Easy Vinaigrette Recipes



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Are Vinaigrettes A Mother Sauce

According to legend, Careme included vinaigrettes in his original list of mother sauces. Allegedly, Escoffier vetoed them in favor of tomato sauce. 

Vinaigrette Ingredients

Ingredients for lemon cumin vinaigrette.

Making lemon cumin vinaigrette

Combine the lemon juice, salt, and cumin in a small mixing bowl, and whisk to combine and dissolve the salt.

Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette

Slowly drizzle the oil into the lemon mixture while whisking to form an emulsion.

Note: oil and vinegar mixtures don't actually emulsify. It's a figure of speech.

The Standard Ratio

The ratio for vinaigrette recipes is 3 to 1, or 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. The 3 to 1 ratio is the standard ratio used in professional kitchens but that doesn't mean you can't deviate from it. Sometimes you may want a milder vinaigrette so do a 4 or 5 to 1 ratio. Maybe you need a sharper dressing with just two parts oil.

This single ratio, 3 to 1, effectively gives you the base recipe for every vinaigrette in the world, not bad, a couple minutes work and thousands of recipes.

I like to use neutral oils so that the flavor of the ingredients comes through. Stronger oils like extra virgin olive oil tend to overpower most vinaigrettes, however there are times when you may want that, for example my lemon cumin vinaigrette. It’s all a matter of the flavor profile you want.

Mix Greens with Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette and Shaved Parmigiano

Vinaigrette Recipes You Can Make In Minutes

Lemon Cumin Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon juiced
    1 Tsp toasted cumin seed, ground
    Kosher salt, to taste
    6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Combine the lemon juice, cumin, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the lemon juice mixture while whisking.
  2. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.

Note

  1. Lemon cumin vinaigrette is a very strong tasting dressing due to, both, the toasted cumin and the extra virgin olive oil.
  2. To turn it into a simple olive oil and lemon vinaigrette, omit the cumin.

Basic Vinaigrette For Two

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Combine the oils in a measuring cup. Give it a quick stir.
  2. Combine the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle the oil into the vinegar mixture while whisking.
  3. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.

Note

  1. I really like using a blend of oils when I make dressings. I think it makes for a more interesting flavor profile with a little more depth.

Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Method

  1. Combine the oils in a measuring cup. Give it a quick stir.
  2. Combine the vinegar, shallot, salt, pepper, and mustard, and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle the oil into the vinegar mixture while whisking.
  3. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 90 ml / 3 ounces grapeseed oil
  • 30 ml / 1 ounce extra virgin olive oil
  • 60 ml / 2 ounces white balsamic vinegar
  • 140 grams / 4.8 ounces frozen raspberries
  • 75 grams / 2.6 ounces sugar
  • a couple pinches of kosher salt
  • 35 grams / 1.2 ounces water, or as needed

Method

  1. In a measuring cup combine the grapeseed oil and the extra virgin olive oil, set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your blender add the white balsamic vinegar, raspberries, sugar and a couple pinches of kosher salt, and blend on medium speed. Increase the speed to high and puree.
  3. With the blender running, remove the lid and slowly drizzle the oil into the raspberry mixture. If the dressing is too thick to smoothly puree drizzle a little water into the dressing to thin it out. See notes.

Notes

  • Only use enough water to produce a thick vinaigrette, you don't necessarily need to use all of it.

Why go to the store and pay for a bottle of salad dressing. Next time you're tempted to buy a bottle of salad dressing, buy a bottle of vinegar and make your own salad dressing. It takes minutes, it's easy to do, and tastes better than anything you can buy.