Description
Forget wasting your berry patch harvest on vaguely fruity dressings—every drop of this Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette delivers peak-season berry flavor!
Tangy white balsamic vinegar and a few aromatics make fresh strawberries sing in this perfectly balanced blender dressing. It’s ideal for drizzling on peppery summertime greens, grilled meats, grain salads, or anything with creamy cheese and fresh herbs!
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces strawberries, hulled (about 1 ½ heaping cups)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar (see Recipe Notes)
- ½ small shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey (or substitute agave or pure maple syrup for vegan)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons water, to adjust consistency
Instructions
- Blend the strawberry vinaigrette: Add all listed ingredients to a small blender. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few twists of black pepper. Blend until the vinaigrette is smooth and emulsified. Add water as needed to adjust consistency – the vinaigrette can be slightly thick and creamy or more drizzly, depending on your preference. Adjust to taste – I like to add an extra pinch of salt or a splash of white balsamic to ensure the flavors pop.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately. My favorite pairing is this Simple Strawberry Arugula Salad, where its tangy-sweet flavor is the perfect complement to peppery baby arugula. It’s also delicious on this Chicken Berry Salad, a heartier mixed greens salad with herbed chicken breast, strawberries, and blueberries. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Strawberries: As the star of the recipe, this vinaigrette works best with peak-season strawberries. Use the ripest berries you can find – smaller berries tend to be more flavorful than larger berries. Depending on the sweetness of your strawberries, you may want to adjust the amount of honey used – through recipe testing, I found 1 teaspoon to be the perfect amount without overpowering the berries. Fresh strawberry substitute: If you cannot find nice fresh strawberries, you can also use frozen strawberries for this recipe. You can blend them straight from the freezer, but the vinaigrette will be very cold, like a smoothie, so thaw first as desired.
- White balsamic vinegar has the sweet-tangy flavor of traditional balsamic, but with a lighter body, more delicate flavor, and pale color. I reach for it anytime I want balsamic flavor without the dark color or syrupy texture. Here, it adds classic balsamic flavor that works so well with strawberries, while preserving the vibrant color of the fresh berries. If you don’t have it, you can substitute regular balsamic – just note your vinaigrette will be darker in color.
Make-Ahead and Storage:
- Storage instructions: Store this fresh strawberry vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken as it sits – simply stir in a tablespoon of water or vinegar to loosen it up.