This Apple Cider Vinaigrette is one of the best homemade salad dressings you’ll ever try. Once you taste it, you’ll want to pour it on everything!
What is apple cider vinegar? Apple cider vinegar is made from crushed apples that are exposed to yeast. The fermentation process turns the natural sugar in the apples into alcohol, and then the alcohol continues to ferment into acetic acid.
This gives apple cider vinegar its sour smell and flavor.
Wondering how to use it? Try this apple cider vinegar dressing on my favorite Beet Salad, Kale Salad, or my go-to holiday salad, which is always a hit with a crowd.
Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Raw apple cider vinegar, which is unfiltered, also contains something called mother (look for a label that says “with mother” on the bottle) that gives the vinegar a cloudy appearance.
You may see stringy strands at the bottom, which are thought to include helpful enzymes and friendly bacteria.
Here are some potential health benefits:
- Apple cider vinegar may help to kill bacteria. This explains why vinegar is so often used for cleaning!
- It may also act as a food preservative, since it can inhibit the growth of bacteria, like E. coli.
- Consuming apple cider vinegar during a meal may help with blood sugar control, particularly for those with Type 2 Diabetes.
- Adding vinegar to a meal may also help to lower blood sugar spikes after a meal.
- The acetic acid found in vinegar may help to lower cholesterol levels, according to animal studies.
- Vinegar may also help to lower blood pressure levels, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.
With its tangy flavor, apple cider vinegar is also the perfect addition to this salad dressing recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What is apple cider vinaigrette made of?
- Apple cider vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Honey
- Garlic
- Mustard
- Salt & black pepper
You can get creative with extra seasonings if you’d like to, but this combination is perfect over a number of salad combinations. You can also use it as a marinade for chicken breasts.
Note: The lemon juice is optional here, but I love the extra bright layer of flavor that it adds. You can use orange juice instead, or just leave it out and use only apple cider vinegar in this dressing.
Wondering how to thicken dressing? The mustard and honey act as emulsifiers in this recipe, to help the consistency thicken up. You can use spicy brown mustard, or Dijon mustard if you don’t need a vegan recipe.
How to Make Apple Cider Vinaigrette
1. Combine. Add the ingredients to a bowl or glass mason jar with a lid. I typically use a 12-ounce jar, so there’s room to stir everything together.
For extra-finely minced garlic, try scraping it over a microplane. That way you won’t have any large chunks in the final dressing.
You can start with only 1 tablespoon of honey if you like a more tart dressing, but I usually add 2 tablespoons in total.
2. Mix. Use a whisk to stir the ingredients together smoothly, or attach the lid to your jar and shake well.
Alternatively, you can add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Either way works.
3. Enjoy! Taste the dressing and adjust any seasoning, to taste. You can add more sweetness by adding extra honey, or add more mustard or vinegar to make it taste more tangy.
Serve it over your favorite veggies, and add any extra toppings you like. I think this delicious dressing goes well over a Fall salad, particularly with cranberries and pecans on top.
This apple cider vinegar salad dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s normal to see it separate in the fridge, so be sure to shake it again before using.
Note: Extra-virgin olive oil may thicken when chilled, so don’t be alarmed if your dressing becomes very thick when you store it. You can run the jar under hot tap water until it thins out again, or let it come to room temperature on the counter before you plan on serving it again.
Frequently Asked Questions & Substitutions
Is this recipe vegan? This apple cider dressing isn’t vegan since it calls for honey, but you can make it vegan by using maple syrup instead.
Does apple cider vinegar need to be refrigerated? No, once you open a bottle of apple cider vinegar, it can be stored sealed in a dark pantry. You do need to keep the apple cider vinaigrette dressing refrigerated, though, for the best shelf life.
Can I use dried spices? Yes, you can replace the fresh clove of garlic with a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, if you prefer.
Can I add fresh herbs? Of course! I think fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary are particularly nice with this flavor combination.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 2 tablespoons honey , or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, 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 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.
- Leftover dressing may thicken in the fridge. You can run the jar under warm tap water to help it thin out again, or let it sit on the counter at room temperature until it's runny in consistency.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
This is my new favorite dressing! Makes salads taste great. Thank you
Hi there,
I’m allergic to olives (ugh – used to love olive oil but it gets worse the older I get) and I generally substitute avocado oil in recipes, but I don’t think that will be a good idea in this case due to the strong flavor difference. Do you have any other suggestions for a healthy substitute?
Regards,
Kelly
you can make it with any oil, but if not with Cider vinegar with MOther you are not getting the gut fix you would get with that type of vinegar.
Making this for the 2nd time today. My new favorite go to dressing. Thank you for sharing, it’s delicious and my family loves it.
Can I use regular mustard canola oil and lime juice instead?
I used regular mustard because I was out of Dijon. Added some pepper and oregano and it was pretty good. I also subbed brown sugar for the honey.
this salad dressing is the bomb!!! always my go to for company coming over! although i tend to make it alot for during the week too. i love this because it tastes amazing but my main concern was to make salad dressing healthy (hard to find both AND make it taste good, but this one masters it), i wanted a mainly apple cider and you did it, thanks! this is wonderful and ive made it about 50 times im sure! 😀
I used this recipe, but instead of the honey/salt/vinegar, I used the leftover pickling liquid from some quick pick red onions (salt/sugar/vinegar) and the olive oil. The vinegar brine had picked up some of that beautiful onion flavor and brought a great bite to the dressing!
