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This easy Red Wine Vinaigrette is simple and fabulous. It only takes 5 pantry ingredients (including salt!) for the easiest, best, restaurant-quality vinaigrette, ever.
This is the best Red Wine Vinaigrette that I’ve ever had. It’s my go-to on a daily basis, and it’s destined to be a must-make in your kitchen, too. It’s made with simple pantry ingredients, and it has a zesty flavor that reminds me of the “house dressing” at a trusty Italian restaurant, the kind with red and white checkered tablecloths and red plastic baskets of the best garlic bread you’ve ever had.
It’s made with 5 simple ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, oregano, and salt. And even those can be tweaked if needed. As long as you follow the ratio, you can change up your vinegar or herbs and still have a delicious, easy homemade salad dressing. Store-bought dressings will never compare.
It’s the perfect Italian red wine vinegar dressing for salads, sandwiches, and chicken wraps, or use it as a marinade for chicken or fish. It’s easy to make a big batch and use it all week long. Or, do what I do and mix up a new batch of red wine vinegar salad dressing daily and craft an imaginary menu in your mind where it’s “small-batch, house-made dressing.” It’s so simple yet so delicious!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Dijon mustard: Sometimes I use up to 1 tbsp Dijon mustard in this easy homemade salad dressing recipe because I love the flavor. Spicy brown mustard works too.
- Oregano: Or substitute Italian seasoning or your favorite minced fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, and parsley). This easy recipe is a great way to try new things.
- Salt and pepper: I recommend tasting the dressing before you add any salt. Then, add ¼ tsp salt and taste it again for perfection. Once I figure out the salt, I generally add 50% of that amount of freshly ground black pepper (that’s a ratio I learned in culinary school and I like it).
Step-by-step instructions
- In a small bowl (or in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid), pour in olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and oregano. Whisk vigorously and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This healthy red wine vinaigrette dressing recipe makes ¾ cup dressing, enough for 6 servings (2 tablespoons each). 1 recipe of dressing will dress 8-10 cups salad.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.
- Make the dressing your own: Try adding a teaspoon of honey or pure maple syrup, a tbsp lemon juice, a minced clove garlic, some minced shallot, or a pinch of red pepper flakes. You can also change up the herbs and spices and try Italian seasoning, marjoram, basil, or chives. Stick with staple ingredients whenever possible so it’s easy.
- Cheese: Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and you’ll think you’re at the Olive Garden. The dry kind in the green shaker works perfectly.
- Blended: Blast your dressing in a blender for maximum emulsion and a touch of frothiness.
- Jersey Mike’s: This reminds me of the red vinegar dressing they use at Jersey Mike’s to make it “Mike’s Way.” It’s great on sandwiches!
- Leafy Salads: Prepare an easy Green Salad with plenty of fresh leafy greens, ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, grated carrots, and your other favorite fresh veggies. Drizzle with this classic red wine vinaigrette recipe and top with crunchy, buttery croutons.
- Balsamic Vinaigrette: A super simple, absolutely delicious homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and honey. It’s ready in 2 minutes or less with just 4 pantry ingredients (plus kosher salt and pepper).
- Ranch Dressing: This made-from-scratch Ranch Dressing Recipe is thick, creamy, and packed with fresh herbs, just the way you and your vegetables want it. It’s perfect for dressing, dipping, and tossing!
- Thai Peanut Dressing: This easy, delicious Thai Peanut Dressing is made from mostly pantry ingredients and is delicious on salads, grilled chicken, or for dipping your favorite appetizers.
- Asian Salad Dressing: This simple, delicious Asian Salad Dressing is made with just 6 pantry ingredients and ready in minutes. This tangy dressing also makes a great marinade or dipping sauce for Asian appetizers like pot stickers, dumplings, and tempura vegetables.
