Hands down one of the most popular creations here – My Simple Basil Vinaigrette Recipe. Not even exaggerating, it’s the best vinaigrette in the world and it’s going to make your recipes THAT much better!
I’m all about taking a shortcut in the kitchen every now and then – and that is exactly what this Basil Vinaigrette allows me to do! It’s my go-to basil salad dressing (and has been since I first posted it in 2014) for all of my favorite summer meals and you’ll be seeing it make an appearance in a few recipes over the next several weeks as I try to stretch out this California summer until November 🙂  I whip up a batch of Basil Vinaigrette every few days and keep it on hand for anytime I’m in a pinch and need to eat something STAT. (because, like I’ve said before, no one wants to see me when I’m Hangry) It’s not a pretty picture. Watch the Basil Vinaigrette video below to see how easy it is and then make it STAT!
AND – you guys asked for it on Insta live recently. Here are a billion ideas on how to use the basil vinaigrette recipe:
- Bruschetta Bar
- Heirloom Tomato Tart
- Tomato Basil Pasta with Burrata
- Grilled Romaine Salad
- Cheesy Monkey Bread
- Basil Parmesan Grilled Corn
- Loaded Power Salad
- Chicken Shish Kebabs
- Melon Caprese Skewers
- Sweet Corn and Basil Pizza
- Goat Cheese and Roasted Beet Salad
- Three Cheese Stromboli
- Burrata Tomato Salad
- Three Cheese Pizza
- Polenta BarÂ
- Grilled Salmon Skewers
- Roasted Spaghetti Squash
- BLT Bar
- Green Monster Salad
- Charred Tomato Pesto Pizza
- Spring Pea Pizza
- Basil Vinaigrette Pasta
- Summer Turkey Meatballs – the recipe itself doesn’t call for the basil vin but I tried it on it over the week and OMG IT IS EVERYTHING
Simple Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 shallot roughly chopped
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the basil vinaigrette in a high powered blender and blend for 60 seconds until very smooth.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately. Or you can refrigerate the vinaigrette for up to 3-5 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz // Food Styling by Adam Pearson // Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
Could you sub lemon for vinegar??
yes!
Anytime I see a recipe for some number of shallots I am stymied by how much that means. I know what a single shallot is, of course, but the ones available here in Southern California can vary in size to the point that some are easily twice as big as others. So, could you recommend an amount by weight or volume to help me out?
Thanks!
2 TABLESPOONS, CHOPPED!
Right now! Put this on everything. Killer!
I freeze the vinaigrette in candy molds and have on hand at all times
Made this dressing tonight to go along with your power salad. How has this not been in my life ?!?! 10/10 You are the BEST Gabby!!!
Could you make a large batch of the basil vinaigrette recipe and freeze it?
Just saw people are freezing the basil vinaigrette recipe! No need for a reply!
i made this today and it tastes muddy? what did i do wrong?
muddy!! that’s so odd! Maybe your basil?
How long does it stay good after making it?
it says on the last step of the recipe instructions!
Another thing that my husband and myself cannot live without its beyond good!
which brand of red wine vinegar do you prefer?
the one from Trader Joes!
So I made this the day before and when I pulled it out of the fridge, the dressing was solid
So delicious! Both we and my kids adored this and ate it with salad and grilled halibut. Can it be prepared in advance if hosting?
yes, this is great to prep ahead
This is SO good! This morning I made avocado toast and put a fried egg on top…very runny yolk…and put some of this on top. It was AMAZING! It made it’s own little sauce.
Thanks very much for this recipe! I’ll be using it on everything!
I have so much basil from my plant so I’m gonna make this! Can I marinade this in chicken? Looks delish!
you can but I prefer it to go on chicken once cooked!
I’ve made this dressing twice in less than a week & have considered drinking it straight out of the blender (but refrained). It’s delicious on salad or any thing else you wanna put it on. Thank you!
Any chance I can make a bunch and can it? Because, yum!
YUP
You can only make so much pesto and spaghetti sauce in the summer when your basil comes in. This was absolutely amazing!
I made this for the 2nd time today and tripled the recipe. It tastes incredibly salty for some reason… any idea why? Or how to counter the salt? Confirmed we measured correctly.
i would add more basil and more olive oil to tone down the salt
Will it work if you cut the recipe in half?
So good! Easy to make and versatile! Loooove this!
Really great for a lot of dishes. The required salt is too much, I cut it in half, and it turned out well. I also only use half a larger shallot or a full small shallot (roughly a half dollar size). It would be better to list the ingredients by mass.
Thanks a lot!
I’m having trouble with your ingredients on this basil vinaigrette. The things I am having trouble with are 0.6 shallots it’s roughly chopped don’t really understand how much that is, is that a half a cup a quarter of a cup whatever 0.6 clove garlic again don’t understand 0.3 teaspoons don’t understand I think it means a 10th or 3/10 of a teaspoon what is that I mean a quarter teaspoon a half teaspoon? Looked online for conversion too difficult.
where are you getting those numbers? It should read:
1 shallot roughly chopped
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt