Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe (2024)

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by Michelle
May 13, 2015 (updated Dec 8, 2019)

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4.60 (5 ratings)

On Sunday, I enjoyed my very first Mother’s Day… Joseph slept in, my husband cooked me breakfast and we spent the day with my family and my in-laws. It was wonderful! We all ate at my in-laws and had a great spread of food, which included my father-in-law’s famous meatballs and eggplant parmesan. My aunt brought a large salad with tons of “stuff” in it (Seinfeld reference, anyone?)… and the best part? The dressing!

Salad is hardly ever the highlight of a meal for me, but this one was fantastic. I asked my aunt what type of dressing she used; she said it was a balsamic vinaigrette with honey and that she would email it to me. As soon as it popped up in my inbox, I threw together a batch and had my own big salad for lunch!

Aside from my mom’s awesome Italian dressing, I really don’t do anything fancy with my salad dressings – I usually just sprinkle some salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil and vinegar directly onto the salad. Having a jar of dressing already made in the refrigerator eliminates one step in the process and makes it that much more likely that I’ll actually eat something healthy for lunch.

I’m typically not a fan of balsamic vinaigrettes, as I tend to find them way too tangy, but the addition of honey sweetens it up just enough to provide great balance. I just may be turning the corner on salads after all!

One year ago: Homemade Cheez-Its
Two years ago: Katharine Hepburn Brownies
Four years ago: Raspberry Streusel Bars
Six years ago: Easy Fudge
Eight years ago: Cheesy Baked Ziti with Sausage

Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

An easy recipe for a sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette that you can keep in your fridge for months!

4.60 (5 ratings)

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Ingredients

1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup (63.75 ml) balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground black pepper
¾ cup (162 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place the crushed garlic clove in the bottom of a mason jar or other airtight container. Add the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover the jar and shake vigorously to combine.
Add the olive oil, cover and again and shake vigorously. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on the whole recipe

Calories: 1131kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Fat: 108g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Sodium: 902mg, Potassium: 47mg, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin C: 0.7mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1.2mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