- Thousand Island Dressing: This homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe comes together in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients (mayo, ketchup, pickles, lemon juice, and garlic). It’s thick, delicious, and perfect on your next salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
This delicious red wine vinaigrette happens to be gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and 100% vegan.
Organic red wine vinegar is made from a variety of organic Italian grapes. Spectrum brand red wine vinegar is organic and is a product of Modena in Italy.
Vinaigrette is delicious on salads, sandwiches, roasted vegetables, and as a marinade for grilled meats, chicken, and fish. Or, mix it into sour cream and serve it with rice and beans on a bed of lettuce.
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Red Wine Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (see note 2)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (see note 3)
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
Recipe Video
Notes
- Dijon mustard: Sometimes I use up to 1 tablespoon Dijon in this recipe because I love the flavor. Spicy brown mustard works too.
- Oregano: Or substitute Italian seasoning or your favorite minced fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, and parsley).
- Salt and pepper: I recommend tasting the dressing before you add any salt. Then, add ¼ teaspoon salt and taste it again. Once I figure out the salt, I generally add 50% of that amount of freshly ground black pepper (that’s a ratio I learned in culinary school and I like it).
- Yield: This recipe makes ¾ cup dressing, enough for 6 servings (2 tablespoons each). 1 recipe of dressing will dress 8-10 cups salad.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Why use within 4 days?!? The vinegar, the oil, the spices, are all very stable on their own for long periods. Why only 4 days when mixed. I don’t buy it…
Hi Mark, we recommend following the USDA guidelines in which any leftovers would need to be consumed in 3-4 days. I hope you make this dressing! – Meggan
Then don’t make it
This is really good!!
So happy you loved it, Laurie! – Meggan
Amazing!!!
Thanks, Jordan! So glad you enjoyed it! – Meggan
Love ❤️ 💕 it ; only I do 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp salt… cause I am a pepper grinder lover will do basel herbs. Thank you
You’re welcome, Norma! I’m glad you loved it! – Meggan
Super simple and so delicious.
I’m so glad you loved it, Ruby! – Meggan
Does this recipe taste anything like the Zaxby’s version of lite red wine vinaigrette? Either way I’m still going to make a try but I thought I would ask.
Just made this dressing to go on a Greek salad the other night and it was so good and so easy! I will definitely be making this again! Thank you :-)
You’re welcome, Danelle! I’m glad you loved it! Thanks! – Meggan
Tastes great but mine came out brown:(
Hi Chris, I’m glad it tasted great! Is it possible you may have used a higher quality olive oil than I used in the picture or a different brand of vinegar? Both of those could affect the color change in the dressing. Take care! – meggan
Super good and simple to make, added in all the extras she suggested and it made it super tasty.
Hi Lex, I’m so glad you loved it! Take care! – Meggan
Love the recipe!! All of the ingredients have a very long shelf life, why is the shelf life for this recipe only four days?
Hi Kyle, I’m so glad you loved it! I’m going by the guidelines for leftovers from the National Restaurant Association and the CDC. Once you mix all that stuff together without preservatives, it doesn’t last forever. Great question though! Thanks for taking the time to write! Take care! – Meggan
Just keep going back. It’s a staple in this house. I do zest a medium size clove for that pop
Simple, but perfect 👍🏼
Looks good. Thanks. I like it because it’s perfect for my vegetarian diet
Thanks Shakeela, hope you enjoy! – Meggan
This was perfect on a pasta salad, added a sprinkle of parm and a dash of lemon juice. Thank you!
Sounds delicious Brianna, thanks! – Meggan
Aldi carries an olive oil made from kalamata olives. Very spicy and rich. I love your idea of using it on sandwiches. Since it is an EVOO, what would the countertop life be without refrigeration ?
