Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

A quick & easy recipe for delicious red wine vinaigrette you can fix in minutes using simple pantry ingredients like olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup. This tangy dressing is perfect for leafy salads, pasta salads, chicken wraps, chopped fresh veggies, and marinades. (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free & vegan)

I typically have 5-7 different kinds of vinegar in my pantry at any given time, each used to make homemade vinaigrettes or to balance out, perk up, or add flavor to a variety of recipes.

For example, I use balsamic vinegar for strawberry salad, roasted tomatoes, or Caprese dip, apple cider vinegar for autumn salads (so good with sharp cheddar & apple), white wine vinegar for chimichurri sauce, and rice wine vinegar for stir-fry sauce in my egg roll in a bowl recipe.

Red wine vinegar is the strongest & tangiest vinegar (in my opinion) so it tends to overpower lighter or more subtle tasting ingredients. For this reason, I reserve it for neutral recipes where its flavor will shine or recipes where many of the ingredients are savory & equally intense in flavor.

Because of its tanginess, I adore red wine vinaigrette on chopped fresh veggies (especially tomato, cucumber & red onion) and on a big Mediterranean salad with plenty of tangy, briny, salty ingredients like olives, pickled peppers & feta cheese.



However, the #1 recipe that I use my homemade red wine vinaigrette for is chicken hummus naan wraps. I fix this dish year-round for an easy 15-minute dinner (it's great for make-ahead lunches, too) that's packed with a good mix of veggies, protein & carbs.

The vinaigrette gets mixed into the chopped veggies then drizzled on top of the wrap right before serving where it soaks into the chicken, cheese & lettuce. It's such a tasty combo!

Ingredients For Red Wine Vinaigrette:

To make this simple vinaigrette you'll need the following ingredients:

• Red Wine Vinegar: This is the main ingredient so you want to choose a good one. Price has nothing to do with it. "Good" here means that you like the flavor of the vinegar by itself (not covered up with all the rest of the dressing ingredients). Trust me, not all red wine vinegars taste the same! (I'll refrain from mentioning the common brand that is super lackluster.)
• Light-Tasting Olive Oil: This is the second most important ingredient for the overall flavor of the vinaigrette. It's important to choose a light-tasting olive oil that doesn't have a strong or bitter taste, as that will completely overpower the vinegar & other ingredients. You can also substitute avocado oil here (it has healthy fats just like olive oil) but keep in mind that it has a very neutral flavor so you will taste the vinegar even more when using it. 
• Real Maple Syrup, Honey, or Granulated Sugar: A sweetener is important for balancing out the tangy & acidic flavors of the vinegar & mustard. To me, it's the core ingredient that takes a dressing from "oil & vinegar" to a vinaigrette. I almost always use real maple syrup or honey in my dressings, but you can use a granulated sweetener like coconut sugar, cane sugar, or brown sugar (just make sure to stir or shake until it's completely dissolved).
• Mustard: I prefer spicy brown mustard or dijon mustard, but feel free to use whatever mustard you have in your fridge or pantry (yellow, English, German, whole-grain, etc.)
• Green Onion: This is my secret ingredient (that and maple syrup) for making a stellar vinaigrette. Many folks use pressed or minced garlic in their salads dressings but I prefer thinly sliced or minced fresh green onion (or chives/scallions) because it takes seconds to prep and I can keep a bundle in my fridge for weeks at a time. 
• Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper: Salt enhances the other ingredients and cracked black pepper adds a bit of mild spiciness. Making sure you have enough salt to balance out the sweet & acidic flavors is key to creating a well-balanced, addicting salad dressing. 

How to Make Red Wine Vinaigrette

This classic vinaigrette is one of the easiest & fastest recipes ever when you need a simple salad dressing or marinade. Simply:

• Grab your 5 simple ingredients + salt & pepper from the pantry/fridge
• Thinly slice the green onion (or mince garlic if that's your preferred aromatic)
• Measure all of the ingredients (oil, vinegar, mustard, sweetener, green onion, salt & pepper) into a bowl and whisk until combined. (A mason jar with a lid also works great here for shaking, serving & storing the dressing.)
• Serve immediately (whisking or shaking again as needed to combine the oil & vinegar) or store in the fridge to let the flavors develop.

