Giada De Laurentiis Shares Her Favorite Vinaigrette

With warm weather finally becoming a reality, a bright, refreshing salad makes for an ideal side or main meal. Oftentimes what makes a salad great is its dressing, and Giada De Laurentiis just shared an easy vinaigrette recipe you’ll want to try.

“I want to show you my go-to vinaigrette because a lot of people ask me about making vinaigrettes at home or whether they should just buy bottled stuff,” De Laurentiis says in a recent Instagram video. “And I’m telling you guys, it’s so much better for you [to make it at home].” 

Homemade dressings are a delicious way to use up ingredients you likely already have on hand, so they’re definitely worth making instead of buying. Plus, De Laurentiis’ favorite dressing only requires four ingredients to make, so it’s a simple vinaigrette that you can mix up in minutes. Here’s how to make it.

The four ingredients that the cookbook author uses in her vinaigrette are apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and extra virgin olive oil—plus a pinch of salt for good measure. De Laurentiis mostly eyeballs these ingredients based on her preferences, but if you’re looking for specifics, vinaigrettes typically have a 3:1 oil to vinegar ratio. For reference, it’s quite like our own Apple-Cider Vinaigrette, but ours adds a clove of grated garlic for a savory kick. And you can always taste your homemade dressing and add in more of each ingredient to taste.

“I love apple cider vinegar because it really helps to aid in digestion,” De Laurentiis explains. “I love using it in all of my dressings.” The chef’s gut health claim is supported by a study which showed that drinking apple cider vinegar may enhance healthy digestion as well as nutrient absorption, proving it to be an ideal salad topper.

Making vinaigrette at home is a great way to control the ingredients used in the dressing, including salt and added sugar. De Laurentiis opts for honey for “a little sweetness,” and it’s texturally a smart choice.

Just add all of the ingredients to a Mason jar, shake it up and it’s done. While you can use this homemade vinaigrette for your favorite salad, De Laurentiis shares other ways she loves including it in her meals.

“I toss grilled vegetables in it,” she says. “I also pour it over potatoes or a baked potato…some rice, a lot of different things because this just adds so much flavor. You could even pour it over grilled chicken or fish.”

Because she uses it on “everything,” De Laurentiis says she whips up this vinaigrette once or twice a week. Whether you mix it into a spinach salad or to pour it over roasted veggies, this tangy vinaigrette can bump up the flavor in a variety of dishes. Okay, we’re convinced that we need to try this easy dressing ASAP.