I kid you not, from the moment I started recipe testing, I’ve had a batch of my herb vinaigrette salad dressing in the refrigerator at all times. And in all honesty, this was going to be a recipe that I shared with my summer chicken cobb salad. But after making it so many times, I felt this little number deserved the spotlight all on its very own. You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be making it again and again! And when it’s as simple as tossing all the ingredients into a blender and giving it a whizz, you don’t feel like you need to reach for the store-bought stuff in a bottle. Not only are store-bought dressings typically higher in calories, they always have that bottled, not-fresh flavor. Can you tell I just can’t get over how beautiful the delicate herbs shine in this vinaigrette when combined with the acidity of vinegar and the sweetness of honey? Toss in a clove of garlic so it give the dressing just the right amount of oomph.
Ingredients for an all-purpose herb vinaigrette:
Fresh herbs: I use double the amount of fresh parsley as I do the fresh basil and cilantro. Now, this is just what I like! Feel free to up the cilantro or the basil and drop the parsley down a bit. You can even leave off the cilantro and use just the parsley and basil if you prefer.Dried Tarragon: Just a big pinch gives the dressing the most delicious flavor. Tarragon naturally has the sweetness of licorice or anise seeds. And we’re using such a small quantity that it doesn’t exactly scream TARRAGON but you know there’s something special there that you just can’t put your finger on. Feel free to swap the dried for fresh if you prefer, you’ll just need double the quantity.Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a little kick to the whole thing!Garlic: 1 clove garlic is plenty to give the dressing the garlicky flavor that it needs.White wine Vinegar: I like to use a couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar for this recipe as it gives the dressing a more delicate flavor. The herbs that we’re using didn’t exactly shine through as much when I tested the recipe with red wine vinegar, in my opinion. However, if all you have is balsamic or red wine vinegar, equal parts red wine vinegar and lemon juice would make a better sub here!Honey or agave: Adds a hint of sweetness. Olive Oil: Extra virgin or the regular stuff will do! I’ve even used avocado oil and that works well here too.
How to make the best fresh herb vinaigrette:
If you like this recipe, you might also like these homemade salad dressing:
2-Minute Creamy Caesar DressingBest Homemade Italian DressingHalal Cart White SauceLebanese Garlic SauceSweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
