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    Sungrown Kitchen » Recipes » Side Dish

    Published: Sep 19, 2022 · Modified: Sep 28, 2023 by Meryl Downing Leave a Comment

    Easy Vinaigrette in a Jar

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    This Easy Vinaigrette in a Jar is a kitchen staple, quick homemade salad dressing to use with any salad! In just a few minutes, make it right in a mason jar and just shake it! Different vinegars will give you different variations and you'll never want to buy vinaigrette again!

    Mason jar salad dressing in front of a white bowl of lettuce salad.

    A simple vinaigrette dressing is so easy, and you probably already have all the ingredients in the pantry! This is my go-to recipe and really can work with nearly any salad. Shake up a jar and if you love salads like I do, try these favorites:

    • Grilled Peach and Burrata Salad with Chicken
    • Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
    • Asparagus Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
    • Maple Butternut Fall Harvest Salad

    Ingredients and Variations

    Mason jar vinaigrette salad dressing ingredients.
    • Garlic - This is your big flavor! Mince up 1 clove of fresh garlic to add sharpness that balances the sweet honey.
    • Salt and Pepper - A vinaigrette flavors your whole salad, so a generous seasoning with just salt and pepper will give your dressing that tangy goodness and let your other ingredients shine!
    • Dijon Mustard - Dijon is an emulsifier, it naturally helps oil and vinegar hold together. You can use regular or the seedy country dijon mustard.
    • Honey - Honey is optional, but I love a hint of sweetness to balance all the acidity in this mason jar vinaigrette. You can also substitute real maple syrup.
    • Red OR White Wine Vinegar - The vinegar you choose will give you its own flavor, allowing you to make lots of variations with this basic recipe! I love white wine vinegar, but you can also use red wine, champagne, white or regular balsamic or even fresh lemon juice. You can also combine vinegars, adding in a bit of raspberry or tarragon vinegar with the basic white wine.
    • Olive Oil - Use a good olive oil here, it brings a lot of flavor and creaminess to your dressing. Traditionally, a vinaigrette ratio uses more olive oil than vinegar, 3 to 1. I love the flavor punch that the vinegar brings, so I like to keep the vinegar and olive oil in equal parts. Makes it simpler to eyeball the amounts too!

    Instructions

    Salad dressing in a jar is meant to be easy! You can throw it together in a few minutes as dinner is just hitting the table! First, mince a clove of garlic.

    Minced garlic on a cutting board and a jar of vinaigrette ingredients.

    Then add all the ingredients to a jar with a lid.

    Making honey garlic vinaigrette dressing in a jar.

    Give it a good shake and drizzle it over your favorite salad! As it sits it will want to separate, which is why the jar is great, just shake it up again!

    A mason jar salad dressing with a lid.

    Storage

    Store this honey garlic vinaigrette in a jar in the fridge for a month. The olive oil will solidify in the fridge, so set it on the counter about 15 minutes before using so it can come back to room temperature. Then give it a good shake!

    Vinaigrette Tips

    • The basic vinaigrette ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.  I like the tangy vinegar taste, so to make it even simpler, I just do equal parts.
    • After making your own vinaigrette a few times, you won't even need a recipe. Just add a small spoonful of dijon, honey, salt and pepper, mince in the garlic, and eyeball your oil and vinegar to be equal parts. Super easy!
    • White or red wine vinegar are the basics, but you can try champagne, white or regular balsamic, or play around with combinations of your favorites like half white wine and half tarragon vinegar. You can also use fresh squeezed lemon juice in place of or in combination with some of the vinegar. 
    • Unlike your store-bought vinaigrette, you'll know exactly what's in your jars with no preservatives or sugar!
    • A salad is an easy side dish when you just need something green and healthy, and if your dressing is already made and ready, you can throw it together in a few minutes!  When your jar of dijon is almost gone, don't scrape out every last bit, make salad dressing right in the mustard jar!
    Quick white or red wine vinaigrette shaken in a mason jar.

    What to Serve with Mason Jar Vinaigrette

    When you always have a homemade jar of vinaigrette in the door of your fridge, adding a quick salad to dinner is easy! Try your jar salad dressing on:

    • Any basic veggie salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and croutons
    • A fruit-nut-cheese salad, with ingredients like dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, chopped apples, pears, or berries with different toasted nuts like walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, or pecans.  Top it with cheese such as shaved Parmesan, goat cheese, feta, or blue cheese. Try my Pear Blue Cheese Salad with Glazed Honey Walnuts or this Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad.
    • A salad for dinner like this Chopped Dinner Salad with Roasted Potatoes
    • Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
    • White Bean Salad with Arugula
    • Green Bean Salad with Tomato and Feta
    • Panzanella Bread Salad

    Weeknight Dinners that Love a Salad!

    • Whole roasted chicken with root vegetables and fresh rosemary.
      Whole Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables and Couscous
    • A plate of shredded beef roast on a bed of cauliflower puree with carrot and broccoli.
      Rich Molasses Braised Beef Roast
    • Homemade spaghetti meat sauce over pasta with chopped basil.
      Mom's Homemade Spaghetti
    • A red baking dish of melted cheesy pasta in leftover shredded beef ragu sauce.
      Ragu Sauce Pasta Bake - from Leftover Beef Roast

    If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!

    Follow Sungrown Kitchen on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for loads of garden recipes! Be sure to Subscribe Here for new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!

    Easy vinaigrette salad dressing made in a jar.

    Easy Vinaigrette in a Jar

    This Easy Vinaigrette in a Jar is a kitchen staple, quick homemade salad dressing to use with any salad! In just a few minutes, make it right in a mason jar and just shake it! Different vinegars will give you different variations and you'll never want to buy vinaigrette again!

    Hit the stars to rate this recipe!

    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 jar
    Calories: 701kcal
    Author: Meryl Downing
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 jar with a lid

    Ingredients

    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 8 grinds fresh black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon honey
    • ⅓ cup red OR white wine vinegar
    • ⅓ cup olive oil

    Instructions

    • Add all ingredients to a small jar with a lid and shake! Toss with your favorite salad!
    • Store in the fridge for a month or more. After being refrigerated, set the dressing on the counter for 15 minutes until the oil comes to room temperature, then give it a good shake!

    Notes

    • You can use red or white wine vinegar, or try champagne or tarragon vinegar, white or regular balsamic, or even fresh lemon juice.
    • This recipe is enough dressing for multiple salads.  Nutrition information is for 1 full recipe (1 jar).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 701kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 72g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 53g | Sodium: 1228mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Rate this recipe by clicking the stars, or leave a comment below, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Follow me on Pinterest at @sungrownkitchen to browse and save all the garden recipes!

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    Welcome to Sungrown Kitchen!

    Hey guys!  I'm Meryl, chef, gardener, and mother of two little Minnesotans.  The Sungrown Kitchen combines two of my favorite things that naturally go hand in hand...cooking and gardening (read more)

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