With a touch of sweetness (strawberries) and a hint of tang (white balsamic vinegar), this strawberry balsamic dressing is your answer to changing up salads! Your kids will thank you!
Oh, and you might as well bookmark this recipe now because once your friends taste it, they will be asking you for the recipe! It's that good!
Use this healthy vinaigrette to top the Perfect Summer Salad... or any other salad, for that matter!
For more delicious recipes made with fresh fruit, check out my Zucchini-Banana Muffins, Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Mango Avocado Toast, and Mango Overnight Oats recipes.
About this Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing
This dressing is a prime example of a tasty AND healthy dressing! Generally speaking, dressings get a bad rap. While it is true that many dressings are loaded with saturated fat, sodium, added sugar, and/or artificial preservatives, not all are.
- Besides salt and pepper, this homemade salad dressing is made with just four ingredients.
- This salad dressing is made in five minutes, from start to finish.
- Believe it or not, many kids love white balsamic vinegar. In fact, our youngest likes it drizzled on a salad without anything else. She calls is the "sweet salad".
Ingredient Notes
Strawberries
This tasty berry add a pretty pink color to the dressing without artificial coloring! Strawberries also add to the sweetness. And, let's not forget about their nutritional value! These pretty, heart-shaped berries are high in vitamin C, antioxidants, vitamins, manganese, folate, fiber, and more. Yes, they really are that good for you!
White Balsamic Vinegar
This type of vinegar is a milder version of your classic balsamic vinegar. White balsamic vinegar is made from white grapes and is processed in a way that prevents it from browning before it is aged. That's about as technical as I'll get for now, haha!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Pure Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is simply added for sweetness. It contains a variety of minerals and has a lower glycemic index than sugar.
How To Make This Strawberry Balsamic Dressing
What you will need:
- 1 cup strawberries, stems removed
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of water (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Simply place all ingredients in a blender and blend well, until desired consistency is reached. This will take no more than one minute in a high powered blender.
Notes and Tips
- Before tossing the strawberries into the blender, make sure you rinse them well and, of course, remove the stems. So easy!
- White balsamic vinegar can be found in the same section of the grocery store as white vinegar and traditional balsamic vinegar.
- If you would like to thin out the dressing, add one teaspoon of water at a time. Blend the dressing again and retest. Repeat until you have reached your desired consistency. It's as easy as that!
Questions You May Have
You can easily substitute it with traditional balsamic vinegar. The dressing will have a stronger flavor and a darker color. And, it will still taste delicious. White wine vinegar or rice vinegar can also serve as an easy substitute.
You may be noticing a trend in my posts - I am passionate about cooking with olive oil! Although you can use other oils in this recipe, I choose to exclusively use extra virgin olive oil as much as possible. This recipe is no exception!
If you do not have pure maple syrup, you can add a small amount of cane sugar or simple syrup instead. Cane sugar is most definitely less expensive and easier to find. Either option will work!
Other Recipes That Use Fresh Strawberries
Did you try this Strawberry Balsamic Dressing? Tell me how it went! Leave a comment below.
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Strawberry Balsamic Dressing
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries stems removed
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp water optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash strawberries.
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend for 30 seconds to a minute, or until desired consistency is reached.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste, as needed.
Laura
This sounds amazing. I love all the “seasonal idea's", youve quickly become my new favorite food blogger! 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