Honey Vinaigrette

Most store-bought dressings are full of ingredients that don't necessarily support a healthy diet. Make your own homemade honey vinaigrette instead! Top a crunch salad with something that is just as delicious, but made with ingredients you can trust.

Honey Vinaigrette Recipe

Homemade salad dressings are honestly more successful than people give them credit for. I'm convinced that people who think you can't make a good salad dressing at home, just haven't had a recipe that works.

This sweet honey vinaigrette is absolutely amazing! Drizzle it on top of a simple green salad and man, I eat every single bite.

My go-to salad dressing is now any homemade recipe that is quick and simple. The bottled stuff just won't cut it anymore. It's almost as if I can taste the added preservatives or fluff ingredients they put in to make it last longer.

Your taste buds will rejoice in this delightful combination of tangy lemon juice and vinegar with a sweet and syrupy mix of honey. And the touch of dijon mustard...*chefs kiss*! Another delightfully tangy dressing that I love is this red wine vinaigrette.

Honey vinaigrette is easy peasy and always provides a fresh flavor for you crunchy green salads.

Lastly, what is a salad without homemade croutons? Add these croutons along with the honey vinaigrette to your next salad.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

You are going to adore this easy homemade salad dressing recipe:

• You can use this tangy vinaigrette with a touch of sweetness any day of the week, and any time of year. I love it during the summer, but it's great year-round!
• Honey vinaigrette can be made ahead of time and then stored for later. A great meal prep recipe.
• This recipe is kid-friendly and healthy for the whole family. You can be confident that you are topping your hearty salads with a dressing that will both taste good and make you feel good!

Ingredients

Just a few basic ingredients come together and make the perfect sweet and tangy vinaigrette. You truly can make a delicious salad dressing with a few good quality ingredients.

Here's everything you'll need to have on hand to make this great recipe:

• honey
• lemon juice
• white wine vinegar
• dijon mustard
• olive oil
• salt
• dried rosemary

Substitutions and Variations

Turn this recipe into a honey balsamic vinaigrette by swapping out the white wine vinegar for white balsamic vinegar. You can use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar in its place as well.

Dijon mustard gives a slight kick to this vinaigrette and it pairs really well with the honey. However, you can use regular yellow mustard in your honey mustard dressing if that is all you have on hand.

To make a copycat Chipotle vinaigrette, blend chipotle peppers in adobo sauce into the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients. It turns this into a lovely copycat recipe that is super similar to the honey vinaigrette that Chipotle sells!

Fresh herbs and dried herbs can both be used in this easy recipe. You can add more tart zing to the dressing with a little bit of fresh lemon zest too.

While I personally prefer the flavor of extra virgin olive oil, you can use another neutral-flavored oil instead. Avocado oil would be the best substitute. Vegetable oil would work as well, it just won't provide much flavor.

How to Make Honey Vinaigrette

The best thing about making your own salad dressings is that it's incredibly easy.

No fancy equipment is required, nor do you have to spend a long time putting it together. Mix together the ingredients, and you'll have a fresh dressing to put on your simple garden salads in no time.

To begin, add vinegar and lemon juice to a small bowl and then add the honey to that same bowl.

Next, add dijon mustard and all of the spices to the liquid ingredients in the bowl.

Using a whisk, mix together the ingredients for honey vinaigrette until thoroughly combined.

Pour the salad dressing over a fresh salad, use it as a marinade or store it for later. Enjoy!

How to Store Honey Vinaigrette

Store homemade vinaigrette in a mason jar, or other airtight container, and keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

When you're ready to use the dressing, give it a good shake and use it however you'd like!

How to Use Honey Vinaigrette

Not only can this vinaigrette be used as a dressing on your favorite salad, but you can also use it as a marinade for grilled chicken.

In my recipe for grilled chicken salad, I use it as both the marinade and the dressing. It's one of the best easy summer salads ever!

You can also use it as a marinade for chicken drumsticks or pork chops. So many different options.

Top your grilled chicken salad with goat cheese or blue cheese. Both have complimentary flavors to a vinaigrette! Red onion, carrots, and tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado are great toppings as well.

This sweet honey vinaigrette would be so tasty on a strawberry spinach salad and can also be used on a spinach salad with mandarin oranges and berries.

Or whatever your favorite salad toppings are — it's very versatile and works with a lot of salad ingredients.

Need a side dish for your salad or grilled chicken? Then serve up some lemon ricotta pasta or cheesy garlic bread.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips and tricks for making this recipe:

• For best results, use local honey! The flavor is often more fresh and you will get the added health benefits that local honey provides.
• Use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled. If you have a good citrus juicer, it is just as easy as grabbing a bottle of lemon juice off the shelf at the grocery store. But you'll have a lot more tangy flavor.
• Before serving the vinaigrette, give it a taste test. Then feel free to adjust the level of spices and other ingredient amounts to make the dressing exactly how you like it.

FAQ

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