This Balsamic Blueberry Vinaigrette is a simple yet flavorful dressing that transforms your just-another-salad into a colorful masterpiece bursting with antioxidants and deliciousness.
Summer means blueberries. But it also means salads! I suppose you could just throw some blueberries on your salad and call it a summery day, but why stop there? This Blueberry Vinaigrette levels up your summer salads. (Especially this 7 Layer Summer Salad!)
Blueberry Vinaigrette Ingredients
So let’s break down what goes into a good balsamic vinaigrette before jumping into this blueberry vinaigrette recipe:
Balsamic: Your major flavor maker. This is a hydrophilic element, meaning it is attracted to water. Generally you’ll use 1 part balsamic to 2-3 parts oil.
Oil: Gives the dressing a good mouth-feel (the term used for that feeling you get when eating fats) and dilutes the vinegar. This is hydrophobic, meaning it does not like water or water-like substances (like vinegar).
Emulsifier: Balsamic is hydrophilic and oil is hydrophobic, meaning these guys don’t get along. Without something to make them stick together they’re going to separate. That’s where the emulsifier comes in. The emulsifier has a water-loving side and a water-hating side, so it gets along with both balsamic and oil, bringing the two together in happy harmony. Some good emulsifiers for vinaigrettes are:
- Honey (we’ll use this one today because this is a sweet dressing)
- Mustard
- Mayonnaise
Salt and pepper: Always important for rounding out the sweet flavors of the balsamic.
Extra yums: Let your imagination go wild! We’re using blueberries and a touch of lemon today but the possibilities are endless.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh blueberries 100 g
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 60 mL
- 2 Tbsp honey 30 g
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice 15 mL
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- ½ cup olive oil 120 mL
Instructions
- Blend: In a blender, combine blueberries, vinegar, honey, lemon, salt, and pepper.
- Emulsify: With the blender running, slowly pour in oil, and continuing blending until completely emulsified and creamy, about 30 seconds.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
I first published this recipe over on Amanda’s Cookin’, where I’m a contribute.
Holly says
Fresh blueberries don’t last long in my house. Have you ever tried frozen ones? Think it might work?
Sarah says
Hi Holly! I haven’t tried it with frozen berries before but I think it would work just fine with this recipe 🙂
Nancy says
made this today with fresh blueberries….divine! My new fav vinaigrette!
Thank you.
Sarah says
So happy to hear, Nancy! 😀
Katie says
Delicious! Should I keep it in the fridge?
Sarah says
So happy to hear! Yes, I would keep it in the fridge.
Lorraine Gregson says
It tastes just as good with frozen blueberries.
Lorraine
Sarah says
Thanks for the tip, Lorraine! 🙂
Hazel says
I made today with frozen wild blueberries skipped the oil and used agave vs honey android it came out great
Sarah says
So happy to hear, Hazel! 😀
michelle says
I cut the oil in half….will skip it next time. The flavor is amazing!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Sarah says
Great to know it can be made without oil! Glad you liked it, Michelle! 😀
Khadija M McMahon says
Can you freeze the dressing to get longer usage? And have you tried substituting the honey with a more keto-friendly option? Like eurythritol?
Sarah says
I haven’t tried freezing this but am not sure it would thaw well. In this case, honey is used to emulsify the dressing (i.e. hold everything together). An alternative sweetener would work taste wise, but would make it so this dressing separates into oil and vinegar over time. Hope this helps! 😀
Karen says
Made it with frozen blueberries. Best salad dressing ever!
Sarah says
So good to know, thanks for the tip Karen!!
Mickie Proud says
YUM!
Breaunna Friels says
Tried this and love it. I used white balsamic and lime instead, just what I had on hand. It was delicious.
Sarah says
Yum! Thanks for letting us know, I’ll have to try that! 😀
Kelsey Lewis says
I made this with just a few changes- I soaked my blueberries in the vinegar overnight and then added a tiny bit more vinegar to give it just that little extra ‘kick’ and it is PHENOMENAL! I have literally eaten it straight from the jar it is so delicious. Cannot recommend enough.
Sarah says
So happy to hear you like it, Kelsey! 😀
Jill says
Delicious 😋
I think I might try this with other types of summer fruit!!
Sarah says
Strawberries would be great! 😀
HW says
Super easy recipe not to mention delicious. I used frozen Saskatoon berries and it worked perfectly.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
Karen says
Very good recipe! I added an extra cup of blueberries (just one cup left it more vinegary than I preferred) and also added 1 extra Tbsp of honey. Turned out awesome!
Sarah says
Sp happy to hear it, Karen! 😀
Emily says
Delicious and different! Can’t wait to make this again for an event.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
Ellen says
This was outstanding in my book and I learned a lot. Thanks for the idea.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Ellen! 😀
Phyll says
WOW never heard of this dressing before, but blueberries are in season now and I must try it. Thank you so much for this innovative recipe.
Sarah says
Enjoy! 😀
Jaclyn says
Delicious!
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Jaclyn! 😀
Nate says
Hi, I’m curious where you got that bottle in the picture? I have bottles like it and I don’t remember where it came from!
Sarah says
I think this might have actually been an old salad dressing bottle that I peeled the label off of! 😅
Nana says
This came out AMAZING! I am very pleased with the taste, texture, and appearance! I added about a tbsp more of balsamic because I love vinegar though 🤗
STARR says
I made this with frozen blueberries. Turned out great! I made a parm chicken kale salad to go with it. Delish!!! Love this recipe.
Rhonda says
I love this dressing
Bev says
Something went very wrong & I am not sure what happened. I followed the directions & the dressing turned out great. It sat on my counter for about 30 minutes in a mason jar. When I opened the jar to serve the dressing it was very thick and had small curds in it. It was almost like jelly or cottage cheese!
Any idea what went wrong?
Sarah says
That’s really strange! Haven’t had that happen before. You’re sure it wasn’t just the oil and vinegar separating?
Kristi Aaker says
I am going to make this with huckleberries! Can’t wait to see how it comes out! Thanks for the recipe!
Dave says
I am going to try this recipe today but I am going to grill the blueberries only flat top. Not sure how it will turn out.
Sarah says
I think it’ll be tasty! Enjoy! 😀
Louise says
It was delicious right when I made it but after putting it in the fridge it like, turned into a jam – it was super thick 🙁 and nothing I did would make it fluid like a dressing again!
Leah says
I wanted a salad with dinner but only had greens, so I wanted a dressing that was a little more interesting. This was delicious. The only substitution I had to make was the honey, my husband is allergic. I used maple syrup instead and it worked well. The emulsified dressing was wonderfully rich and not too sweet, perfect on mixed greens.