Easy Maple Vinaigrette Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making vinaigrette? ›

For a traditional vinaigrette, you'll need to mix about 3 tablespoons of oil to 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You'll also want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Of course, for all four ingredients, the better the quality you use, the better your vinaigrette will taste.

The most common emulsifiers in your kitchen are likely egg yolks, mayonnaise, prepared mustard (preferably Dijon), honey, and tomato paste (though I'm not a fan of raw tomato paste, the flavor works quite well in a vinaigrette). For a more neutral flavor, use mayonnaise.

How Long Does Homemade Vinaigrette Last? Traditional vinaigrettes, like the balsamic version listed below, will last longer—sometimes up to a few weeks. However, anything with fresh garlic should be consumed within a few days, as the combination of garlic and oil can form harmful bacteria over time.

Here is a perfect example of a culinary ratio, one that's fairly standard: The 3-to-1 vinaigrette, or 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar.

The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you. My simple system is: In a small screw-top jar, place vinegar and a pinch of salt; cover and shake (this helps to dissolve the salt).

Put the mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a jar and season. Shake vigorously to mix. Store in a cool place (not the fridge) until ready to use. Use for all your salads or try one of our recipes, right.

2 Ingredients: The basics

To make a bare-bones vinaigrette, all you need is vinegar (sherry, Champagne, balsamic, cider, red, white, or rice wine vinegar all work) and oil (go with a neutral vegetable oil like grapeseed for a mild base, or your best extra-virgin olive oil for grassier undertones).

Emulsifiers mix easily with both oil and water and act as the glue that keeps your vinaigrette from separating. Common ingredients used as emulsifiers in vinaigrettes include Dijon mustard, honey, egg yolks, tomato paste or even roasted garlic (some are better emulsifiers than others).

In this easy method, garlic and mustard are used as emulsifiers to help bind the surfaces of the water and oil in the dressing. Adding other ingredients like nuts, honey, mayonnaise, and tahini will also help emulsify the dressing.

What thickens a vinaigrette? ›

Mayo is a magic emulsifier. Its thickness and high fat content make it the perfect stabilizer for a vinaigrette. A scant ½ teaspoon makes the dressing glossy, not heavy.

This is our basic vinaigrette, three parts oil, one part acid, pared almost to its essentials—no shallots, no salt and pepper—so that it can be used almost like a sauce base. The mustard adds flavor and strengthens the emulsion.

There are usually two key indicators that it's time to chuck your dressing. If the bottle's contents begin to give off a rotten or rancid smell, or you notice discolored moldy growths forming on the surface of the liquid, it's time to say goodbye and throw it in the trash.

As mentioned, moisture tends to make salads go soggier even faster. That said, it's even quicker when the dressing is made up of acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus—which, in most cases, they are. The acid in these ingredients can break down the cell structure of tender greens leading to their demise even faster.