confused with white vinegar. White wine vinegar is far less sharp and acidic than white vinegar. It is more neutral in flavor than red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (which I find to have a slightly sweet taste). It is tangier than apple cider vinegar and a better choice in a vinaigrette (in my opinion!)
- Olive oil- I opt for a good quality olive oil when making a vinaigrette, so I pick extra virgin olive oil.
- Dijon- I am not a mustard fan, but adding just a smidge of dijon to a vinaigrette helps bring all the flavors together. It is an emulsifier, which is fancy speak that means it prevents the oil and vinegar from immediately separating.
- Honey or maple syrup- we don't use much, but adding a sweetener really rounds out the flavors. Without it, the dressing is just tangy and flat.
The ratio
Traditional vinaigrettes use an oil : vinegar ratio of 3:1, but I find this far too tame. I personally prefer a 1:1 ratio, which gives it a tangier and more pronounced flavor, and encourage you to play around with different ratios to get your perfect vinaigrette!
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- traditional (and mild) ratio: 1 part vinegar: 3 parts olive oil
- slightly tangy: 2 parts vinegar : 3 parts olive oil
- tangy (my fave!): 1 part vinegar : 1 part olive oil
A variation of this vinaigrette was used on Kale Barley Salad
Storage
A great feature about homemade salad dressings is that they keep really well! This white wine vinaigrette may be prepared ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
While storing in the fridge, the oil and vinegar in the vinaigrette will separate into two layers, so be sure to give it a good shake up before drizzling over your salad.
Salad
What type of salad can you use this vinaigrette on? The sky is really the limit. I have used this on almost every type of salad you can think of including:
- barley-based salad- Chickpea, Barley & Butternut Squash Lunch Bowls
- cucumber salad - Spiralized Cucumber Salad with Feta & Mint
- spinach salad - Pear, Gouda and Hazelnut Spinach Salad
- bulgur wheat salad- Chopped Chickpea Salad
- quinoa salad - Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Mint & Quinoa
Black Bean Quinoa Salad has a variation of this vinaigrette
Variations
The base vinaigrette recipe is so fun to play around with. So many of my vinaigrette recipes on this blog are slight variations on this base.
- add some chili powder, garlic and lime juice and you've got a chili lime vinaigrette
- add some chili powder, paprika, cumin and lime juice and you've got a fajita vinaigrette
- add some sesame oil and you've got a sesame vinaigrette
- add some lemon juice and zest and you've got a honey lemon vinaigrette
- add some herbs like basil and oregano for an italian version
More vinaigrette recipes
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 5-Minute Asian Salad Dressing
- Fresh Rasbperry Basil Vinaigrette
- Roasted Strawberry Black Pepper Vinaigrette
- Classic Greek Salad Dressing
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Denise's Favorite White Wine Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar (see notes *)
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Shake together all ingredients.
- Keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Shake it up before drizzling over salad.
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Tips:
- chili lime- add 4 teaspoons lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- fajita- add 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt
- sesame- add 1.5 teaspoons sesame oil
- honey lemon- add 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Nutrition Information
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Andrea says
Great basic salad dressing recipe!! Can’t wait to try the variations!
Melanie says
This was so yummy! I was craving a white wine vinaigrette for my Chicken Milanese and this one worked perfectly- didn’t need to change a thing! I was also happy to have everything on hand. Thanks, Denise!
RDSago says
I like to use a champagne vinegar and then I add in salamtro and some shallots. This is modeled after an original recipe from Pirets, Which was one of my favorite restaurants in all of San Diego.
Ben says
That sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing,
Susan says
Can you substitute white wine for the white wine vinegar? We have wine left over wine and I hate not to use it (it was used for some recipes at Thanksgiving.)
thank you in advance for your time
Denise Bustard says
Hi Susan! Unfortunately that won't work in this recipe, as you really need that tangy vinegar flavor, and you won't get that from regular wine.
Amy says
Delicious! I didn’t have enough white wine vinegar so I subbed with a golden balsamic and it turned out really really good. Great recipe!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Amy! Thanks so much for reporting back! I will keep my eye out for golden balsamic, that sounds like a delicious option 🙂
Jim says
I have never seen a vinegarette that was equal parts oil and vinegar. Is that correct?
Denise says
Hi Jim! I know, I am a little unusual, but I like my vinaigrette nice and tangy. A traditional ratio is 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar but that is way too mild for me. Feel free to change up the ratios if you want it to be more traditional!
Katie says
This is delicious! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed! It's such a great one for pretty much any salad 🙂