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! The versatility is epic. Its perfect for a Loaded Salad, to this delicious summer Tomato Basil Pasta, and so many amazing fish recipes such as this grilled salmon.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
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. It goes beautifully on a salad, on top of come cooked vegetables, mixed into a pasta or rice, topped on some chicken, steak or fish... you get the idea. It literally works with everything. It can very easily brighten up, or just be a great change for your go-to recipes, like an alternate dressing for the whole roasted cauliflower.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Shallot
- Basil
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper
*See recipe card for all specifics and alterations.
How to Make Basil Vinaigrette
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients in a high powered blender.
Step 2: Blend for 60 seconds until very smooth.
Step 3: Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Step 4: Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
Tips & Tricks
A few things to keep in mind as you make the worlds most perfect basil vinaigrette recipe:
- Look for a small shallot. You don't want a HUGE shallot as that will affect how the end result tastes. If you can only find a large one, just use 1-2 tablespoons worth of chopped shallot.
- Use a decent quality olive oil. Something that you could use as a salad dressing. If you use something that's too flavored etc, that will affect the taste of the vinaigrette
- Season to taste!! Always! So important to try the sauce and then adjust salt as needed.
- Feel free to add other herbs as you please. Cilantro mixed with basil is excellent. Chives are amazing mixed in too!
- If you love this recipe as much as me - try making the cilantro vinaigrette version too!
Recipe FAQs
What is basil vinaigrette made of?
This Basil Vinaigrette recipe is made of fresh basil, a small shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt! You can add a few cracks of black pepper too if you prefer!
What is the formula for vinaigrette dressing?
The basic formula is 2 parts oil to 1 part of vinegar plus all the add ins like shallot, garlic, salt and pepper. This recipe has just a touch less vinegar than normal but feel free to up it per your taste preference.
Favorite Recipes to use with Basil Vin
AND - you guys asked for it on Insta live recently. Here are a billion additional ideas on how to use this basil vinaigrette recipe:
- 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 Bar
- 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 vinaigrette recipe but I tried it on it over the week and OMG IT IS EVERYTHING
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Simple Basil Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot roughly chopped (about 2-3 tablespoons)
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
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
- Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Feel free to mix in some other herbs if you want! Basil combined with cilantro and chives are excellent. Parsley is another great addition if you want things a bit more earthy.
- This freezes beautifully! Portion it out into a ice cube tray and freeze. Then when you are ready to use, pop out a cube and let come to room temperature and use as needed.
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz // Food Styling by Adam Pearson // Recipe by What's Gaby Cooking
So good! Easy to make and versatile! Loooove this!
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?
You can only make so much pesto and spaghetti sauce in the summer when your basil comes in. This was absolutely amazing!
Any chance I can make a bunch and can it? Because, yum!
YUP
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!
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!
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!
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
So I made this the day before and when I pulled it out of the fridge, the dressing was solid
which brand of red wine vinegar do you prefer?
the one from Trader Joes!
Another thing that my husband and myself cannot live without its beyond good!
How long does it stay good after making it?
it says on the last step of the recipe instructions!
i made this today and it tastes muddy? what did i do wrong?
muddy!! that's so odd! Maybe your basil?
Just saw people are freezing the basil vinaigrette recipe! No need for a reply!
Could you make a large batch of the basil vinaigrette recipe and freeze it?