Hi Kynthia, Aldi has some amazing surprises don’t they? A high-quality EVOO is fine at room temperature for 4-6 weeks after opening. It should be stored in a dark container away from heat if possible (light and heat are the enemies of extra virgin olive oil, or any olive oil for that matter). So you don’t need to refrigerate but try to use it within 4-6 weeks after opening. I used to buy giant jugs of EVOO but after learning the shelf life, I don’t do that anymore. Good luck! I hope you love it on your sandwich. It’s just so good. If you have any other questions, please let me know! Thanks. -Meggan
This is a great salad dressing and so easy to prepare! I tried it first with 1 tbsp of the mustard and it’s delicious. Next time I make it I’ll try 1 tsp to see the difference!
Thank you Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed! -Meggan
I am looking for a recipe for a vinaigrette that you can make and process and can. Is there a recipe out there that you could share with me. I am blessed with all sorts of fresh fruits and don’t want to just make jams and jellies. I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Donna Perkins
Hey there Donna, I don’t think it is safe to can homemade vinaigrette. I’m not an expert in canning but I checked my canning bible, the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and they don’t have a single recipe in there for a vinaigrette or a salad dressing of any kind. So, I’m guessing it’s not something that is safe to do. I’m really sorry about that and I wish I could help you further. -Meggan
hey donna, maybe you can preserve your fruit as a syrup and when the time comes that you want to make a vinaigrette, you can flavor it with the syrup. hope this helps! ps. i love this recipe!
Simple. Easy. Refreshing. I added a dash of balsamic glaze and it was even better for my taste. Will make this again.
Hi Justin, thank you! That sounds great! -Meggan
Thanks for posting this-it was just what the nascent chef ordered when I had to throw together an ad-hoc salad for my enchiladas!
Great and simple dressing. I was just wondering why it has to be consumed within four days. Since it doesn’t have any perishable ingredients, couldn’t it last for about two weeks in the refrigerator? Thank you in advance.
Hi Jeannette, since the dressing doesn’t have stabilizers or preservatives, we recommend following the USDA guidelines in which any leftovers would need to be consumed in 3-4 days. – Meggan
Delicious vinegrette😋
What part of this recipe contains the vitamin K! I’m on a blood thinner & vitamin K turns the effectiveness of the blood thinner off. So, looking for a way to still be able to use this recipe. Thanks.
Hi RA, because each brand of the ingredients could be different, I recommend looking at the labels of each of the ingredients before including them in the vinaigrette. Sorry about that, I believe all the ingredients could have even a trace of Vitamin K and I wouldn’t want it to affect you. – Meggan
Have been making my own dressings for decades the way its made in Germany but never used red wine vinegar. Why do you like it?
Hi Ulrike, I absolutely love the taste of red wine vinegar. Sometimes I pour a little bit over cooked lentils that have been stewed in tomatoes and onions. I think overall I love acidic foods. Balsamic vinegar is my other favorite for dressings. How do you make dressings in Germany? I will have to read about that! Thanks. -Meggan
I haven’t been able to find the Wishbone Red Wine Vinegar dressing that I like in the stores and so I made only a half recipe of this to try it. I did add a teaspoon of minced garlic but even with that both hubby and I thought it was sorely lacking in any flavor. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him leave a salad uneaten with only a few bites taken.
After the great reviews I’m wondering if I have a weak brand of red wine vinegar. I used a Heinz brand. We live in a rather remote part of Michigan that offers little choice in products when shopping. Most of the time I have to take the one they have, if they have any.
Hi Christine, did you use Dijon mustard? If you used a good Dijon, it seems impossible that the dressing could be flavorless even if you had a lackluster red wine vinegar. Also, maybe it needed more salt. Salt is one of those things, I keep adding it until the thing tastes good. It really helps so much. I’m sorry you had trouble -Meggan
Sugar. Lots of sugars
Hey Christine, what part of Michigan do you live in? I live in the upper peninsula and I use thrive market to get all of my pantry staples. They have a decent selection of items and its all organic (if that matters to you).
Ten stars. My husband tasted the dressing and said, you know, I would be fine if we didn’t buy salad dressing anymore; this is way better.
