This strawberry balsamic vinaigrette comes together in one food processor and about 5 minutes, no cooking required. It’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and easily made vegan with one swap. It’s been my go-to dressing all summer for anything with greens, grilled chicken, or even a burrata salad.
Instead of buying a bottled dressing at the store, just make it at home. It tastes fresher, and it’s easy to tweak the flavors to your taste. Plus, it makes any salad feel a little more special.
Ingredients
- Strawberries: Here’s the thing about this recipe. If your strawberries are flavorless, so is your vinaigrette. There’s no cooking or reducing here to concentrate the flavor, so the fruit has to pull its weight on its own. Fresh, in-season berries make the biggest difference. Frozen works too, just thaw them first so everything blends smoothly.
- Oil: I use avocado oil since it’s pretty neutral and doens’t compete with the strawberries or balsamic. Olive oil works too, it’ll just add a little more flavor of its own.
- Mustard: Stone ground mustard is my go-to, it adds a little texture and tang without taking over. Dijon’s a good swap if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sweetener: Honey is what I use most, but if you want this to be vegan, maple syrup or agave syrup swap in perfectly. The flavor will change slightly.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It may separate while it sits, that’s normal, just give it a good shake or whisk before you use it again.
I don’t recommend freezing it. Once it thaws, it won’t blend back together the same way and the texture gets weird.
Serving Suggestions
This dressing was actually made for my gluten-free strawberry spinach salad and the two together are one of my favorite summer meals. It’s also really good on my grilled peach burrata salad, the sweetness cuts right though the creamy cheese. Or drizzle it over roasted chicken thighs with a simple green salad for an easy weeknight dinner.
If you’re feeding a crowd, set it out next to my farmer’s market salad and let everyone dress their own plate.
Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries - hulled and quartered
- ⅓ cup avocado oil - or olive oil
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey - or maple syrup if vegan
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard - or dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
- Add 1 cup strawberries , ⅓ cup avocado oil , ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey , 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper to a food processor.
- Process for 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Note: This recipe is naturally gluten-free. Always check your balsamic vinegar and mustard labels to confirm.
- Vegan Option: Swap the honey for maple syrup.
- Storage: Keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Shake or whisk before serving again.
- Frozen Strawberries: Thaw them slightly before blending. Fresh will give a brighter flavor but frozen works in a pinch.
The family loved it and was a great way to use up the last of the fresh strawberries.
In the off season would frozen strawberries work?
They will! Just let them thaw a bit before putting in the food processor.
You have the nutritional values here, but you don’t state the quantity that has those exact values. Is it 1 Tablespoon, 2 Tablespoons?
Approximately 2 tablespoons. The recipe makes just over 1 cup of dressing and there are 8 servings.
Delightful. Drizzled over greens, cucumbers, and sliced strawberries. Simply and yummy!
So glad you liked it, April! I appreciate the kind review!
If I don’t have a food processor could I use like a smoothie blender?
Hi Melissa! Yes, that should work just fine! You may just need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides or move things around to get the strawberries to blend.
So delicious! I left out sweetener only because the strawberries are so in season and the balsamic i used was perfect sweetness.
So glad you liked it Heather! And yes, totally – if you have super ripe strawberries that are in season, no need for the sweetener!
Thank you! This is delicious. How long does it store for in the refrigerator?
Thank you again
Hi Robert – I keep this up to a week in the refrigerator. You may need to shake it or whisk it before using again if it starts to separate. Hope this helps!
Perfect
Thank you
Amazing flavor when used with Dancing Skelton 25star dark balsamic vinegar! Uses: Salads, chicken, pork, lamb sauce or marinade. My new “go-to”!
Made this with some nice ripe berries I picked the other day. Followed recipe exactly. It’s OK, but it doesn’t seem to have much flavor.
Totally fair! Strawberry flavor can vary so much even when they’re ripe, and this recipe really depends on that natural sweetness. You can always add a little extra honey or balsamic to boost the flavor if needed!