You can't go wrong when making your own salad dressing recipes. We love that this creamy balsamic vinaigrette dressing is gluten free, low carb and low sugar, even with the addition of a little raw honey. You can even opt for the sweetener of your choosing instead of honey. The flavor is unmatched, and will bring your salads to the next level! Once you have homemade salad dressing, you'll never want to go back to store bought.
Feel free to skip to the recipe card if you’re ready to get right into it. We do cover common questions, tips, and tricks in the body of this post to keep reading if you’re wondering something. We do also include tons of step by step pictures in the body of the post.
Keep reading for all the tips and tricks, and to find out why this is one of our favorite salad dressings for many occasions.
Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil - You want to go high quality here, as it's going to definitely impact the flavor. Make sure you're using pure olive oil. You could use avocado oil if you prefer, it has a very neutral flavor and is generally considered to be very good for you.
- Balsamic vinegar - Obviously, this is the base of the flavor. We opt for something that is low in sugar and carbs.
- Mayonnaise - This is where the creamy element comes in. Again, use your favorite and keep in mind the sodium content here. Some brands of mayo are saltier than others. If you prefer, you could use some plain greek yogurt or low fat greek yogurt if you're trying to minimize the calorie content here. We personally don't generally opt for low fat options due to our low carb, high fat diet. However, since this creamy balsamic dressing is made with a lot of fat, that might be a route you want to take if you're looking to cut a few calories. Greek yogurt also adds protein, too!
- Fresh garlic - Just a few cloves will do the trick. You could substitute for garlic powder if you prefer.
- Dried seasonings of choice - We opt for kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a little Italian seasoning. Feel free to add other seasonings to taste if you like.
- Dijon mustard - To add a zing of flavor, and to help stabilize the emulsion.
- Honey - You can use any sweetener you like instead if you don't want to do honey. We don't mind a bit of honey, since it doesn't affect the carb count too much when spread out over multiple servings.
Let's Make The Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:
- Add half the olive oil, and all of the balsamic vinegar, garlic and mayonnaise to a blender or food processor. If making by hand with a whisk, see notes below.
- Now, add the honey and the dijon mustard.
- Lastly, add in the dry seasonings to the blender or food processor.
- Blend until completely smooth and emulsified, about 1 minute and 30 seconds, streaming in the remaining olive oil while you do so.
- Store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 7 days. Allow to cool in the fridge before serving this creamy homemade balsamic dressing.
Tips For Making The Creamy Balsamic Dressing By Hand:
You can make this creamy homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing by hand by using a whisk or a mason jar if you prefer. Here's a few tips to do it:
- Mince the garlic extremely fine, or just use garlic powder instead, since you won't have a high power tool to emulsify everything.
- You will need to whisk (or shake) vigorously to ensure everything gets emulsified.
- The dressing will likely separate as it sits in the fridge. This is not a problem, and you can easily fix it by shaking it up again before using it. This is very common with homemade dressings, especially if you don't use a blender or food processor.
Why Does My Creamy Balsamic Dressing Separate?
Oil and vinegar will eventually separate, this is totally natural and unavoidable in time when it comes to this homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Homemade salad dressings are technically called "temporary emulsions" according to the Kitchn. When you think of a bottle of dressing you buy at the store, and how creamy it stays in the fridge for long periods of time, keep in mind all of the additives in it!
Store bought versions are usually made with a LOT of additives and emulsifying agents that keep the creamy balsamic dressing from separating. Some additives are natural, while others, not so much. If you want to keep your dressing emulsified for longer, you have to add things to help keep it separate, like mustard, pepper, dried spices, honey, or mayonnaise. These additives make the dressing thicker and creamier.
Using a food processor or a blender will also help immensely. But don't worry if your dressing separates after a few days. You didn't do anything wrong!
More Recipes To Try:
- Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
- Bacon and Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
- Prosciutto and Burrata Salad with Arugula
- Sirloin Steak Salad with Fresh Veggies and Mozzarella
- Apple Cucumber Salad (uses this dressing)
Need more ideas? Be sure to check out this massive list of over 85+ low carb and keto friendly recipes on our site!
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If you get a chance to try this creamy balsamic vinaigrette recipe, let us know what you think, would ya?! Leave us a comment, or catch up with us on Facebook or Instagram, or pin to your favorite Pinterest board for later. We love sharing your versions of our creations over on Instagram @afullliving!
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Until Next Time,
Briana & Chamere
Creamy Balsamic Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add half the olive oil, and all of the balsamic vinegar, garlic and mayonnaise to a blender or food processor. If making by hand with a whisk, see notes below.
- Now, add the honey and the dijon mustard.
- Lastly, add in the dry seasonings to the blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and emulsified, about 1 minute and 30 seconds, streaming in the remaining olive oil while you do so.
- Store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 7 days. Allow to cool in the fridge before serving this Creamy Balsamic Dressing.
Notes
- You can use any sweetener that you want in place of honey if you prefer to eat completely sugar free. The honey added in this recipe adds a minimal impact when spread out over multiple servings.
- Look for the balsamic vinegar with the lowest amount of carbs if you are watching those.
- You can use any dried seasonings you like. You can also substitute fresh garlic for garlic powder if you prefer.
- Avocado oil can be substituted for olive oil.
- Greek yogurt can be substituted for mayonnaise.
- Mince the garlic extremely fine, or just use garlic powder instead, since you won’t have a high power tool to emulsify everything.
- You will need to whisk (or shake) vigorously to ensure everything gets emulsified.
- The dressing will likely separate as it sits in the fridge. This is not a problem, and you can easily fix it by shaking it up again before using it. This is very common with homemade dressings, especially if you don’t use a blender or food processor.
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
Jennifer says
This is a winner. Originally made it for the Cucumber Apple Salad, but now use it on Chicken, Broccoli, and other salads. It was easy to make and didn't separate as much as I expected.
Briana says
That is awesome, than you Jennifer! So glad you like it and are getting so much use out of it!
Alison W Strobel says
loved it
Briana says
That's wonderful Alison, thanks so much for your comment! 🙂