10-Minute Orange Vinaigrette Salad Dressing 

This simple, well-tested recipe for homemade orange vinaigrette has it all — it’s tangy, plus sweet and savory with a bright burst of citrus flavor from freshly squeeze orange juice. A versatile citrus salad dressing, it can top just about any green salad, including kale salad, spinach salad, and more! Mix it up quickly at home in a small jar or container. Ready within 10 minutes. 

Ingredients and substitutions

A vinaigrette is simply a salad dressing with oil and vinegar so there are endless add-in options. The ingredients in this recipe are all simple but come together perfectly. Here’s what you’ll need to make this dressing:

A few notes on the ingredients you’ll need:

• Fresh squeezed orange juice from oranges, mandarins or tangerines works best but store bought juice can work in a pinch. If you want to sub for lemon or lime, it won’t create the same flavor of course but will still be pretty tasty. Blood oranges would make for a fun twist too!
• You can substitute apple cider vinegar or another mild vinegar if you prefer it.
• Shallot works best since it has less bite but you can substitute red or yellow onion and let the prepared dressing rest for 10 minutes or so before shaking again and pouring over the salad. This will let the onion mellow out and take some of the bite out. If you don’t have onion, you can replace with 1/2 tsp. onion powder.
• As with the shallot, fresh garlic always creates the best flavor but if you’re in a hurry you can replace with pre-minced garlic or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder.
• You can replace the coconut aminos with 1 teaspoon agave nectar, honey or maple syrup + 1 teaspoon Tamari or soy sauce. This replicates the umami undertone and sweetness of the coconut aminos.

How to make orange vinaigrette

As I said before, orange vinaigrette is so easy to make and might be the best vinaigrette you’ve ever had! If you’re new to making your own dressing, this is a good jumping off place.

1. Once you have your oranges squeezed, the shallot minced and garlic pressed, just measure and toss all of the ingredients into your favorite jar.
   
2. Put the lid on and shake for 10-20 seconds or until the oil is emulsified with the vinegar and other ingredients.
   
3. Pour over your salad and enjoy!
   

Storage

Salad dressing is a great make ahead recipe for meal prep. It is fine to just leave on the counter overnight to use the next day but for longer storage, you will need to refrigerate. Dressing will keep in the refrigerator up to a week.

If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before shaking and using since the oil will become solid and dressing will be too thick when cold. You can also run the jar under warm water or submerge it in warm water to speed this up.

Serving suggestions

There are so many good salad combos that pair fantastically with orange dressing. It goes well with chicken, beef, fish or shrimp as protein or you can add some chickpeas for a vegetarian protein source. Here are a few favorite combos:

• Pouring over fresh greens with avocado, orange, cucumber or jicama and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro is always tasty.
• This citrus vinaigrette would be delicious with gorgonzola or bleu cheese, fresh orange pieces, and toasted pecans or walnuts tossed with salad and a protein source.
• