Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing

This Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing is easy to make, light and bright in flavour and pairs so well with a variety of dishes – greens, pasta salads, roasted veggies and so much more! Whip up a batch and pour it on anything and everything!

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Why you should make this Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing

This Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing is the perfect way to elevate your salads, grain bowls, or roasted vegetables. Made with just a handful of pantry staples, it’s quick to prepare, making it ideal for busy weeknights or effortless meal prep.

The standout ingredient is red wine vinegar, which delivers a bright, tangy kick that adds a freshness that doesn’t overpower your dish. Paired with high-quality extra virgin olive oil, this dressing offers heart-healthy fats and helps your body absorb the nutrients in your veggies more effectively.

Its versatility makes it a go-to favorite. Drizzle it over a classic green salad, mix it into a quinoa bowl, or use it to marinate veggies, chicken, or tofu. It also keeps well in the fridge for up to a week, so you can prepare it once and enjoy it all week long.

Whether you’re just starting to experiment with homemade dressings or you’re a seasoned pro and looking to refresh your routine with something light and zesty, this red wine vinaigrette recipe is a flavorful, fuss-free way to enhance everyday meals.

Ingredients needed

Here’s what you need to make this red wine vinaigrette recipe:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Dried parsley
• Dried dill
• Fresh garlic
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Substitutions

This homemade salad dressing is pretty minimal when it comes to ingredients but if you would like to adjust it in any way, here are some suggestions:

• Garlic powder
  • Instead of fresh garlic, you can use ½ tsp of garlic powder.
• Italian seasoning
  • If the variety of dried herbs in an Italian seasoning blend is your preferred herb mix, feel free to use this instead of the combination of parsley and dill.
• Dijon mustard
  • For some extra depth and flavour, add 1 tsp of dijon mustard to the dressing.
• Honey or maple syrup
  • To add a bit of sweetness to this dressing, you can add ½-1 tsp of honey or maple syrup.
• Red pepper flakes
  • Add a little bit of heat with a pinch (or two) or red pepper flakes.

How to make Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing

It’s incredibly easy to whip up this dressing. All you have to do is:

1. Add all ingredients to a measuring glass or jar. Using a whisk or fork, mix vigorously until combined.
2. Pour the dressing over your favourite salads, bowls, pasta or roasted vegetables and enjoy!

I have made recommendations on the best way to store this dressing, below.

Storing the dressing

Once the red wine vinegar dressing is made, I recommend transferring it to an airtight container like a mason jar and keeping it in the fridge. The dressing will stay good for up to 1 week.

Depending on the temperature of your fridge, you may notice that the olive oil begins to solidify slightly when refrigerated. To emulsify the dressing after this:

1. Bring the dressing to room temperature. You can do this by taking it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before you’re ready to serve it. Alternatively, you can microwave it in 5-7 second increments, stirring in between to distribute the heat better.
2. Shake or whisk the dressing vigorously to recombine the ingredients. You may need to use an electric whisk or an immersion blender if the dressing still contains some chunks of hardened oil.
3. Make sure you do a taste test after the dressing has been in the fridge and re-emulsified. Feel free to adjust any of the flavours as needed.

I would recommend holding off on pouring this dressing on any food that you plan to have as leftovers (unless it’s being used as a marinade), so that it doesn’t get soggy over time. You can add the dressing right before you’re ready to eat it.

What to pair it with

There are countless ways to use this dressing and foods to pair it with. Here are a few of my favourite:

• This recipe was originally developed when I needed something simple but different to enhance my spring salads. So use it as a way to add flavour and healthy fats to your favourite leafy green or bean salad.
• Pour this dressing over pasta salads or other grain salads made with quinoa, rice, etc.
• Lean into the fresh summer produce and drizzle this dressing over fresh tomato slices and mozzarella.
• Use it as a light and mild marinade. In a sealable bag or airtight container, pour the dressing over raw chicken breasts or thighs, tofu or portobello mushrooms. Allow them to soak in the dressing for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. Then cook as preferred! You could then chop up the chicken and make a tasty chicken salad for easy lunches throughout the week.
• Try my air fryer roasted vegetables and use this dressing instead of the maple balsamic dressing.
• Instead of plain olive oil and vinegar as a dip for bread, use this recipe! The bread will soak up all the flavour and really elevate this classic appetizer.

Dietary considerations

This recipe is already vegetarian, vegan*, gluten free, dairy free and nut free. No need to make any adjustments.

*However, if you choose to use honey instead of maple syrup as a sweetener in the dressing, this will result in a dressing that is NOT vegan.

If you make this Red Wine Vinegar Dressing, I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutritionkitchen!