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If I had to pick only one salad dressing to make for the rest of my life, this is the recipe I would choose. It has a perfectly balanced flavor that’s lightly sweet and tangy, without being too oily.
I’ve been tweaking this apple cider vinaigrette recipe for the last 10 years, and discovered that I like it best when I add a little lemon juice. It eliminates the harshness that can result from using vinegar alone. (But also, it’s flexible enough that you can use what you have on hand.)
This dressing goes with everything. Want to make a simple side salad? This is perfect for that. Want to make a holiday salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas? It’s perfect for that, too.
Best of all, you can make this homemade salad dressing in just 5 minutes. I recently took new photos to show you what this recipe looks like when you mix it directly in a jar vs. when you blend it, so you’ll know exactly what to expect. Either option works great!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Hands down this is the best salad dressing ever! I make it all the time. Thanks!” – Colleen
Apple cider vinaigrette Ingredients
- Apple cider vinegar. Use raw apple cider vinegar, which is unfiltered and contains something called mother (look for a label that says “with mother” on the bottle). The “mother” is the stringy strands at the bottom, which are thought to include helpful enzymes and friendly bacteria.
- Honey. This natural sweetener balances the vinegar’s acidity and helps thicken the dressing.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. This brightens the dressing without the harsh acidity vinegar brings.
- Olive oil. This recipe doesn’t follow the traditional 3-to-1 oil-to-vinegar ratio. I’ve reversed it so the olive oil flavor isn’t overwhelming, and the dressing is also lower in calories.
- Mustard. You can use spicy brown or Dijon mustard to add depth of flavor and help the dressing emulsify. (Yellow mustard is not recommended.)
- Garlic. Fresh garlic adds a burst of spicy flavor, making this dressing taste restaurant-quality. Use a microplane to mince it finely into the jar so you won’t see large chunks later. (Or just toss the whole clove into the blender.)
- Salt + Pepper. Don’t skip these simple pantry spices. They boost the flavor, and your salad will taste bland without them.
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
Step 1:
To get started, you’ll need a glass mason jar with a lid. I typically use a 12-ounce or larger jar, which gives you enough room to stir everything together. Alternatively, you can use a blender, which I’ll show you below. (How you mix this will affect the dressing’s consistency.)
Add 1/3 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and a 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.
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Use a microplane to finely mince the garlic into the jar, then stir well with a small whisk. Or you can screw the lid onto the jar and shake well.
Step 2:
Taste the dressing and adjust the flavor, as needed. Sometimes I add another tablespoon of lemon juice for more tang. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, add another squeeze of honey. It’s easy to taste and adjust as you go!
This dressing is ready to use right away, or you can store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. It keeps well for up to 5 days and thickens slightly when chilled.
Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing (The Best I’ve Tried)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 2 tablespoons honey , or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, mustard, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper to a glass jar with a lid. Whisk well to combine, or secure a lid on the jar and shake well.
- Taste the dressing and make any adjustments you like, such as adding another tablespoon of lemon juice, a little more honey for sweetness, or a little more mustard or vinegar to make it taste more tangy. Serve right away, or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know what you think.
Great. I found it a bit tart at first, but by the time I was finished eating it over sliced beets & goat cheese crumbles, the flavor had mixed and mellowed. It was then fantastic.
I used lime juice and minced garlic from a jar. Since I’m diabetic I cut the honey in half. That way much too tart. I added a TBSP maple syrup to the mix. That worked great.
I was also having difficulty measuring the honey. Please explain how to accurately measure honey.
Glad you ended up enjoying it, Pat! For measuring honey, I usually squeeze it into a tablespoon and then scoop it out with a little rubber spatula. But if you have a food scale, it’s actually a lot easier to just squirt it directly into a blender and go by the weight in grams instead. If you press the “metric” button on the printable recipe card, it will show you the measurements in grams instead of cups and tablespoons. Hope that helps!
Yummy! I love the comparison you show between shaken and blended. I’ll be blending from now on.
On a side note, do you notice that since Bragg’s was sold there is little to no Mother in their jars. I look for other brands that still have a good amount of Mother, raw, unfiltered and made from organic apples (Fairchild’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar)
This dressing is all you need on salad greens! The best!!!! Thank you.
It’s really good!