33 Comments on “Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette”

Susan Johnson — March 19, 2019 @ 1:59 pm Reply
Love this dressing. I made a tiny process change. I grated my garlic so it infused throughout.
- Macy — October 27, 2019 @ 11:32 pm Reply
  Good idea. I was just wondering what to do about the garlic…I’m not a fan of lots of garlic, especially in big chunks. Grating it is a great idea and I can just do a half of a clove of garlic.
Phyllis — January 13, 2018 @ 9:57 am Reply
I love this salad dressing, I use it all the tme
Trudie — October 24, 2016 @ 9:46 pm Reply
What are the grams (carbs) in this recipe ?
- Michelle — October 29, 2016 @ 7:37 pm Reply
  Hi Trudie, I don’t know, as I don’t calculate the nutritional values for recipes.
Rosalyn — October 5, 2016 @ 7:13 pm Reply
Your recipe sounds delicious. I’m looking for a dressing to drizzel over brussell sprouts.
Would you use this?
- Michelle — October 12, 2016 @ 2:04 pm Reply
  Hi Rosalyn, I’m sure it would be delicious!
Harpreet — May 20, 2016 @ 7:55 am Reply
The food looks good to eat honey, I like bees about food and drink.
See Also
Big Mac Crunchwrap Recipe
Wanda — March 17, 2016 @ 10:55 am Reply
I prefer a dressing leaning to more a vinegar taste so I made this using 1/2C olive oil rather than 3/4. It is delicious, my husband loved it and he is not a big balsamic fan. Making again today !
Pauline — February 18, 2016 @ 10:30 am Reply
I do not have Dijon mustard, will yellow work as well?
- Michelle — February 21, 2016 @ 9:26 pm Reply
  Hi Pauline, I would find yellow to be too pungent for a dressing like this.
Kris O. — May 28, 2015 @ 10:39 pm Reply
I made this tonight for a family BBQ. I like to bring salads so I know I have something I enjoy to eat. As always, your recipes are reliable and delicious. I will be making this dressing often over the summer! Thank you!
Eileen — May 28, 2015 @ 1:44 pm Reply
Hands down one of my favorite recipes on the internet ! I can drink this stuff from the bottle. Thank you for sharing.
Debbie greene — May 25, 2015 @ 6:32 am Reply
Big thumbs up! Brought the dressing to a cookout yesterday; everyone loved it.
I can always count on BEB for wonderful recipes.I’ll make thi over and over again.
Nicole — May 18, 2015 @ 11:11 pm Reply
Went through two batches since this was posted! Great tasting dressing, and not too sweet! Thanks for posting!
denise k — May 17, 2015 @ 6:23 pm Reply
Thanks! Made this last week and used it on roasted asparagus. Yummy!! This week I’m using on a salad with butter lettuce, blue cheese, walnuts, spring onions and blackberries.
Nikki — May 16, 2015 @ 2:50 pm Reply
Made this tonight and it’s to die for! Thanks a bunch :)
wendyworldly — May 13, 2015 @ 10:50 pm Reply
After all these comments, I’m definitely going to try making my own salad dressing. (I usually buy Paul Newman’s light balsamic dressing). That 3-2-1 recipe sounds like a winner!
Karin K — May 13, 2015 @ 10:08 pm Reply
My favorite dressing is just like that, but take out the garlic, add in a few strawberries or a handful of raspberries and whir in the blender. Homemade salad dressing is so much better than anything store-bought.
Martha in KS — May 13, 2015 @ 9:20 pm Reply
Thanks for this recipe. I like balsamic viniagrette but usually sweeten it with sugar & have trouble getting it to dissolve. Never thought to use honey.
Terri A — May 13, 2015 @ 8:23 pm Reply
I make a very similar vinaigrette and will sometimes use maple syrup in place of the honey for a little different flavor.
alisa — May 13, 2015 @ 8:06 pm Reply
your father-in-law’s meatball eggplant parm sounds delicious! do you think you could share that recipe as well!?!?
- Michelle — May 20, 2015 @ 10:07 pm Reply
  Hi Alisa, It’s just a plain eggplant parm, but I will work on that! I’ve never made it myself, so I’ll give it a go here soon :)
Karl — May 13, 2015 @ 6:19 pm Reply
how sweet does this come out.? I am not into sweet dressings, but would love to try this, maybe cut back 2 TB of honey? anyone tried it? do all the ingredients just balance each other out?
- Michelle — May 20, 2015 @ 10:06 pm Reply
  Hi Karl, Not very sweet; the honey is just enough to cut the tanginess of the balsamic vinegar. Of course, taste is all relative!
Sally — May 13, 2015 @ 12:26 pm Reply
Seven or eight years ago I found a recipe for 3-2-1 Honey Balsamic dressing on a now defunct blog (can’t remember the name of the blog). It consists of 3 parts oil, 2 parts balsamic vinegar, and 1 part honey with salt and pepper to taste. The “parts” can be any volume you wish. Since I’m a single, it’s usually 1 or 2 tablespoons. I’ve made a lot of variations of this, substituting lemon or lime juice for the balsamic. One of my favorites is to substitute 1 part red wine vinegar and 1 part lemon juice for the 2 parts of balsamic. I’m extremely fond of the honey-lime variation which is especially good with salads containing fruit. A version substituting cider vinegar and maple syrup is good, too.
Sometimes I add dijon or soy sauce, which really adds an interesting taste to the salad dressing.
- Jaime — May 13, 2015 @ 12:49 pm Reply
  What a great “trick”! This will be easy to remember when I want to make a quick dressing on the fly and don’t want to pull out a recipe. :)
- Michelle — May 20, 2015 @ 10:06 pm Reply
  Awesome tip, thank you for sharing!
Julie is HostessAtHeart — May 13, 2015 @ 12:03 pm Reply
Love the addition of honey! I always make my own vinaigrette so am happy to have another version!
Carol Snyder — May 13, 2015 @ 10:52 am Reply
As always, your blog is a delight. I love seeing Joseph progress, what an adorable angel, and trying your recipes is a joy. I’m looking forward to trying this one. I have become obsessed with the Date Bites – Yum!
Thanks for all you do on your blog. You’re doing a great job!
Anna — May 13, 2015 @ 9:26 am Reply
I have the same recipe I found on all-recipes online and make it all the time. It really is amazing. But the one thing I do different is I use roasted garlic instead of just plain. Who doesn’t like roasted garlic! Thanks for sharing!
Rena — May 13, 2015 @ 8:31 am Reply
Looks yummy!
thank you-am making this right away!
Diana — May 13, 2015 @ 6:46 am Reply
Looks super delish! Guess I need to run to the store and get some salad and “stuff” for it ;)