We think this is one of the best skills a home cook can have. Making your own salad dressing is extremely easy—you can even skip the whisking, if you want, and shake it in a jar—and the end result is far superior to what comes in a bottle, in our opinion. There are countless variations (like adding bacon drippings or making it creamy), but today we're laying the groundwork with the steps to a basic balsamic vinaigrette.
What You Need
Ingredients
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
sugar (brown or granulated)
Tools
medium-sized bowl
whisk
measuring spoons
Instructions
1. Pour about two tablespoons of vinegar into the bottom of the bowl. (These measurements will make enough vinaigrette for two large, main-dish salads, or four to six side salads.) We like to use the bowl we'll later use to toss the salad. Add a few pinches of salt (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon), a few grinds of fresh pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar.
2. Begin whisking vigorously, and then drizzle in the olive oil (our whisk isn't moving because we were photographing at the same time...).
3. Make sure the olive oil is in a slow, thin stream, and whisk rapidly where it hits the vinegar (again, if we had an assistant, you'd see olive oil trickling in while we whisked).
4. A general rule of thumb is to use a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to vinegar. We prefer our vinaigrette more vinegary, so we use more like a 2:1 ratio. Which means about 1/4 cup olive oil.
5. As your vinaigrette thickens and becomes a paler shade of brown, stop and taste. You can add more olive oil if it's too acidic. If it separates while you're preparing the rest of dinner, don't worry. Just whisk it again to smooth it out.
6. Throw in your lettuce and use tongs to toss and coat the leaves.
Additional Notes:
Once you master the basic vinaigrette, you can experiment with all kinds of additions, like those in the last photo. Some options to consider:
• Substitute lemon juice for half of the vinegar (keeping the same overall amount of acid). We like lemon with lighter vinegars, like champagne or red wine.
• Add minced garlic to the vinegar before whisking in the olive oil.
• Add fresh herbs like thyme or dill.
• Add dijon mustard (whisk into the vinegar before adding the olive oil), which will also act as an emulsifier to help your vinaigrette come together and be less likely to separate.
Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!
Related: Food Science: Why Vinaigrettes Separate
(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Bacsac Bacsquare 04...
Apartment Therapy's Sofa Shopping Guide
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
yum, Who doesn't love a homemade dressing.
Yum. I use just about a 1/2 tsp of dijon in my Balsamic Vin. too. It helps emulsify and adds a little somethin' somethin'
I love using my immersion blender for homemade dressing as it doesn't separate.
I have a battery opperated milk frother that I use to mix up my dressings. It works great!
And horseradish mustard to my favorite addition!
I haven't bought dressing in years. I always make my own. It's simple and cheap, and much healthier. You just need oil and an acid, though you can always add some more flavouring. Examples I make might be: EVOO, fresh lemon juice, ginger, and a little honey (to counter the lemon) or EVOO, Balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, and some fresh herbs. Easy peasy.
I'm another one who hasn't purchased salad dressing in years. For mixing, I use a jar or bottle and simply shake up the dressing. I even have a few tiny glass bottles that work well for packing with lunch salads.
For an easy creamy dressing, I use plain yogurt, lemon juice, a little EVOO, garlic, fresh dill (or other herbs, as desired), celery seed, freshly ground black pepper and some grated Parmesan.
Confession time, I just love really good aged balsamic vinegar lightly drizzled over salad. Its acidic and sweet at the same time and doesn't need anything else.
i like to let finely sliced shallots sit in the vinegar and add a bit of honey in place of the sugar. :)
I always felt the sugar to be totally unnecessary; balsamic vinegar is already sugared, so it feels like too much sugar for me.
I also love to vary the vinegars (white vinegar for radishes, rice vinegar, plain old Melfort...) and oils; I sometimes add mustard (old-fashioned one, Moutarde de Dijon...), fresh or dry herbs, shallots, oignons... but I always keep a 2:1 ratio.
Loora - I agree, the balsamic has always been sweet enough to me on it's own. Maybe it's because I'm using the good stuff I got for Christmas?
Count me among those who never buys dressing. (I hope I don't sound like one of those people who prattles on about how they don't own a tv!) But whenever I've tried store-bought dressings they've always tasted metallic or some other gross flavor.
I use olive oil, champagne vinegar, and then a really high quality, thicker balsamic vinegar. This lets me use less of the expensive BV, but also I've found that using the two types of vinegar creates just the right balance of vinegar/sweetness without being overpowering on either end. No sugar needed.
I would like to add that it's tastier to use a little honey instead of the sugar. (At least, in my opinion.)
Also, recently I used a Vanilla Fig Balsamic instead of ordinary Balsamic Vinegar and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! (Vanilla Fig Balsamic was from Temecula Olive Oil Company.)
How long do homemade dressings keep? Even though it seems easy to throw together, it would be even more convenient to make a bigger batch to last a few weeks. Any suggestions?
i live on balsamic vinaigrette - for salads, drizzled over roasted veggies, or as a sandwich spread - so i make a jar at a time and keep it in the fridge. keeps well for weeks, though it never lasts that long in my house. makes a great hostess or holiday gift.
i also use a bit of dijon and honey in mine - both help with keeping the emulsion, and i love the taste.
here's my recipe if anyone's interested...
These are great. Could you do one on how to make a balsamic reduction?
I've used raspberry or other fruit jam in lieu of sugar... gives it a fun variation.
What's a good way to lighten up a balsamic vin? I've tried adding water, but it just takes like my balsamic vinaigrette and water. I am not one that likes just the vinegar, and there has to be a perfect balance of acid and oil for me to like it. I have a few I want to try that use water and dijon mustard.