Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette is a sweet, tangy dressing with orange juice, honey, and Dijon mustard. Shake it up in about 5 minutes and drizzle onto your favorite green salads.
We love it in these Strawbery Chicken Spinach Salad Wraps, Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad, and Caprese Spinach and Arugula Salad.
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Making your own salad dressing is a great way to level up your favorite green salad recipes. And if you like bright, tangy, fresh flavor, you're going to fall deeply in love with this Balsamic Citrus Vinaigrette. It's a rich and flavorful simple vinaigrette, with orange juice and honey to give it just enough sweetness and balance out the tang. And it's fast and easy to make with just a few basic ingredients.
Orange balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect dressing for summer salads and wraps -- you can also use it as a marinade for chicken or pork!
❤️You're Going to Love This
- Easy homemade salad dressing you can make in minutes
- Adds bright, fresh, tangy flavors of citrus to your favorite salads and wraps
- Easy to customize to suit your tastes -- make it more or less sweet, tart, or tangy
- Toss with baby spinach or leafy greens, or use as a delicious marinade.
🍊Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Orange juice. For a sweeter orange salad dressing, use the juice from mandarin oranges or tangelos and navel oranges or blood oranges for a more tart flavor. Add the orange zest, too, if you like!
- Balsamic vinegar. For the best flavor, use a good quality balsamic vinegar Modena with the IGP stamp, which indicates it was made in Italy. I use Kirkland brand organic balsamic vinegar from Costco.
- Extra virgin olive oil. If you have a good bottle of olive oil in the cabinet, a vinaigrette is a great place to use it because you can actually taste it. Otherwise, just be sure to use an olive oil that tastes good to you.
- Honey. You can make this citrus balsamic vinaigrette recipe as sweet as you like by using more or less honey.
🍋Variations or Substitutions
- Instead of honey, use maple syrup. I love it in this maple balsamic dressing recipe. Note that honey is sweeter than maple syrup, so you may need to use more.
- Try a different type of mustard, like stone-ground mustard, whole grain mustard, or spicy brown mustard. Take a look at even more good substitutes for Dijon mustard here.
- If you don't have fresh garlic, use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Experiment with different fresh citrus flavors. Lime juice, grapefruit juice, and lemon juice are more acidic than oranges, so start with less and add to taste.
- Add herbs. Try fresh parsley, thyme, dill, or any of your favorite fresh herbs. Start with 1 tablespoon. Dried herbs have more intense flavor, so use up to 1 teaspoon.
🥣How to Make Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette
Step 1: Whisk the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also shake everything together in a lidded jar.
Step 2: Toss with your favorite salads and wrap fillings or use as a delicious marinade for chicken, pork, or veggies.
👉Helpful Hint: I rarely have fresh orange juice, so I keep frozen concentrate on hand and mix small portions with cold water as needed.
🎁Storage
Store covered in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Vinaigrettes with fresh ingredients like fresh garlic, citrus juices, and herbs have a shorter shelf-life.
❓FAQs
A ratio of 3-to-1 oil to vinegar is common, however, I like brighter, tangier flavors. So I go anywhere between 1-to-1 and 1-to-2, using equal amounts of oil and vinegar or more vinegar (plus other acids like citrus juice) than oil.
Good quality extra virgin olive oil is the best oil for homemade vinaigrettes. Because the oil is one of just a few ingredients and is featured prominently, the rich, fruity flavors of olive oil come through in the dressing. So be sure to choose an olive oil with a flavor you enjoy.
Yes. If it's a basic oil and vinegar vinaigrette, it will last a very long time. Balsamic vinaigrette recipes with fresh ingredients like garlic, fresh herbs, or fruit juices have a shorter shelf life.
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📖 Recipe
Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Whisk the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Stream in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can also place all ingredients in a covered mason jar and shake until combined.
Notes
- Recipe yields about 5 2-tablespoon servings.
- I rarely have fresh orange juice, so I keep frozen concentrate on hand and mix small portions with cold water as needed.
- Make in small batches, as needed, for the next few days. Vinaigrettes with fresh ingredients like fresh garlic, citrus juices, and herbs have a shorter shelf-life.
Ann says
I appreciate recipes that are more balanced with oil and acid. Delicious.
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Ann, Me too. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for the note!