Creamy Shallot Vinaigrette

This Creamy Shallot Vinaigrette comes together with just a handful of healthy ingredients and in less than five minutes! It’s perfect for tossing over your favorite pastas, salads, pasta salads, or enjoying as a delicious dip with your favorite veggies! This is one dressing recipe that I always keep prepared in my fridge, because it’s the perfect way to elevate your favorite recipes!

Friends, if there is one underrated recipe to add to your weekly meal prep rotation, it’s a good dressing. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t tend to eat lots of salads, a good, healthy dressing can be used in a variety of ways. Whether you toss it over greens as a simple and easy way to add nutrients to any meal, add it to a flavor-packed pasta salad, or enjoy it with cut up veggies, don’t underestimate the value that a good vinaigrette adds to any meal.

And if you’re not already making your dressings from scratch, then let me convince you why you should. For starters, store-bought dressings are often filled with not-so-great ingredients, from bland seed oils to refined sugars that add calories without any flavor or nutritional benefit. And, for the pre-made dressings that do have better ingredients, they often range from $7-$11 for a small bottle. Which, if you’re feeding a family like me, can get really expensive, really quickly. Making dressings at home is not only infinitely cheaper, but it also ensures that you have more control over the ingredients that you use. Plus, you can make a huge batch of dressing for the same cost as a tiny bottle of pre-made dressing. With grocery prices on the rise, I’m always looking to find ways to saved money, and making your own dressings is one of the easiest ways to do that!

Plus, did I mention that this dressing is also dairy-free? It’s true! This recipe is proof that you don’t need the dairy in order to make a rich and creamy dressing. Of course, it pairs perfectly with my Ultimate Antipasto Pasta Salad, but I also love pairing alongside some greens and my Perfectly Juicy Chicken for a quick and easy lunch (that’s way better than Sweetgreen!)

What You Need to Make This Creamy, Dairy-Free Dressing

• 🫒 Olive Oil: Olive oil is my favorite oil to use as the base for dressings. One, because it’s full of healthy fats, and two, because it has a rich and delicious flavor that truly enhances the taste of the dressing. Avocado oil is also a good option too!
• Red Wine Vinegar: A splash of red wine vinegar helps to form the perfect dressing!
• 🍋 Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice adds the perfect amount of brightness and acidity to this dressing. I recommend using the juice of one whole lemon for this recipe.
• Dijon Mustard: A little dijon mustard adds the right amount of tang to the dressing. Don’t skip this!
• 🧅 Shallots: Shallots may be small, but they’re packed with flavor, which makes them perfect for this dressing.
• 🧄 Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic, whenever possible. It adds the best flavor to this dressing!
• Italian Seasoning: A pinch of Italian seasoning adds the perfect flavor to this dressing.
• 🧂 Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper: A pinch of salt and pepper adds the perfect finishing touch to the dressing – don’t skip this!

How to Make This Quick & Simple Vinaigrette

Prepare the dressing by adding all of the vinaigrette ingredients (the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and ground black pepper) to a blender.

Blend the ingredients until they’re creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Add the dressing to your favorite salad recipes and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to one week.

🎯 Tips for Serving This Creamy Shallot Vinaigrette

This vinaigrette is simple, easy, and packed with flavor, which means that it’s perfect to add to all of your favorite recipes! While the easiest way to enjoy it is to toss it over some greens for a quick-and-easy lunch, here are some fun tips for serving this dressing and enjoying your new favorite meal-prep recipe.

• Add it to a pasta salad: My Ultimate Antipasto Pasta Salad pairs perfectly with this dressing! It’s a flavor-packed pasta salad recipe that has all of the flavors of an Italian Antipasto, but rolled into a delicious pasta salad. What could be better than that?
• Enjoy it as a dip: Did you know that vinaigrettes can be a delicious dip for cut up veggies? It’s true! I love to enjoy this dressing as a dip for a quick and easy snack.
• Use it to marinate chicken: While I do have some delicious chicken marinades on my blog, this vinaigrette also works as the perfect marinade for a juicy chicken breast or thighs. Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.

** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim