This champagne vinaigrette is the perfect finishing touch to your favorite salad! Fresh and flavorful, this homemade dressing is tangy, sweet, and will add a rich flavor to your salad. This versatile recipe uses the classic ingredients and is easy to make for a light lunch but also elegant for special occasions!
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💭 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Pairs well with any salad. This dressing can make any salad taste delicious! Green salads, roasted beet salads and vegetable salads, it’s all better when drizzled with champagne vinaigrette.
- Quick and easy to make. Skip store-bought and make your own dressing! Homemade champagne vinaigrette only takes five minutes to make using only a handful of ingredients.
- Perfect for special occasions. If you’re looking for a delicious and fancy dressing for family gatherings and other occasions, champagne vinaigrette is the go-to dressing that will surely please any crowd.
📋 Ingredients and notes
To make champagne vinaigrette dressing, you’ll need champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey or maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Notes and variations
- Champagne vinegar. If you can’t find champagne vinegar, the closest alternative is white wine vinegar.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice or orange juice for a sweeter, more well-balanced flavor.
- Use extra virgin olive oil to balance the sharpness of the champagne vinegar. You can also use avocado oil as a healthy alternative.
- Honey or maple syrup. Both ingredients curb the acidity of the vinegar while adding sweetness to the vinaigrette dressing. Use maple syrup to turn the recipe vegan.
- Dijon mustard. If you don’t have dijon mustard on hand, the best substitute would be spicy brown mustard.
- Use a good quality salt like kosher salt or sea salt to help bring out all the flavors of the salad dressing.
📖 How to make champagne vinaigrette dressing
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey or maple syrup.
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the mixture continuously until the vinaigrette is emulsified and well combined.
Season the vinaigrette with salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
👩🏽🍳 Tips for the best champagne vinaigrette!
If you want to create the best champagne vinaigrette dressing, follow these expert tips!
- Use a hand or immersion blender. Instead of mixing the ingredients with a whisk, you can also use a blender or food processor to make it easier to properly emulsify ingredients. This hand blender is amazing and inexpensive!
- Shake it well. It’s normal for the ingredients to separate and thicken after you leave it for a while, and especially if you store it in the fridge. Just give it a good shake whenever you want to use the dressing, and you’ll be good to go.
- Ensure the right ratio of vinegar and olive oil for a well-balanced vinaigrette. It’s also important to slowly add oil for a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Refrigerate but do not freeze. Homemade vinaigrette is best stored in the refrigerator, but never freeze it. Emulsified oil-based condiments like champagne vinaigrette will break in the freezer and will not thaw well.
👩🏽🍳 Troubleshooting FAQs
Champagne vinegar is usually made using Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. It has a delightfully mild and floral taste, with a hint of vanilla.
Yes, you can definitely make champagne vinaigrette in advance, especially if you want to store it for future use. It can come in handy whenever you want to eat salad for a quick lunch and if you need to cook a big batch for family occasions. Simply store it in an airtight container and transfer in the refrigerator to lengthen its shelf life.
No, champagne vinaigrette is an emulsified oil-based dressing, which means that the blended ingredients will break up when frozen.
The delicate flavors of champagne vinaigrette pairs well with lots of salads, including green salads and vegetable salads. You can definitely pair champagne vinaigrette to elevate the taste of any fresh salad.
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Champagne vinaigrette is the perfect addition to elevate the flavor of many types of salads. I love using this with my vegan Niçoise salad or my roasted vegetable salad.
To store champagne vinegar salad dressing for later, transfer it to an airtight container or mason jar with a tight container. This salad dressing shaker and container is a real life saver! You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. The olive oil will naturally solidify in the fridge, but this is normal! Simply thaw until room temperature and give it a good shake once you are ready to serve it with your salad. I don’t recommend freezing this dressing.
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If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Champagne Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¼ cup champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey or maple syrup.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the mixture continuously until the vinaigrette is emulsified and well combined.
- Season the vinaigrette with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Notes
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Try to use the freshest champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and herbs that you can find!
- Let the vinaigrette rest. After you’ve made the vinaigrette, let it rest for at least 30 minutes before using it. This will give the flavors time to meld together.
- Emulsify the dressing. If you don’t have a blender, you can emulsify the vinaigrette by shaking it vigorously in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. If you’re using a blender, start by blending the vinegar, mustard, and any other dry ingredients. Then, add the oil slowly while the blender is running.
- Don’t be afraid to customize the classic version. If you want a thicker vinaigrette, add a small amount of Dijon mustard or mayonnaise. For a more refreshing vinaigrette, add herbs (e.g., fresh parsley). To make a savory vinaigrette, add a pinch of capers!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yep. Fantastic. Added about 1/2 tbsp mayo and that made the magic happen for me.
Delicious