Homemade salad dressings are one of the easiest ways to bring fresh, vibrant flavour to any salad. My apple cider vinaigrette recipe combines just 3 simple ingredients, plus a pinch of salt and pepper. It comes together in minutes and tastes so much better than most shop-bought dressings.
My 3-ingredient salad dressing combines apple cider vinegar which brings freshness and acidity, the olive oil provides a nutty richness, while the mustard brings everything together into a smooth creamy emulsion which perfectly coats your salad ingredients.
Once you start making your own dressings, it's hard to go back to shop bought versions. This homemade apple cider dressing takes minutes to make and stores in the fridge for days, ready to use on salads, pasta salads, roasted veggies, or your favourite grain bowl.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Made with 3 simple ingredients and a little seasoning that most of you will have in your stores at home.
- Make ahead and great for meal prep, store the dressing in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- Ready in 5 minutes just place everything in a jar with a lid and shake.
Recipe ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
- Mustard - I add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to this salad dressing.
- Oil - use any variety of oil that you enjoy in a salad dressing, extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, avocado or sunflower will all work. You can also add a combination of oils.
- Vinegar - I have used apple cider vinegar in this dressing, you could also use white wine, red wine or sherry vinegar.
- Seasoning - I keep the seasoning simple with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. This might look like a lot, but bear in mind you are using this to season the ingredients of your salad.
How to make apple cider vinaigrette dressing
- Place all the ingredients into a jar.
- Place the lid on the jar and give it a good shake to combine all the ingredients together.
- You can also place all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to emulsify.
- Place in the refrigerator until ready to dress a salad.
- Give the salad dressing a good shake before using to incorporate all the ingredients together again.
LESLEY'S TOP TIP: This salad dressing will separate when left to sit. Don't worry this is easily fixed, just shake the jar, or whisk up the dressing when you are ready to use and it will emulsify.
Recipe variations
- Mustard - I've used Dijon mustard but you could also use wholegrain mustard. Don't use English or yellow mustard as it has too strong a flavor which will overpower the other ingredients in the dressing.
- Vinegar - swap apple cider vinegar for white wine, red wine or sherry vinegar.
- Garlic - add ¼ a clove of finely crushed garlic to the dressing, no more or the raw garlic will overpower every other flavour in the dressing.
- Shallot - you can also add some finely chopped shallot to the salad dressing.
- Sweetness - if you want to add some sweetness to the dressing, add a teaspoon or runny honey or maple syrup.
- Citrus - add a touch of citrus with some finely grated zest of a lemon.
- Fresh Herbs - add some freshly chopped herbs like tarragon, parsley, basil or chives to the dressing.
Serving suggestions
You can add this simple salad dressing to a variety of different salads. It works particularly well in my White Bean & Feta Salad, Pear, Walnut & Blue Cheese Salad, and this Roasted Pumpkin Salad.
Useful hints and tips
- Always check salad dressing for seasoning before you dress the salad, and adjust with a little more salt or black pepper if required. Remember the dressing might taste a little salty but that's ok as you will be using it to season your salad.
- I recommend using a jam jar when making salad dressing as it makes it really easy to mix the dressing, place the lid on and give it a good shake. The lidded jar also keeps the salad dressing fresh when being stored in the fridge. Just shake to emulsify again when ready to serve.
- This dressing is gluten free provided you use Dijon mustard which is suitable for coeliacs or anything following a gluten free diet.
- Containing no dairy this salad dressing is suitable for dairy free and vegan diners.
- Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this salad dressing will store for up to 1 week. This makes is great for meal prep! Just give it a good shake or whisk again, before serving.
This is normal, oil and vinegar will naturally separate when left to stand. Simply shake the jar to emulsify the dressing again before serving.
I use Dijon mustard as it helps emulsify the dressing, bringing all the ingredients together, whilst also adding flavour.
Yes, this easy dressing is great for scaling up. This makes it ideal for larger gatherings or for weekly meal prep.
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Additional recipe suggestions
Dressings can add a punch of flavour to any salad they are added to. Here are some of my favourite homemade salad dressing recipes:
- Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
- Classic French Dressing
- Lemon Balsamic Dressing
- Simple Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Soy & Ginger Dressing
Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe
Equipment
- Glass jar with lid or use a small bowl with whisk
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or regular olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a jar.
- Place the lid on the jar and give it a good shake to combine all the ingredients together.
- You can also place all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to emulsify.
- Place in the refrigerator until ready to dress a salad.
- Give the salad dressing a good shake before using to incorporate all the ingredients together again.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
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