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Woman's hand spooning creamy balsamic vinaigrette from a jar on a white surface.
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5 from 14 votes

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

This balsamic vinaigrette is a tangy-sweet-garlicky game-changer! It’s optimized for unmatched creaminess and nuanced depth-of-flavor, and comes together in less than 10 minutes—add this to your meal-prep routine and get ready to drizzle exquisitely all week long!
Prep Time8 minutes
Total Time8 minutes
Course: Condiment, Dressing
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6 (makes ¾ cup / 175g)
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup (60g) aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or grated (you can roughly chop if using a high-powered blender)
  • 1 small shallot roughly chopped (see Note 1)
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (84g) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ to 3 teaspoons maple syrup or organic cane sugar

Instructions

  • To a food processor (or small-capacity blender, see Note 2), add the following ingredients: balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, shallot, salt, a generous amount of black pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup or sugar.
  • Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil and blend until the olive oil has emulsified the dressing. Taste, adding more maple syrup for sweetness and season with salt or pepper as needed.
  • Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. If the oil solidifies in the fridge, simply add the sealed jar to a bowl of hot water and wait until the oil liquefies. Then whisk again (or shake the jar vigorously) to re-emulsify.

Notes

  1. If you are not sure how much a small shallot is, start with 2 tablespoons minced or sliced shallots. Taste, then add more as desired.
  2. Since this is a small quantity, you will need a small-capacity blender cup (I use my 32-oz Vitamix jug). If you don't have a food processor or small-capacity blender, you can (a) add the ingredients to a wide-mouth jar or wide glass and use an immersion blender to blend; or (b) finely mince the shallot and garlic; add all the ingredients to a bowl except for the olive oil; stream in the olive oil, whisking as you go, until emulsified.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.5g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 14.1g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.21g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.55g | Sodium: 257.1mg | Potassium: 20.1mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4.6g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 3.08mg | Calcium: 5.8mg | Iron: 0.1mg