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If you're bored with salad, this post is especially for you! This fabulous Honey White Balsamic Dressing, with a throw-it-all-in-a jar-and-shake recipe, takes salad from ordinary to extraordinarily delicious!
I've been making this Honey White Balsamic Dressing for such a long time, it seems like an old friend. Anytime I get bored with everyday salads, I pull out this recipe and find myself craving salad every day. I was sure I'd shared it sometime along the eleven years of this blog but when I searched... nope, it was nowhere to be found! This might just be your lucky salad day because this one's a definite winner!
Super versatile!
I love that this Honey White Balsamic Dressing is so versatile and is delicious with so many types of greens and ingredients. It's wonderful with spinach, arugula, butter lettuce, mixed greens, kale, watercress, romaine... really just about any type of greens!
It also pairs well with tomatoes, avocados, oranges, clementines, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates, apples, pears, peaches, mangos, roasted sweet potatoes and winter squash, hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit... I could go on and on!
In addition to salads, this dressing is wonderful drizzled on grilled or roasted chicken, shrimp, salmon, pork tenderloin, etc. For a quick dinner on busy days, I sometimes throw some breaded chicken strips (we love the Tyson Panko Crusted Chicken from Costco) into the oven and serve them over a bed on greens (and anything else I have in the produce bin), drizzled with this Honey White Balsamic Dressing. A decently healthy, easy meal in a hurry!
So easy!
If you're in the habit of purchasing salad dressing at the grocery store, this Honey White Balsamic Dressing may change your habit. It takes way less time to make it than it takes to run to the grocery store. Seriously? Seriously! Just throw all the ingredients in a jar and shake, shake, shake. That's it!
What is white balsamic vinegar?
Like regular balsamic vinegar, the white balsamic variety originated in the Modena area of Italy. While both vinegars start out with white grape must (crushed grapes including the skins, seeds, and stems), the treatment is quite different. Regular balsamic is simmered for hours on end until it becomes a caramelized syrup and is then aged in oak barrels for several years. White balsamic, on the other hand is pressure cooked to keep it from browning and is then aged for a much shorter time (no more than a year) in oak or stainless steel barrels, resulting in a mild, slightly sweet, pale gold vinegar that has a fruity, floral flavor.
I love using white balsamic vinegar because its pale hue lets the beauty of the salad ingredients shine. It's mild, mellow and isn't overpowering as some vinegars can be. White balsamic vinegar is, according to Bon Appetit, beloved by chefs all over the world.
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So stop in the vinegar aisle next time you shop and pick up a bottle of White Balsamic Vinegar. You probably have everything else you will need for this Honey White Balsamic Dressing. Your salad life is about to become a LOT more delicious!
P.S. Be on the lookout tomorrow for our Irish Flag Clementine Cucumber Salad (above)! It utilizes this dressing so if you make a batch today, you'll be all set for this fabulous salad!
Café Tips for making this Honey White Balsamic Dressing
- This Honey White Balsamic Dressing will keep well for several weeks in the refrigerator. I usually make a double batch so it's easy to throw together a fresh, delicious salad in a hurry.
- White Balsamic Vinegar is available at most larger grocery stores in the section where regular vinegar is sold, usually near the salad dressings.
- This dressing will last for at least a week to 10 days. I've kept it longer and it was still delicious!
- I love this garlic press from Zyliss. You can throw in a whole garlic clove, unpeeled and it comes out perfectly minced. The press has a self cleaner and goes right into the dishwasher.
- If you're in a big hurry, keeping a tube of crushed garlic in the freezer can be a wonderful timesaver. It doesn't take that long to crush a clove of garlic, but on a busy day, it can be just a bit too long and one more dirty utensil. These tubes of garlic can be refrigerated for a few weeks or frozen for longer. Sometimes they're just the little thing that saves the day.
- Use your favorite honey in this dressing. I love this raw, unfiltered honey but any variety will work. If you notice that your honey is getting crystallized, just set the container in a bowl of hot water. I put another bowl on top to weigh it down. This will start to melt the crystals. Once it's starting to liquify, I transfer it to a glass jar which can then be microwaved for 30-60 seconds to completely "melt" any leftover crystals.
