This honey orange vinaigrette salad dressing was born out of the desire to recreate a dressing I saw at Trader Joe’s! Even though I rarely buy salad dressings anymore, I still browse the aisles at the grocery store for inspiration.
This salad dressing works well on any salad! It's light, fresh, and flavorful. For more zingy citrus flavor, check out this lemon pepper salad dressing!
🛒 ingredients
Vinaigrettes are some of the easiest salad dressings to make, and they are even easier to customize with your favorite flavors! Usually, all you need is:
- vinegar
- juice
- oil
- flavor boosters (spices, salt, pepper, sweeteners, mustard, etc!)
It can be so fun and easy to get creative with vinaigrettes, especially when you’re looking to jazz up your salad routine.
🍳 instructions
Here's what you'll need to create this honey orange vinaigrette salad dressing:
- oranges - you can use whatever variety of orange you like. I opted for cara cara oranges for this dressing. You'll need the zest and juice from the oranges for this recipe.
- honey - while this recipe uses honey, you can absolutely use whatever sweetener you have on hand. Maple syrup or agave will work just as well.
- white wine vinegar - the world of vinegar is getting wild! For this recipe, you can use plain ole' white wine vinegar, or you can opt to level up the flavor with white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar.
- garlic - fresh garlic is a pantry staple, but if you have garlic powder, you can use ⅛ teaspoon for each clove of garlic.
- olive oil - extra virgin olive oil is a great match for the zesty flavor of orange juice and zest! The robust flavor holds up nicely to the intense orange flavor.
- salt & pepper - the good ole standbys of the seasoning world, salt and pepper have a home in nearly every recipe!
♻️ substitutions
This honey orange vinaigrette can even be changed around! Here are some ideas for making this dressing your own:
- oil - Use an even more neutral oil, like avocado oil or grape seed oil, to really highlight the zesty flavor of the orange juice.
- oranges - Experiment using different types of citrus. I used cara cara oranges, but blood oranges would give you a more dramatic color and flavor. Use what’s in season, or what is easiest for you to find!
- vinegar - swap out the type of vinegar you’re using. You can use white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar!
As you can see, the possibilities with vinaigrettes really are endless. Plus, once you start making your own salad dressings, store bought just won’t ever taste the same!
🎛️ variations
Feeling like a rebel?! Feel free to stray from the recipe card using a variation below, or leave me a comment with your own!
- sweeter - Double the amount of honey for an even sweeter dressing that cuts the tang of the vinegar.
🧰 equipment
While you can make this honey orange vinaigrette using just a mixing bowl and a whisk, check out these affiliate-linked tools below that will help make your life easier. 😘
- Immersion Blender - I always recommend an immersion blender. Mine is from Cuisinart, but it’s no longer being made. Whenever mine kicks the bucket, this All-Clad model is on my radar. For a more modest price, I’d recommend this model.
- Microplane - microplanes are one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. I have several sizes, but for this recipe, you'll need one that is capable of zesting. Alternatively, you can use the thinnest side of a box grater-- but be careful only to get the zest, not the white pith of the lemon.
- Mixing jar - I love blending right in storage jars, for easier cleanup. These quart-sized wide mouth ball jars are my go-to. A large measuring cup or bowl will also do the trick!
- Squeeze bottles - These OXO squeeze bottles are my favorite way to store salad dressings.
🫙 storage
Your honey orange vinaigrette salad dressing will stay fresh for up to 10 days in the fridge.
🔆 Top tip
You can make this lemon pepper dressing in a regular blender or a food processor. I wouldn’t recommend using a “bullet style” blender because you need to be able to stream the olive oil in while you’re mixing the base of the salad dressing.
💭 q+a
Use whatever oranges are easiest for you to find. The great thing about this salad dressing is that you can make it your own, based on what you like. Try it with navel oranges, blood oranges, or satsuma mandarines!
Slowly streaming in the olive oil helps the vinaigrette to emulsify. That means that the fats from the olive oil can bind with the other ingredients, which makes your salad dressings so velvety and smooth.
Absolutely! Use any neutral oil you like in this dressing. Avocado, canola, or
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment! I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
🥣 recipe
Honey Orange Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender can also use a food processor, blender, or whisk
- 1 jar
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon orange zest about the zest from one medium orange
- ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice from two medium oranges
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 4 tablespoon white wine vinegar substitute champagne vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Grate 1 garlic clove into a jar or mixing bowl using a Microplane
- Zest 1 medium orange into the same jar or mixing bowl, you should have about 1 tablespoon of zest
- Add ½ cup of orange juice, 2 tablespoon of honey, 4 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend well.
- While blending, slowly stream in ½ cup of olive oil, to emulsify the mixture.
- Store in the fridge in the same jar you mixed in, or in a squeeze bottle, for up to 7 days.
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