Most delicious salad dressing ever! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
This was delicious! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
If I use garlic powder, would it last more than a week in the fridge? Thanks!
Loved it!
I love this acv vinaigrette. I want to know if I can just drink a bit of vinaigrette each morning?
Sure, if you want to. I usually do a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of water to help dilute it.
Just made this and wow it is excellent! I used equal parts though on the olive oil because the ACV was a bit tart and it’s delicious. Will be making it again!
Didn’t have any mustard but still tasted great. And reduced the honey amount slightly. Thank you for sharing
I absolutely love this dressing recipe, it’s the go to now for salads in my household!!
Loved it,only thing I did different was emolsify with a hand blender.
Had this last night and it was divine! One of the best – it keeps so well together, too!
Taste great! Thank you.
I have been making this dressing this for a long time, it’s delicious. I was hoping to make vegan version of it. Any Ideas what to use instead of honey ? Many Thanks .
Maple syrup works great!
Delicious!
I just tossed all these ingredients in my nutri-bullet and I must say this dressing is amazing!! I’ve been making it for months now, several friends have also made and love it too, thanks!!
Made this tonight and everyone loved it. I will definitely make it again. I had to send everyone the website.
Love this dressing! Tangy and sweet
Delicious! Better taste and healthier than store bought dressing
Thanks for a delicious recipe! My four kids (10 & under so pickier to please) loved tonight’s salad.
I used 100% maple syrup instead of honey and it worked great!
This was delicious! I eat it with my salad everyday! Can I ask how many tablespoons is a serving?
I usually consider 2 tablespoons a serving for most salad dressings.
Made it,easy, amazing and destined to become a standby in our house!
I’m confused… the pic says 1/3 cup of orange juice but once I click on it the recipe says lemon juice and I don’t see OJ anywhere.
Sorry about that. Somebody linked my recipe to a random photo on Pinterest (one that I did not take), and I have no idea why when it’s not the same recipe. That being said, my version is really good so I hope you’ll give it a try! 🙂
Why does it say 1/3 cup orange juice on the picture?
Sorry, someone created a random pin on Pinterest (using a photo that is not mine) and linked it to my recipe. I’m not sure why, so sorry for the confusion. I haven’t tested the recipe on that photo, but this recipe is one of my most popular dressings, so I highly recommend trying it. 🙂
I thought Orange juice was in it
This vinaigrette sounds wonderful! I never new apple cider vinegar was so good for you. That’s so good to know!
This dressing sounds exactly what I needed! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe for free! God bless you!
How long can this last one the fridge?
I usually use it within a week, and it easily lasts that long.
Hi sounds delicious bum I’m allergic to oranges would another juice work ?
This dressing is so good! I make homemade dressings all the time, but this one is one of my new faves! Super healthy and tasty
Amazing and easy thank you!
On the jar there was orange juice on the list of ingredients- ??
Sorry, I’m not sure why someone linked to my recipe with a different photo on Pinterest. The photo with orange juice is not my recipe, so I can’t vouch for it. But this one is delicious!
This sounds amazing! I have all of the ingredients, so I’m making it for tonight.Thanks so much!
This was really good! I couldn’t find Braggs Apple Cider Vinaigrette in the store, so I used your recipe. Tastes good! I only had regular olive oil on hand and used about 1.5T honey.
Are the list of ingredients/nutrients per serving?
Where is the orange juice?
It sounds like you were brought to this recipe from a photo Pinterest. I don’t know why they linked to my recipe (since mine doesn’t call for orange juice), but I tried the one with orange juice out of curiosity, and I didn’t like it as much as the Apple Cider Vinaigrette recipe on this page. I hope you’ll enjoy this one!
I’m a bit confused about this recipe. On the photo version there is orange juice included as an ingredient but on the written version it doesn’t have orange juice in the ingredients. Do you include the orange juice?
No, I’m not sure why someone linked to my website from that photo on Pinterest– the orange juice recipe isn’t mine. I did try it after I saw so many people coming here from that, but I still prefer this dressing recipe better. So hopefully you’ll give it a try! 🙂
In the recipe section it does not show the orange juice but in the Pinterest picture it shows orange juice. Which is it lemon juice or orange juice?
OMG! If I could give this 10 stars I would! One of the best dressings I’ve had and super simple to put together (I had most of the ingredients in my cabinet/refrigerator). Thanks for this… it’s definitely my new go-to!
Absolutely delicious!!!!!
This has become my favorite dressing and if I’m making a salad at home I refuse to eat it with any other dressing. Thank you for this recipe.
its perfect thank you!!!
Why does the recipe here say different ingredients in the recipe on the jar that’s pictured is it orange juice or is it lemon juice
Sorry, someone linked to my recipe from a random Pinterest photo– I don’t know why, since my recipe doesn’t call for orange juice. But, I hope you’ll try this version because I think it tastes better! 😉
I’ve made this a ZILLION times( a slight exaggeration!) It is delicious and I highly recommend this for a house dressing.
The most delicious dressing and my absolute go to dressing for all occasions. It never fails in it’s deliciousness and flexibility with all kinds of salads. while the recipe listed is perfectly delicious – I tend to add a shallot and some herbs. All good!