5 Fruity Salad Dressing Recipes ~ a great salad dressing can make even a pile of lettuce exciting, and these dressings are so good you almost want to eat them on their own. Whip them up over the weekend and you’ll be enjoying delicious salads all week long.
I love fruity dressings because they are so colorful and they have the bright flavor of fruit to balance out the sharp vinegar. Some of them, don’t even need any vinegar at all. They rely on simple combinations so that the individual flavors shine through. You can make them in a mini food processor, or with a whisk. Make small batches of all of them, or one big batch of your favorite. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
First up is a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. This is a south of the border classic that goes with just about any salad, but make sure you try it drizzled over avocado, or melon, too. And you can use this as a marinade for grilled chicken or steak.
I love the citrus-y flavor of my Shallot and Pink Grapefruit Dressing. You’ll really taste the shallot in this dressing, and the color will be a coral-y pink. Very pretty and elegant.
Blackberry vinegar is a thick deep purple vinegar that has a lot of body due to the blackberry puree. This kind of vinegar married with fruit puree is a new item in the gourmet market and they can be really pricey. I’ve fallen for them several times, and they are so good, the flavors just explode. I’m actually recycling one of the bottles that I paid big $$ for. Just mix this with olive oil for an instant dressing.
Lemon Mustard and Tarragon Vinaigrette ~ this is another classic. The tarragon gives it a little unexpected flavor, the whole grain mustard gives it a kick. I love this over spicy arugula.
The Roasted Strawberry Viniagrette comes from my friend Mary at Barefeet in the Kitchen. The color is gorgeous, and it’s a little thicker than the rest. I think it has potential as a glaze for chicken or pork, too.
5 Fruity Salad Dressing Recipes
Ingredients
Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
- 1 large lime, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Shallot and Pink Grapefruit Dressing
Blackberry Vinegar
- 6 ounces blackberries
- 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
Lemon Mustard and Tarragon Vinaigrette
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon leaves
- 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/4 cup walnut oil, plus extra if necessary
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette
- 10 strawberries, about 1 heaping cup
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- For the Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette: Put the lime juice and zest into the bowl of a mini food processor. Add the cilantro and process until the cilantro is very finely chopped. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil slowly through the small hole (s) in the top. Stop the machine and taste the dressing. If it is too tangy, drizzle in a little more oil. Season with salt and fresh black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until needed.
- For the Shallot and Pink Grapefruit Dressing: Put the shallot and the grapefruit juice in the bowl of a small food processor. Blend until the shallot is very finely processed. If using a whisk, mince your shallot as finely as possible. With the machine going, drizzle in the oil through the top. Stop the machine, add the vinegar and honey, then process again to combine. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
- For the Blackberry Vinegar: Rinse the berries and put them in a small saucepan. Heat over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes until the berries start to break down and release their juice. Add the vinegar, bring back to a full boil, and then take off the heat. Let cool a bit and then process in a small food processor until the berries are completely pureed. Strain through a mesh sieve, pushing the thick juice through but leaving the seeds behind. Bottle and keep in the refrigerator.
- For the Lemon Mustard and Tarragon Vinaigrette: Put the lemon juice, zest, and tarragon in a small processor. Process until well blended. Stop and scrape down the sides if necessary. Slowly drizzle in the oil as the machine is running. Stop and taste, add more oil if it is too tangy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- For the Roasted Strawberry Vinaigrette: Set oven to 450 degrees F. Halve the strawberries and spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 15 minutes. Transfer the strawberries to the bowl of a mini food processor. Add the rosemary leaves, lime juice and vinegar. Process until the berries are pureed. Slowly drizzle in the oil through the hole in to top as the machine runs. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Note:
- When you store the dressing in the refrigerator, olive oil will partially solidify in the cold temperature, just bring the dressing to room temperature before using.
Wow, all recipes so much waking me up how to prepare vinaigrette. In a sence, this is revolutionary method of making vinaigrette, I understand. In market, there are many flavored balsamic namely strawberry balsamic, peach balsamic etc but DIY fruit vinaigrette took off the roof, in my understanding. I work at Olive oil shop introducing olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, mentioning Home made vinaigrette is much better and easy than store bought dressing. To this promotion, your fruit vinaigrette encourge me so much. Thank you from Japan.
You’re so welcome!
I’m on a keto diet, and I love these salad dressings. Can I use it on keto diet ?
Hey Chioma ~ I’m not a keto expert, but I do know that fruit in general contains natural sugars and carbs. I think it would depend on your specific diet as to whether you could add a small amount of fruit dressing without issue. The blackberry vinegar might be a good choice since blackberries are relatively low in carbs compared to other fruit.
I suggest running the recipes through a nutritional calculator to check.
These look amazing! I was just wondering about how long they last in the refrigerator?:) thank you
Each one will probably last a good 3 weeks, Emily.
I am the owner of Pinetop Olive Oil in Pinetop Az and would love to give these wonderful recipes to my customers, can I share with them on our emails and in store recipe cards?
Sure Sharon, I’m happy to share, as long as there is a link given to my blog!