This quick, easy basil dressing is perfect for summer! Ready in five minutes with fresh basil and a few pantry staples.
This bright, vibrant recipe might be our most-made salad dressing every summer. It's ready in just a few minutes with a blender, easy to make ahead of time, and pairs well with everything from salads (try it in this spinach prosciutto salad!) to grain bowls to grilled salmon.
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
- Fresh basil is the MVP here! This recipe calls for one packed cup of basil, but the exact amount is very forgiving: Use more or less to suit your tastes.
- Dijon mustard adds depth and acts as an emulsifier, which keeps the dressing from separating.
- Extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil flavor does come through here, so use one you really like! We recommend fresh, high quality extra virgin olive oil (we love EXAU olive oils).
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the fresh basil leaves for fresh chives, parsley, or a mix of your favorite herbs.
- No red wine vinegar? Use fresh lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Add a few pieces of shallot or a clove of garlic just before blending if you'd like more of a bite.
- If you don't have fresh herbs, grab a jar of pesto and try our basil pesto vinaigrette instead!
Step by Step Instructions
Add basil, olive oil, dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar to a blender with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Blend until smooth. That's it! *happy dance*
Equipment Note: We recommend a bullet-style blender here, as it creates the smoothest purée. You can also blend this dressing with an immersion blender, or use a regular full-sized blender. If your full-size blender is especially large, you may want to double the recipe for a smoother purée.
Storage
Use basil dressing immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Olive oil will thicken in the fridge. If your dressing has been refrigerated for a few days, it might look like it's solidified quite a bit. This is normal! Let cold dressing sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes, then stir well to loosen it back up. You can also whisk in a splash of warm water to thin the dressing out a bit.
FAQs
Yes - this dressing freezes pretty well, although the bright color may fade a bit in the freezer. If you want to preserve the vibrant green color more effectively, you can blanch the basil before blending the dressing.
The surface of this dressing may brown a little as the basil oxidizes in the fridge. This is normal - just stir the dressing well to return it to a bright green color!
If you want your dressing to hold its vibrant color more effectively, you can quickly blanch the basil before you make this recipe. We tend to not blanch herbs for dressings, because it adds time and complexity (but doesn't make a big difference in flavor).
We recommend using a bullet-style blender for this dressing: In our testing, that blender style achieves the smoothest possible purée. (We also use this technique in our lemon tahini dressing, which features fresh parsley!)
When you're working with fresh herbs and blending in such small quantities, those tiny blenders really do an excellent job of getting the dressing very, very smooth.
In the photos above, we used the single-serve cup attachment that came with our Ninja Blender.
If you don't have a bullet-style blender, you can make this dressing with an immersion blender and a large jar (in our testing, this method also achieved a very smooth purée).
A full-size blender will work here, but our testers note that especially large blenders don't always blend this dressing as smoothly as their smaller counterparts. If you have a large blender that's struggling to get this dressing as smooth as you'd like, try doubling the recipe: This gives the blades more herbs to "grab" onto as they blend, and will help you get a smoother final result.
We don't recommend using a food processor in this recipe, especially if your food processor is on the larger side (12-14 cups): There just isn't enough volume here to properly blend in a food processor, and you'll end up with a chunkier dressing (even if you double the recipe).
How to use this vinaigrette
This quick salad dressing is perfect on grilled chicken or salmon, pasta or farro salad, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, fresh greens - you name it! We also love to use a drizzle of this sauce as a garnish on things like Greek yogurt potato salad, creamy burrata or a dish of whipped feta cheese, or summer risotto.
A few of our favorite places to use this basil vinaigrette (swap it for the dressing in any of these recipes!):
📖 Recipe
Red Wine Basil Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes 1 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: American
Description
This quick basil salad dressing uses fresh herbs and red wine vinegar for a bright, summery recipe that’s great on your favorite salads, grain bowls, and more!
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add basil, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and olive oil to a small blender with a pinch of kosher salt. Blend until you have a smooth sauce.
- Use immediately, or store dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve with salads, grain bowls, pasta salads, and more.
Notes
Equipment. We prefer a bullet-style blender here, as it creates an exceptionally smooth dressing. This recipe also works with an immersion blender or full-size blender. Note: If your full-size blender is especially large, you may want to double this recipe so the blades have more herbs to "grab" onto, which will give you a smoother purée.
This recipe is very forgiving. Adjust the amount of each ingredient to suit your tastes!
Substitutions. Use fresh chives, cilantro, or parsley instead of basil (or use a mix of your favorite herbs). Swap the red wine vinegar for fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar if you like. Add a clove of garlic or a few slices of shallot to this dressing for more of a bite.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 244
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 74.3 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Jessie @ Life As A Strawberry
I make this dressing EVERY week during the summer. (I can't believe it took us so long to put it on the website!) I mostly use this vinaigrette for salads and grain bowls during the week, but I also love adding a drizzle over the top of a good potato salad, risotto, or pasta dish as a quick, flavorful garnish.