Thought for the day:
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:4-5
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
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Honey White Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- â…› teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium size jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Shake again before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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cant wait to make the balsamic v dressing,,,but, wait I must, as will need to buy that kind of balsamic first...
Hi Pam, Thanks for your comments! Hope you're able to find the white balsamic vinegar easily - enjoy the dressing!
This dressing is really good, but I have a difficult time getting the honey to blend, even after shaking. I tried my immersion blender, but it still didn't completely mix. Any thoughts?
Hi Lynn, so happy you enjoyed it! Regarding your question, I've never had that problem but you could try warming the honey as that would thin it out.
Can regular balsamic vinegar be substituted for the white?
Hi Linda, you can use regular balsamic. It will be a different dressing but still delicious. You might also be interested in this recipe-https://thecafesucrefarine.com/rosemary-balsamic-salad-dressing/
My niece shared this recipe with me at a bday brunch and it is absolutely amazingly delicious!
Awesome! Thank you for the review Phyllis!
Can I reduce the olive oil to 1/4 cup?
Hi Annie, this is the ratio of olive oil to vinegar we prefer, that being said you can reduce it if you like.
I’m enjoying reading the recipes and dreaming of when I can make them. More importantly, I’m in the waiting room of an intensive care unit, waiting, watching and praying that my son survives. Your gift of God’s word has been a blessing to me. Clearly your recipes are a result of your talents; your iblical selections tell me you’re engaged in ministry.
God bless you both🙏❤️
Hi Pat, wow, what an ordeal you've gone through. I will be also praying for him and his recovery. I love how God uses His own very special ways to communicate His Presence with us.
I, too, really love the biblical content! a blessing!!! glad u n ur computer back! I'll pray, as well
tbh, never read these. feel God directed me here so I could pray, which I just did.
I have a CARA CARA ORANGE VANILLA WHITE BALSAMIC VINEGAR any thoughts on how to turn it into a wonderful vinaigrette?
Hi Amanda, that sounds wonderful. I would go with a 3 to 1 ratio of good olive oil (not too strong), a minced garlic clove, a small squeeze of honey and a small spoonful of Dijon. Shake it all up in a jar!
This dressing is delicious, as all your recipes are! I never know whether or not to refrigerate a vinegarette dressing, especially if it contains fresh garlic? Thanks!
Thanks, Vonda! I keep dressings in the fridge.
This is better than any dressing or kit I have ever bought! Thank you!
Thank you, Andrea!
Sorry, forgot to rate.
This is an excellent, simple dressing that makes eating even just salad greens a treat. I had some apricot white balsamic and so I reduced the honey to 1 T because the vinegar was sweet. It was delicious. Thanks Chris for another fine recipe.
Thanks, Tulsi!
I had a dinner party last weekend and used this dressing for my salad. It was the most requested recipe of the evening!!! Delicious!
Thank you for your ministry and your wonderful recipes.
That's great, Lois! Thanks for letting us know!
Yes, I agree that white balsamic should be used more often.
Nope, it's the olive oil!
The salad dressing above is orange, but none often ingredients ate orange colored. It looks ,Ike it could have some orange juice in it.
I just want to say thank you and may our Lord richly bless you and yours! I love your recipes and the format … always beauty for the soul and the body to enjoy! I always look forward to seeing your recipes and reading your accompanying text! Every recipe I've tried has been delicious! That’s all! Just want y’all to know you’re appreciated!
Thank you for the kind words, Pat! đź’•
Hi Chris, I’ve been making a VERY similar dressing for years as well. (Mine has maple syrup instead of honey.) I just rarely tire of it…but when I need a change, I switch it up with one of your many other delicious dressings. Love white balsamic and anyone who tries this is sure to fall head over heels, too!
Oh, forgot to mention, this dressing is especially good on a spinach, beet and apple salad with some bits of goat cheese. I’ve subbed the garlic for horseradish in this case and it’s amazing!
Yum, that sounds amazing!
Thanks, Rose! White balsamic is wonderful!