Skip to main content
Salad

Balsamic Salad Dressing

A vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 5 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Olive and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Whisk together the garlic, mustard, and balsamic vinegar.

  2. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is blended.

  3. Taste to see how much salt and pepper you need.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

142Calories
1 gProtein
14 gFat
4 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  3. Mustard + garlictop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Olive oil
Forms the bulk of the dressing and carries the flavor, giving it body and richness.
Balsamic vinegar
Provides acidity and sweetness that balance the richness of the oil.
Dijon mustard
Acts as an emulsifier that helps the oil and vinegar stay blended together.
Garlic
Adds sharp aroma and pungency to the dressing.

The step that matters

Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Adding oil gradually while whisking breaks it into small droplets held in suspension by the mustard, so the dressing stays blended instead of separating into layers.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, vinegar, mustard, garlic, pepper):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, vinegar, mustard, garlic, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Chicken SaladChicken Salad623 recipesSalad DressingSalad Dressing491 recipesTomato SaladTomato Salad179 recipesCold SlawCold Slaw160 recipes