Sweet And Tangy Orange Vinaigrette Dressing
This bright, zesty orange vinaigrette is loaded with nutrients thanks to its line-up of nourishing ingredients. If you’re craving a salad that’s anything but boring, a delicious citrusy dressing like this will lift the flavour of anything it’s added to.
In This Article
What Makes This Recipe So Good?
The joy of a citrus vinaigrette is of course the citrus fruit. This is usually available year round but peak citrus season is winter, when things like oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, pomelos, tangerines, mandarins, and lemons are found in abundance.
Citrus fruit offers us a treasure trove of health benefits with thanks to their unique composition. They’re rich in vitamins (especially vitamin C), fibre, and minerals, in addition to other compounds that provide anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial activities (1,2).
Ingredients – What You’ll Need To Make Orange Vinaigrette
This orange vinaigrette recipe requires a handful of simple ingredients and a few minutes to make. It’s quick and easy enough to pull together just before serving, but can also be made ahead if preferred. If doing this, just remember to give the jar a very good shake before the dressing is poured over your salad of choice.
- Fresh Orange Juice – Adds zesty citrus notes with a hint of sweetness, creating a bright and refreshing flavor. Navel oranges, cara cara oranges, or blood oranges all work well in this recipe so take your pick!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The base of a good vinaigrette with a rich smooth texture that imparts a delicate, fruity flavor.
- White Wine Vinegar – Helps to balance out the richness of the oil in addition to balancing the other flavours in the dressing. White wine vinegar is a good choice for this dressing given its mild acidity, though apple cider vinegar works too if preferred.
- Dijon Mustard – Adds a very mild pungency to the vinaigrette while helping to emulsify the dressing.
- Shallots – add a little pungency to help round out the overall taste of the dressing.
- Salt – act as natural flavor enhancers with the pepper also adding a little warmth.
- Herbs of choice – parsley or tarragon are great options.
The best way to serve this tangy vinaigrette is over steamed winter or spring greens, a green salad, or any other favorite salad you may have.
How To Make An Orange Vinaigrette
Vinaigrette dressing is very easy to make and requires minimal prep time. The whole process involves little more that pouring everything into a jar, putting on the lid and shaking it vigorously for a minute or two – no fancy equipment needed.
- In a small mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine shallots, salt, orange juice, and vinegar and leave to macerate (soften) for 10-15 minutes.
- Once that’s done, add in the olive oil, Dijon mustard, and herbs.
- Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for a minute or two until the dressing has thickened and all the ingredients have emulsified/mixed together well.
- Use straight away or store for up to one week.
Note: The classic vinaigrette recipe uses 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Given the milder taste of oranges to vinegar though, I’ve used 1 part of each for this recipe. This does produce a slightly thinner vinaigrette overall so if you’d like yours to be thicker, add one extra tablespoon of olive oil.
Substitutions And Variations
Adding in some orange zest can add an extra little citrus zing and help enhance the orange flavor.
Don’t have oranges? Both lime and lemon juice work beautifully in this dressing.
Want a bit of a kick? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
If you’d like the dressing sweeter, add a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup. Either of these will provide a touch of sweetness to balance out the acidity while also adding more depth of flavour.
No white wine vinegar? Apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar are also fine. I would avoid substituting with balsamic vinegar though, as it is far too rich and will overpower the taste of the orange.
Tips For Success With This Recipe
Fresh is best – Using fresh orange juice will ensure the dressing is light and bright in flavour.
Don’t use a robust olive oil! This will overpower the delicate tase of the orange juice so go for a lighter variety.
Shake don’t whisk – Shaking the dressing in a jar creates a smooth and stable emulsion. It’s also quicker and easier than whisking.
Taste and adjust – Always taste your dressings before adding them to salads. You may find you’d like a touch more salt, some extra Dijon, or a little more oil to create your perfect vinaigrette.
Storing/Freezing/Make Ahead
Store your homemade orange vinaigrette in an airtight container (a mason jar is perfect) in the fridge for up to a week. Shake well before using it again.
Oil-based condiments that have been emulsified will split in the freezer and will neither look nor taste the same once defrosted. As such, freezing is best avoided.
This dressing can be made ahead of time, but give it a very good shake again before you use it.
FAQ
If kept in a jar with a tight fitting lid it will keep for up to one week.
In a pinch, but I don’t recommend it. Bottled orange juice often has added sugars or it’s made from concentrate giving it a distinctly different flavour profile. Fresh orange juice will always create a much brighter and more flavorful dressing.
This orange salad dressing complements a variety of salads. Try it with leafy greens, a Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad, or a Fall Harvest Salad. It’s great as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken or fish too.
More Dressing Recipe
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Sweet And Tangy Orange Vinaigrette Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Mason jar
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- 4-5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (go for a mild one)
- ½ Small shallot, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp chopped herbs of choice (tarragon or parsley are great)
- ¼ tsp flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Tip the finely chopped shallot into a mason jar followed by the salt, orange juice, and white wine vinegar. Leave to sit for about 10-15 minutes. Doing this allows the juice and vinegar to soften the sharp flavor of the shallots.
- Once that's done, add in the Dijon mustard, chopped herbs, and olive oil. Put the lid tightly on the jar and shake vigorously for a minute or two to emulsify the dressing.
- Serve over your salad of choice or store in the fridge for up to one week.
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Gabby Campbell
Gabby is a degree qualified Naturopath/Nutritionist (BHSc Nat) with a love of all whole foods. She started her Naturopathic career in clinical practice before making the move to recipe development and online education – a result of wanting to combat the misinformation that abounds on the internet about food and health. Whole Natural Kitchen aims to transform the way you think about healthy eating by helping you embrace an abundance of nutritious foods while leaving the health fads behind. MORE ABOUT GABBY