Parsley Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (with Fresh Herbs)
This parsley vinaigrette salad dressing is easy to make and packed with fresh ingredients, unlike store-bought dressings. Its flavor complements any salad, and it can also be used to marinate the protein of your choice. Made with fresh parsley, lemon juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, it brings a vibrant and tangy flavor to any dish!
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Equipment
- 1 mixing jar or bowl
- 1 squeeze bottle or other airtight storage container
Ingredients
- ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic up to 4 cloves
- 1 tbsp honey may use maple syrup or agave
- ¼ tsp pepper freshly ground
- ½ tsp salt kosher
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 bunch parsley de-stemmed
Instructions
- Juice lemon. Slice and juice your lemon to get 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
- Prepare parsley. Remove the leaves of parsley from the stems. This helps prevent your dressing from being too chunky, and it also helps the flavor from becoming too muted.
- Add lemon juice. Pour 1/4 cup lemon juice into your mixing jar.
- Add balsamic vinegar. Add in 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar to the lemon juice.
- Add garlic. Add your garlic cloves. Depending on how garlicky you like it, you can add 1-4 cloves or more!
- Add honey. Drizzle in 1 tbsp of honey.
- Season. Add your salt and pepper.
- Blend. Blend well with your immersion blender, until all ingredients have been combined.
- Emulsify. While blending, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of olive oil.
- Add parsley. Add the de-stemmed parsley, and blend well, until all the leaves have been mixed in.
- Serve or store. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Notes
troubleshooting tips
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- dressing won't come together - Avoid pouring all the olive oil in at once, and instead, slowly stream it in as you are blending the mixture so that it emulsifies. Emulsifying means the ingredients blend and bind together instead of being separated.
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- too thick from the fridge - when you refrigerate this dressing, it will thicken and congeal together. Set it out up to 30 minutes before serving, or run it under hot water to help it come to temperature quickly. You may need to give the bottle a shake to reincorporate the ingredients.
substitutions & variations
- oil - while the flavor of olive oil works well in this recipe, you can absolutely use another oil! Avocado oil, canola oil, or grape seed oil are all great options.
- sweetener - use whatever sweetener you have on hand! Maple syrup works great, but I've also used agave and even simple syrups for this recipe.
- other herbs - use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand for this dressing. Basil, oregano, and thyme would all work well! Check out this recipe for an herb vinaigrette featuring a blend of herbs!
- vinegar - you can use another type of vinegar, like apple cider vinegar, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar. I recommend sticking to a sweeter vinegar over a more bitter one like plain white vinegar.
Nutrition
Calories: 139kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 0.3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 152mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 601IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
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Keyword: balsamic vinegar, garlic, olive oil, parsley, salad dressing, vinaigrette