It was good ! I did half apple cider and also didn’t have Dijon just used spicy mustard lol . Good
Love this dressing
My favorite recipe!!! If I have time I add a minced clove of garlic or shallot or a teaspoon of honey. You can also change the herbs. It’s just amazing!
Thank you I will be returning
I added honey 😋
Oh yeah, that’s THE BEST. So good. I have done that too, in fact a lot of recipes call for it. Good call. :) -Meggan
I don’t understand. Is this person speaking English? Or is this a rudimentary poem or a haiku?
HA HA HA! No it’s spam, that one slipped through. But your comment made me smile. :) -Meggan
I’m very picky about my Italian and dressing and this was good. Be sure you have very fresh olive oil as if it’s stale it will alter the taste. I add a few dashes of extra red wine vinegar and let set on the counter for about an hour before using. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour before using to let the olive oil come to room temperature. Yum.
Hi Meagan!
Is this really 163 calories for only 2 tablespoons?
It looks fantastic otherwise.
Hi Toni, thanks for the question! Yes, that is correct. Basically more than half of the recipe is olive oil, and there are 120 calories in one tablespoon of olive oil. If you want something lower calorie, I would increase the red wine vinegar to 1/2 cup (thus doing equal parts oil and vinegar). That would drop it to 123 calories per serving instead of 163 (and you’d have 8 servings total instead of 6). The other thing you could do is use less dressing overall. So maybe use just 1 tablespoon of this dressing and load up with extra vinegar so it’s not too dry. If you have any other questions or need anything else, just let me know! Thanks a lot! I hope you like the dressing. It’s my favorite. -Meggan
I’ve made this twice. Once for sandwich wraps and once for salad. Delicious on both! The olive oil solidified in the fridge when I kept the leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Any way to prevent that? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Laurie, olive oil does that when it gets cold. There isn’t a way to prevent that, that I know of. I would just say, pull it out 15 or 20 minutes before you need it. Because the recipe has garlic in it, I wouldn’t recommend keeping it at room temperature all the time. You definitely want to keep it in the refrigerator. Thank you for your comment, I’m glad you like the recipe!
Oil and vinegar are like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in most of their romantic comedies. They start out hating each other, but if something brings them together, a surfactant or an emulsifier, something that can break the repulsion, they cling to each other and the salad greens beautifully.
An emulsifier/surfactant coats the oil molecules and makes it easier for them to mix with the watery stuff. Mustard is a common emulsifier for home made salad dressings. Mayonnaise is also an emulsifier, as are egg yolks, and honey. Commercial dressings often use xanthan gum, lecithin, or dairy extracts.
So Easy, So Good
Hi Blayne, just looking at the salt I have kosher salt listed (the coarse stuff). If by any chance you used table salt, it would have been twice as salty. Not saying that’s what happened, but I am going to change the recipe to just regular salt since that’s probably what most people have. And I’ll provide a range. Thanks again for letting me know!
That’s so sad! I’m going to adjust the recipe to change the amount of salt (list a range), obviously I make it the way I listed it but we all have different tastes. I appreciate the feedback.
What is the recipe for the salad shown, with the square white cheese and cucumbers? It looks awesome!
Hi Shanna! That’s a Greek Pasta salad (with feta cheese) that I published on a different blog, Oh Sweet Basil. Here’s the link! http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/easy-greek-pasta-salad-recipe.html I will definitely add this to the post, thank you for the idea! :)
I just made this and it’s delicious! So fresh tasting and simple. I love how quick this was to put together. Next time I’ll add fresh shallot. Thank you!
Yes Caitlin, a fresh shallot is great! I always add that if I have one. Great addition. Glad you like the dressing, it’s one of my faves. So easy! Thanks so much for reading, take care. :)
Hi Patricia, thank you for the feedback. Glad you were able to adjust it to your liking! – Meggan