With only 5 minutes and 4 ingredients, you are going to love this refreshing, light, and zippy homemade Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette. Perfect for marinades, salads, or drizzled on grilled nectarines, chicken, or fish. Brighten up your everyday meals with this easy tangy Italian salad dressing.
It's sweet, sour, and well-balanced but what makes this condiment recipe special is the fact that there is no added sugar or honey. The sweetness comes naturally from the oak barrel aging of the white balsamic vinegar.
Fresh lemons and vinegar provide that kick of acidity. The delicious smooth mouth feel comes from luxurious cold packed organic extra virgin olive oil. So, what are you waiting for? Try this easy white balsamic dressing today.
Ingredients for Salad Dressing
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
We are ultra picky about our olive oil. That is exactly why we chose Mie Radici’s Immersione Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this lemon balsamic vinaigrette recipe. This EVOO is 100% Certified DOP and Organic.
It’s cold pressed, unfiltered and the olives grown in the Western Region of Sicily. However, what we love most is the flavor. It’s rich, fruity and has a peppery finish that is sublime. This is not the kind of olive oil you cook with – it’s a finishing oil. Perfect for salad dressings. Try it drizzled on top of homemade tagliatelle pasta or over grilled steaks, veggies and more right before serving.
DOP is short for “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” which loosely translates to Protected Designation of Origin. With all the problems with fake or blended olive oils going on in the world, this certification helps to ensure that products are locally grown, prepared, and packaged following a specific protocol.
White Balsamic Vinegar
We used Mie Radici’s Fondo Montebello Aged White Balsamic - Just one taste and you know this something extra special. It’s little thicker pour than your regular white balsamic and naturally sweet from the grape must aging process.
We have also had great success with a Mediterraneo Agrodolce as you can see in our video below. It’s fresh, aromatic, fruity, sweet, and sour with an infusion of Mint and Rosemary.
Aromatics and Herbs
- Dried Italian Seasoning & salt and pepper to taste – We used a Sicilian Spice Blend made with Roasted Garlic, Basil, Dried Tomato, Oregano, Red Pepper, Fennel, Marjoram, Rosemary, Thyme and Mint.
- Lemon juice + Lemon zest – give this white balsamic vinaigrette a pop of brightness.
How to Make a White Balsamic Vinaigrette?
- Zest and squeeze the juice from a lemon.
- Add 1 teaspoon of zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice into a medium glass bowl.
- Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.
- Add dried Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- Whisk until blended and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t use a metal reactive bowl (such as aluminum, copper, iron, and steel) to mix or store the white balsamic dressing in.
- The acid in vinegar and lemon can trigger a chemical reaction with the metal that might impact the flavor and color of the dressing.
- The longer the exposure is to a reactive metal the higher potential for the metallic taste to come out. We used a stainless-steel whisk to mix the dressing and had no problems at all.
- Mix the white balsamic dressing with a whisk or in the blender for 1 minute. The blender method keeps the golden vinaigrette emulsified longer.
- Another favorite hack is to make the salad dressing right in a glass container or Tupperware with a tight lid and shake it up.
How to Adjust the Flavor of a Salad Dressing?
Too Sweet – Add more lemon juice.
Overly Sour – Add honey or sweetener of choice.
Too Salty – Mask the flavor with additional white balsamic vinegar.
Bland – Try adding more lemon zest, Italian seasoning, fresh herbs or salt and pepper to taste.
Best Substitution for White Balsamic Vinegar
Can’t find white balsamic vinegar? No problem! Use this quick and easy recipe substitution. It’s not a perfect taste match by any means but it works in a pinch. Mix the following ingredients together…
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon honey, sugar, or sugar substitute of choice
Storage
This white balsamic dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in a covered glass or plastic container.
How to Use Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil Dressing?
White balsamic is fabulous as a marinade for chicken, fish and roasted vegetables as it's a light straw color it does not discolor food. Delicately sweet, sour, and herb flavor will keep your pasta salad light and bright. We also feel it has a lighter and brighter taste just perfect for the warmer weather.