That's it!

Ideas For Using Red Wine Vinaigrette

I use this vinaigrette most often in the first two recipes listed below, but I've brainstormed a few other ideas so you can plan to use any leftovers in a variety of meals.

• Leafy Mediterranean Salad with Chicken
• Chicken Hummus Naan Wraps
• mix it into a homemade olive tapenade to spread on Pressed Italian Sandwiches
• pasta salad (with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, cheese & fusilli pasta)
• Greek-themed quinoa with kalamata olives, feta cheese & chopped tomato
• marinade for grilled chicken, pork, lamb, shrimp, or steak
• serve it on a charcuterie board as a dipping sauce for bread, crackers, tomatoes, raw veggies & mozzarella cheese (burrata would be amazing)
• top your favorite pizza with arugula or baby greens then drizzle with vinaigrette
• marinade for chopped tomatoes, cucumbers & onions (or whatever other veggies you like) to serve as a simple side

Tips For Making The Best Red Wine Vinaigrette

• Each time you make this vinaigrette, give it a taste and (if necessary) adjust the ingredients so it's balanced to your liking. This is important! I've made this dressing at home and then at my sister's in Colorado using different brands of vinegar & oil and it ended up tasting slightly different. I had to tweak the ratios until I got it to taste how I like it.
• Use a red wine vinegar & olive oil with a taste you enjoy by themselves. If your vinegar & oil taste unpleasant or lackluster, it'll make the whole dang vinaigrette sucky. We don't want that! This is my favorite red wine vinegar if you want to check it out. 
• If your mustard is particularly strong (my spicy brown & dijon are pretty mild), add it a teaspoon at a time so it doesn't overwhelm everything else. If that does happen, you can always add a bit more oil, vinegar & sweetener to balance things out.
• For a Greek or Italian version of this dressing, add some dried oregano, basil and/or Italian seasoning 1/4 teaspoon at a time until it tastes good to you. 
• For a dressing with a bit more kick, add a few pinches of crushed red pepper or increase the amount of cracked black pepper. I often add both! 
• If you have a bit of extra time (I don't always do this), make your vinaigrette at least 30 minutes before serving so the green onion has time to release its aromatic flavor into the dressing. 
• For a low-carb or keto vinaigrette, omit the sweetener or sub your favorite sugar-free sweetener like stevia, monk fruit, or swerve. If you're doing the latter, only add a teensy bit of it at a time until it tastes how you want it (low carb sweeteners tend to have very strong flavors).

Looking for more dressing recipes? Check out my homemade pantry staples round-up!

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recipe, easy, salad

dressing

French

Yield: 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup (approximately)

Author: Elaina Newton - The Rising Spoon

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

prep time: 5 Mcook time: total time: 5 M

A quick & easy recipe for delicious red wine vinaigrette you can fix in minutes using simple pantry ingredients like olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup. This tangy dressing is perfect for leafy salads, pasta salads, chicken wraps, chopped fresh veggies, and marinades. (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free & vegan)

ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4-1/3 cup of red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of mustard (I prefer spicy brown or dijon)
• 2 teaspoons of real maple syrup or raw honey (granulated sweetener works, too)
• 2 teaspoons of minced green onion
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste

instructions:

How to cook Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, measuring cup, or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Stir together with a whisk or fork (or shake well if you're using a jar with a lid) until the olive oil has combined with the vinegar.
2. Taste the vinaigrette and, if necessary, adjust the ingredients until it tastes good to you. Too tangy? Add more oil or sweetener. Not tangy enough? Add more vinegar or mustard. Too bland? Add more vinegar, mustard, or salt & pepper.
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate--covered with a tight-fitting lid-- for up to 5 days. (It has a shorter shelf-life since it uses fresh green onion.)

NOTES:

This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. to serve more folks

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