Freshen up your salads or grilled meat with this tart and creamy Tomato Vinaigrette. Made with only 5 ingredients, it’s a quick and easy salad dressing you can keep in your fridge all summer long!
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Fresh tomato vinaigrette dressing
It’s true: homemade salad dressing is the only way to go. This 5-Ingredient Tomato Vinaigrette is a prime example; it’s delicious, budget-friendly, and bursting with fresh summer flavors you’d never find in a bottle of the storebought stuff.
This tomato vinaigrette recipe is also foolproof and pairs well with more than just salad. As with any basic homemade vinaigrette, all you need is a short list of quality ingredients:
- Tomatoes
- Vinegar
- Oil
- Dijon
- Salt
Its bright Italian flavors make it the perfect partner for fresh tomato salads, pasta salads, grilled fish, shrimp, and more. It’s sure to become a new summer staple in your fridge!
What is it made of?
5 simple, easy-to-find ingredients. That’s it! Many vinaigrette recipes are made with minimal ingredients but this one boasts tart, Italian flavors thanks to:
- Small tomatoes – This recipe is best when it’s made with seasonal and ripe summer tomatoes. Tomatoes hit their peak during late summer here in the US. Head to your local farmer’s market and pick out some juicy, bright red tomatoes to use in this vinaigrette. Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or a mix of all three will do just fine.
- Dijon mustard – The mustard gives the dressing a deeper flavor profile and creamy mouthfeel.
- Vinegar – The best options here are white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar. I would save the white vinegar for homemade dill pickles as the strong flavors don’t quite fit in this mellow dressing.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Any mild-flavored, quality EVOO will do. A vinaigrette recipe usually contains one part vinegar, one part oil, so make sure you use an oil you already enjoy.
- Salt – To help every flavor pop.
How to make tomato vinaigrette
It doesn’t get much easier than this:
- Add everything to a jar: Finely chop the tomato. Add it to a wide-mouthed mason jar along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Puree: Puree the dressing with a hand blender until smooth.
- Season, then enjoy: Taste the dressing and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Use it right away or store it for later.
Tips and tricks
- Leave the core, but keep the seeds – Discard the core of the tomato. Keep the seeds in the dressing because they add great flavor!
- For a deeper flavor profile – Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they’re blistered and bubbling. Roasted tomato vinaigrette will have more depth and be very flavorful.
- If you don’t have an immersion or hand blender – Simply blend the ingredients in a regular blender until smooth.
Serving suggestions
This dressing pairs so well with any summer salad. Keep it simple and pour some over top a pile of mixed greens and your favorite veggies. Or, if you want to go all out, use the dressing on this Italian Tomato Burrata Salad or Mediterranean Chopped Salad.
It isn’t just for salads either! Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over grilled seafood, chicken, and vegetables, or toss it in a summer pasta salad for a burst of tang.
Frequently asked questions
Salad dressing is a generic term that covers any type of creamy, vinegary, or oily sauce used to coat a salad. Vinaigrette is a type of salad dressing but the recipes always feature an oil and vinegar base.
You can use any kind of vinegar in a vinaigrette salad dressing. Champagne, white wine, red wine, apple cider, rice, and white vinegar can all be used. However, it’s important to choose a type of vinegar that will complement the other ingredients rather than completely take over the flavor.
If you only have cherry tomatoes at home, you can go ahead and use them instead. You’ll need ½ cup of chopped cherry or grape tomatoes.
Tomato vinaigrette will last for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight jar in the fridge.
Looking for more easy salad dressings?
- Classic Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Tarragon Mustard Vinaigrette
- Lemon Vinaigrette
Did you try my 5-Ingredient Tomato Vinaigrette? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
5-Ingredient Tomato Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 small tomato roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or use champagne vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
Instructions
- Roughly chop the tomato. Add all the ingredients to a mason jar, using a hand blender or blender, and blend until smooth. Remove the cores of the tomato. But leave the seeds, they will add a great flavor.
- Adjust seasoning to your liking. Add any additional salt if needed.
- Use on salads. Drizzle on grilled meats, veggies or seafood.
- This dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- For best results, use only ripe fresh tomatoes for this recipe.
- This dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Remove the cores of the tomato. But leave the seeds, they will add a great flavor.
jolanta ostrovetsky
This is the DRESSING. Should be the king or the queen of
dressings. I am obsessed how easy and good this is. I put it on everything: eggs, salad meat, sandwiches and etc. It is a pure goodness. It should go viral. Thank you. I am always pressed for time but this is so easy and everyone is impressed.