This bright Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette is delicious on our grilled shrimp and nectarine salad and Caprese Salad Sticks. An instrumental addition to all kinds of spring and summer salads.
Basic Salad Dressing Formula
The most basic salad dressing formula is usually 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or acid. However, this is assuming there are no natural sweeteners in the vinegar. The regular vinegars in this formula are likely to be red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
These are so sour they make your lips pucker and would most likely be making a funny face if you tasted them without any additions.
White Balsamic Dressing Formula
A good aged white balsamic vinegar is naturally sweet. You might even be able to taste of it straight up without making a pucker face expression. Therefore, the ratio for this lemon white balsamic vinaigrette is 16 tablespoons of oil and a mix of vinegar and lemon 15 tablespoons or a 16:15 ratio. To express this ratio in cups, it’s 1 cup oil to 0.94 cup white balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.
Salad Season
The delightful sweet and sour flavors tantalize all your taste buds for a delicious finish. If you are the mood for a refreshing salad, be sure to check out our Tutti Fruitti Kale Salad with Citrus Honey Dressing, Easy Summer Millet Salad or Panzanella.
If you just can't decide, check out our Salad Category for more inspiration.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Both aged regular balsamic and aged white balsamic both start out with white grape must. We bet you are now asking, “What the heck is Grape Must? “- Can you picture Lucille Ball stomping on the grapes. Grape Must is the juice, pulp, seeds, and skin of the grapes.
Next, the regular balsamic (dark balsamic) is simmered for a very long time until thick and dark caramel in color and then aged in different barrels. However, white balsamic goes through a different process. Instead of simmering for a long time, the grape must be pressure cooked so that the grapes stay white in color and prevent browning before it is aged, usually for less time. The resulting color is this straw golden color.
White balsamic is sweet and mellow and has a little tang at the end. It is not as thick, sweet, or caramel tasting like a regular aged balsamic used in our balsamic glazed salmon and root vegetables recipe. We think that is why it is the perfect spring and summer addition to your culinary inspirations.
There is no need to add honey or any sweeteners to this vinaigrette as this white balsamic is naturally sweet from the processing and aging process. We added a little lemon to balance the flavors and add a little extra brightness to the recipe. There are naturally occurring sugars in the grape must because of the aging process.
More Delicious Salad Dressing Recipes
Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.
Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive Oil (extra virgin) We used Mie Radici's Immersione Organic EVOO.
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar (barrel aged) We used Mie Radici’s Fondo Montebello white balsamic
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
or Mie Radici's Sicilian Spice Mix - 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh is best
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and pepper by hand with a whisk or in a blender. You can also place the ingredients in a glass jar with a secure lid and shake well.
- Enjoy drizzled over salads, grilled veggies or as a marinade for fish and chicken.
- Can store in a sealed container for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon honey, sugar, or sugar substitute of choice
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
I love that you included lemon juice and zest. That gives your dressing such a fresh pop of flavor. Also... I am so glad you mentioned the DOP certification for the olive oil. It is so hard to find a "real" olive oil, so I am definitely going to be looking for the DOP on labels going forward!!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Heidi - the lemon really balances the natural sweetness form the aged balsamic. I know what you mean about the whole fake olive oil issues - its a real problem around the world. Glad we could help you in that area.
Hannah says
An instant classic; you can't go wrong with this combo on any salad, in any season, for any meal! I always have these ingredients on hand too.
HWC Magazine says
Glad you agree Hannah. White balsamic vinaigrette is our go to salad dressing recipe.
Eha says
Well, it's autumn here but our weather allows us salads all year round ! Am always on the lookout for new dressings as I am aware how many 'naughties' may be hidden in the store-bought ones !!! Have used balsamic forever BUT not the white variety . . . available locally I am certain . . . going shopping ! . . . goin' lookin' what youm ean about 'medical advisors' . . . ? that sounds as very much my cup of tea . . .
HWC Magazine says
Hi there Eha! We hope you do find white balsamic in your neck of the woods as it really has a different flavor profile than the normal dark aged balsamic. It is light and bright and perfect for salad and on our Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Carrots.
Dana says
I can use this for so many ideas -- glad I found it