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This simple, 5-ingredient recipe makes the Best Maple Vinaigrette Dressing you’ve ever tasted. Transforms your favorite salad into a restaurant-worthy delight! So good! And so easy!
5 Ingredients + 5 Minutes = The Best Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
Things will have calmed down by the time you read this. However, as I write this, there’s lot is going on around my house.
My eldest son, his wife, and two adorable children flew in from Oklahoma City last night. Tomorrow, our middle son will drop off his four kiddos. An hour later, The Chairman and I will be loading all six granddarlings into our cars and heading down the road for three days of “Grammy and Grampy Camp.”
I know it’s going to be a lot of fun for all of us.
Still, packing and prepping all the food, gear, games, clothes, and craft projects to keep six campers happy for three days takes time. A lot of time. Which means I’ve had less time for cooking this week.
Fortunately, just a few ingredients and a few minutes are all I need to whip up a dressing that will transform any salad into a gourmet delight that rivals anything you’d find in your favorite restaurant.
Rich, sweet maple syrup paired with fresh-squeezed lemon juice is the foundation of this delicious vinaigrette. Add in a few extra ingredients and you’ve got a bright tasting, surprisingly sweet-tart dressing that’s terrific on all kinds of green salads or fruit salads.
And did I mention that this Maple Vinaigrette Dressing only takes five ingredients?
Oh, I did? Well, it’s a point worth repeating in my book, and a big plus when you’re pressed for time. And since I am, let’s cut to the chase and talk ingredients.
Here’s All You Need to Make the Best Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
As I’ve mentioned in other recipe posts, I don’t count salt and pepper with totaling up ingredients, as they’re needed in basically every dish. So, you will need to add Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste for this recipe.
Apart from that, the only five ingredients you need are…
- Maple Syrup – When you’re only using a few ingredients for a recipe, they need to be the best you can get. So, real maple syrup is a must for this recipe. That factory-produced, maple-flavored syrup won’t taste nearly as good as the real deal.
- Lemon Juice – Again, you want great ingredients that are as fresh as can be. In this case, that means just-squeezed juice for real lemons. No bottled lemon juice!
- Neutral Oil – Normally, olive oil is my go-to. But the flavor would be too strong from this dressing. Use a neutral, unflavored oil such as grapeseed, sunflower, canola, corn, vegetable, avocado, or safflower oils. These oils have little to no flavor, so they will let the maple and lemon taste shine through.
- Dijon Mustard – Either regular or stone-ground Dijon mustard. Champagne mustard could work too, but I’d avoid yellow mustard.
- Green onions – I had them on hand, so that’s what I used. Chives, thyme, dill, or other fresh herbs could work well here, too.
Making the Best Maple Vinaigrette Dressing – AKA Your New Favorite Salad Dressing
When I said that you’d only need five ingredients plus five minutes to make this maple vinaigrette, I was probably stretching the truth.
Once you’ve assembled the ingredients, it’ll only take a minute or two. You just whisk everything together in a bowl, or put them into a jar with a lid and give it a good shake. That’s all there is to it.
My Maple Vinaigrette Dressing can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. (Though I doubt it will last that long.) The oil and juice will separate if they’re left to sit, so be sure to stir or shake again just before pouring on your salad.
If you’ve never made homemade dressing before, this is a terrific one to start with. Homemade salad dressings are so much cheaper and taste so much better than store-bought. This one is so easy to make, and so tasty that it might just become your new favorite salad dressing.
Give it a try soon!
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Best Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2/3 cup neutral oil, such as sunflower, grapeseed, avocado, canola, etc.
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 T finely chopped green onion, white or pale green parts only (can sub equal amounts of chives or other fresh herbs)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Place syrup, lemon juice, oil, mustard, green onion or herbs, plus a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk thoroughly, or place in jar with lid and shake well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour on your favorite salad.
- Store leftover vinaigrette covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Dressing will separate when left to sit, so stir or shake again before using.
