This vinaigrette combines orange juice, orange zest and white balsamic vinegar for a tart and sweet salad dressing that’s ready in just 7 minutes. Mix it up by hand or in the blender for a creamier vinaigrette.
Be sure to check out more of my vinaigrette recipes including my 5-minute pomegranate vinaigrette, sweet onion vinaigrette and 7 minute blender lemon vinaigrette.
Vinaigrette in the Blender
Mixing a vinaigrette with the blender makes it incredibly fast and easy. It does a great job of forcing the oil and vinegar to stay combined for longer than your average vinaigrette. It makes the vinaigrette a little foamy and creamy. A high-powered blender like a Vitamix is not necessary. I have used my mini countertop blender and my smoothie blender both with excellent results.
Vinaigrette Flavor Balance
The flavor of this orange vinaigrette can vary quite a bit. The final product will be affected by the sweetness of your orange juice, the flavor of your olive oil (often bitter) and the flavor of the white balsamic vinegar.
I tested this vinaigrette with two different types of extra virgin olive oil and the results were quite different. Test number one was well balanced between sweet, tart and salty. With a different ev olive oil, the second test was quite bitter. I needed to add a couple of pinches of salt and a teaspoon of sweetener to make it match the flavor of the first test.
The recipe card below will give you some guidance in adjusting the flavor of the vinaigrette to your preference.
Ingredients
Freshly squeezed orange juice or prepared orange juice will both work in this recipe. Pulp in the orange juice is okay if you mix this vinaigrette in the blender. But if you plan to mix the vinaigrette by hand, I recommend straining the orange juice to remove the pulp.
White balsamic vinegar is slightly sweet and sour and works well with sweet and tart orange juice. If you don’t have white balsamic, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be substituted.
Extra virgin olive oil is traditional in vinaigrettes. The slightly bitter and flavorful profile also pairs well with sweet orange juice. I recommend using a quality ev olive oil like California Olive Ranch oils.
Orange zest is an excellent way to get a strong pop orange flavor. Zest is the colorful outer layer of the peel on citrus. It has amazing aroma and concentrated flavor. For a quick tutorial on zesting citrus see my post How to Zest a Lemon.
Dijon mustard is another traditional ingredient in vinaigrettes. I don’t always use it in vinaigrettes because it adds quite a bit of salt. However because this vinaigrette contains sweet orange juice, the mustard is a nice balance.
Minced shallot is often used in vinaigrettes, but I don’t always have shallots on hand. The quickest way to add onion flavor is to use onion powder (aka granulated onion). Also, as the onion powder hydrates, it helps to thicken and emulsify the vinaigrette.
Depending on the flavor of some of the ingredients you may want to add some agave or other sweetener.
7-Minute Orange White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ΒΎ c extra virgin olive oil
- Β½ c orange juice (ready made or fresh squeezed)
- ΒΌ c white balsamic vinegar
- zest of one medium sized orange see How to zest a lemon
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Β½ tsp onion powder
- ΒΌ tsp salt
- Β½-1 tsp agave or other sweetener (optional)
Instructions
- Notes:This vinaigrette can be mixed by hand in a bowl with a whisk or in the blender. The blender will whip in some air and give the vinaigrette a creamy texture. If you don't have blender, the recipe can be mixed up in a bowl with a whisk or hand mixer.
- If using the blender, place all of the ingredients into the blender. Run the blender on high for 15 seconds. Go to step #6.
- If mixing in a bowl, add all of the ingredients except the oil and agave.
- Whisk thoroughly for 20 seconds.
- While whisking, gradually drizzle in the olive oil. Whisk until combined. The dressing may seem a bit watery but will thicken when refrigerated.
- Taste. You may want to make some flavor adjustments. Here's some guidance:Is it bitter? Add Β½-1 teaspoons agave and a pinch of salt.Is it too sweet? Add 1-2 teaspoons vinegar and 2 pinches salt.Is it too sour? Add Β½-1 teaspoon of agave and a tablespoon of oil.Is it blah? Add 2-3 pinches of salt and a teaspoon of vinegar.
- This vinaigrette should be refrigerated and will stay fresh for at least 1 week.
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