Creamy Balsamic Dressing

This simple salad dressing is for those hearty salads where you want a dressing that can stand up amongst other flavors. It's also delicious on grilled meats and fish.

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Easy Salad Dressing

If you like balsamic vinegar, this creamy balsamic dressing should become part of your regular salad routine. It’s super easy to make and contains all ingredients that you have on hand already – balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, mayonnaise, salt & pepper, parsley and olive oil. You can whisk it all together in a bowl or use a small food chopper or food processor to blend it. Oil and vinegar tend to separate when combined, but some ingredients act as emulsifying agents, holding them together for the long haul. This dressing stays thick and creamy because it has so many emulsifying agents included – honey, mustard, mayonnaise (an emulsion of water and oil already) and even balsamic vinegar. 

A hand pouring creamy balsamic dressing over a bowl of salad with a grilled skirt steak in the background on a cutting board.

What to use This Dressing On

This creamy balsamic dressing was originally written for a grilled skirt steak salad that included avocado, grilled corn, grilled onion, fresh tomatoes, blue cheese and two types of lettuce. It’s delicious in that salad, but also lends itself really well to lots of other dishes too. Try it on a simple air-fried chicken breast or simple grilled steak. It also works well on roasted vegetables. 

How to Store Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Store any leftover dressing in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for at least 3 – 4 weeks, but you’ll use it up before then! 😉

Featured Recipe Techniques

More about the skills used in this recipe.

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Salads 101

There are three components in any salad - the dressing, the main ingredient and the other ingredients - but there...View Technique

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Creamy Balsamic Dressing

  • Prep Time: 10 m
  • Cook Time: 20 m
  • Marinating Time: 6 h
  • Total Time: 6 h 30 m
  • Servings:
    8
    servings (1 cup total)

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing, combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl or food processor. Whisk or process well. While mixing or processing, slowly add the olive oil and whisk (or process) until the dressing is thickened and emulsified. Chill until ready to use.

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Comments (3)Post a Reply

  1. 5 stars
    Love all your recipes and your cookbooks. Haven’t tried yet but would like to know whether you use dark or white balsamic vinegar – looks like white!?!?

    1. White balsamic vinegar was used in this recipe to keep the dressing lighter in color but you can use white or dark balsamic in the dressing.

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