This clean eating vinaigrette is fast, easy and super cheap to make. It’s delicious too!
I hate buying vinaigrette at the store for two reasons:
- It’s so much cheaper and very easy to make at home.
- Manufacturer’s add so much “yuck” to the bottle instead of leaving it fresh and natural the way it should be. (Shelf life is a bad thing!)
I recently purchased the fabulous book Cooking
by James Peterson. In it, he discusses how to make a quick and perfect vinaigrette.
Now, I’m all for adding healthy oils to your salad via a wonderful vinaigrette, but his recipe was a 3:1 ratio. In other words, 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.
While I love this book and will use it a lot in the coming years, that ratio was a bit high for my clean eating tastes. So I experimented. Here are some tips I learned about making a really tasty vinaigrette.
- If you can’t afford the expensive balsamic vinegar, buy the cheap stuff and boil it down by half. (soft boil) So for this recipe, I started with 1 cup of balsamic vinegar, and boiled it down to the 1/2 cup called for in the recipe.
- Don’t use olive oil. It doesn’t taste very good with the mustard. I used canola oil, but you can also use grape seed oil.
- You don’t have to use copious amounts of oil to get the needed effect in your salad. A little oil goes a long way. I used 1/4 cup for this recipe, but my guess is you could get away with using 1/8 cup and still get the same effect with half the fat. Experiment and see what tastes good to you. Just shake your dressing well before applying.
I have a nice big batch of this in my fridge. It’s so tasty! And the best part is, I get it all to myself because my Honey hates vinegar!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE CLEAN EATING RECIPES:
CLEAN EATING VINAIGRETTE RECIPE:
A cheap, tasty, simple and easy dressing you can make in minutes.
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (see notes above)
- 1/4 cup oil (any light flavored oil will work)
- 2 tsp. prepared Dijon mustard (no sugar added)
- 2 tsp. Italian Herb (find it in the spice aisle or make it at the link above)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
While your vinegar is boiling, place all other ingredients into a bowl that has a lid. Whisk and let stand.
When the vinegar is finished, add to the container, place lid on container and make well to mix.
You can also let the vinegar cool a bit and then blend everything in a blender if you prefer. It provides a creamier texture.
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Maria says
I wish I had this salad for lunch!
The Gracious Pantry says
Ya, it’s pretty tasty! You could always make it for dinner!
Vicky says
I agree about preservatives and shelf-life, but how long will this keep in the reefer?
The Gracious Pantry says
I wouldn’t keep it longer than a week or two. Usually, you can smell it if it starts to change. But the vinegar should do a pretty good job of preserving it. I have had it as long as a month in the fridge, but I definitely threw it out at that point. So hopefully that gives you some idea.
Thanks for stopping by!
Amy says
Sounds good, i will have to try this. I usually just use of tbsp of OO with 1 tbsp of balsamic, pepper to taste, 1 tsp of dried italian seasoning, 1 cloved of crushed garlic, mix and pour over salad! it is easy and yummy. Of course i make a huge batch though and bring it to work along with my huge batch of salad (enough for lunch for 4 days lol) that way i have no excuse to not be able to eat a salad :D)
The Gracious Pantry says
Amy – Great way to hold yourself accountable!
Jessica says
Sounds great but is mustard really a clean ingredient? I looked at the ingredient of Dijon mustard where I live and it have sugar. Is that ok?
Anonymous says
Jessica – No, it’s getting tougher and tougher to find mustard without sugar. But there are still a few out there. Keep looking!
Anonymous says
Alyce – That’s wonderful!!! I’m so excited you like it!
Strauch Theresa says
Ok….you have TOTALLY made my day! My daughter likes Ranch, and I like Vinaigrette. I’m making the “clean” Bisquick today. Thank you! Blessings on you for doing the research for us♥
graciouspantry says
Strauch – Thank you so much! I’m happy you’re finding my recipes so useful!
graciouspantry says
You can try regular mustard. I’m sure it would be just as good. I wouldn’t leave it out completely though.
Nichole L. says
What about a substitute for the 3 oils you listed? I’d love to make this but have none of the above listed.
The Gracious Pantry says
Nichole – You can use almost any oil. Just be careful with the flavors. Not every single will go well with this, but most will.
Jay says
We found a nice thick balsamic from Urban Olive Oils & Balsamics. No need to reduce this one down and it is delicious. We usually do the balsamic and a flavored olive oil, but I like the idea of mustard and dried herb seasoning. Thanks for the recipe.
The Gracious Pantry says
Jay – My pleasure! Enjoy! 🙂
yinka says
Hi, I was wondering if you could help duplicate the salata fresh herb vinaigrette, I mean the clean ear version.
Thanks
Yinka
The Gracious Pantry says
Yinka – I’m not sure what you mean. But if you want to contact me with a recipe, I’d be happy to take a look. See my contact information for email info.