Ready to make your next salad insanely delicious? Then you need to make my Red Wine Vinegar Dressing. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, salty and tangy and absolutely filled with flavour. Like all of my salad dressings, this red wine vinaigrette dressing is quick and easy to make, all coming together in under 10 minutes.
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For more vinaigrette recipes I highly recommend you try my Tangy Sumac Salad Dressing, Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing, Balsamic Vinegar Honey Dressing or my Lemon Herb Dressing.
Why You’ll Love This Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
I am obsessed with making my own homemade salad dressings. Why? Because they are so much better for you, using simple, easy to find and healthy ingredients. Store bought salad dressings are often filled with sugar but when you make your own you can use as much or as little sugar as you like.
Here are some of the reasons you are going to love this red wine vinaigrette recipe:
- healthy – made using extra virgin olive oil, this salad dressing provides essential fatty acids, while the vinegar helps your body to absorb more nutrients from your salad.
- quick and easy – made in under ten minutes using basic kitchen equipment.
- delicious – this salad dressing has so much flavour thanks to the herbs, vinegar, garlic and challots.
- versatile – use to dress a range of salads from green salad to pasta salad.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Below are a list of the ingredients you will need to make this recipe as well as any possible substitutions and ingredient notes.
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- red wine vinegar
- lemon juice – you can swap the lemon juice for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- pure maple syrup – you could use honey instead of maple syrup to add to sweetness if preferred.
- onion shallot – I am not referring to green onions or spring onions here (sometimes in Australia we will call spring onions eschallots. I am referring to the French shallots that look like mini onions.
- fresh garlic clove – I use freshly minced garlic in this recipe but you can use jarred minced garlic for convenience. I wouldn’t recommend swapping for garlic powder in this recipe.
- sea salt flakes – if using finely ground sea salts then use half the amount called for in the recipe.
- dried oregano and dried thyme – I prefer to use dried herbs in this recipe instead of fresh herbs for a deeper flavour. You can swap the oregano and thyme for dried Italian seasoning.
- extra virgin olive oil – I personally love the flavour of olive oil in this dressing however you can also swap for avocado oil or flaxseed oil (linseed oil).
- cracked black pepper to taste – optional.
How to Make Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
I like to keep things super simple and this dressing is no exception. There are two different ways to make this dressing. The first way is to add all of the ingredients to a small glass jar, firmly fix the lid on and then shake vigorously to combine.
The second option is to add the red wine vinegar, tablespoon of lemon juice, maple syrup, finely diced shallot, minced garlic, salt and dried herbs to a small bowl and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly start pouring the olive oil and continue whisking until the dressing is well combined and all of the oil is incorporated into the dressing.
Storage
Store the dressing in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid or glass airtight container in the fridge. Because we’ve used olive oil, you will need to let the dressing sit at room temperature for a little while before using as the olive oil will slightly solidify when refrigerated. Another option is to stand the glass jar or container in hot water until the oil liquifies.
Serving Suggestions
There are lots of different ways to use this Italian style dressing. Here are some of my favourite ideas.
- drizzle over a salad of freshly sliced tomatoes, whole basil leaves and thinly sliced feta.
- use to dress thinly sliced or crushed cucumbers.
- toss through a salad of cooked pasta, fresh parsley, tuna and other veggies like cucumber or capsicum for a delicious and easy lunch that has healthy fats, complex carbs and protein.
- drizzle over crispy roasted potatoes, finely chopped chives and shaved parmesan cheese for a delicious potato salad.
Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Sharp knife
- Garlic mincer
- Whisk
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon French shallot, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/3 cup olive oil, extra virgin
Instructions
- To a small bowl add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, pure maple syrup, minced garlic, sea salt, cracked black pepper, finely diced shallot, dried oregano and dried thyme. Whisk to combine.
- While whisking, slowly start to pour in the olive oil. Continue whisking until all of the olive oil is incorporated into the dressing.
- Store the salad dressing in a small glass jar with a tightly fitting lid or a glass airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using to liquify olive oil.
Notes
Serving Suggestions
Pour over:- green salads
- pasta salad
- fresh veggies like capsicum, cucumber and lettuce.
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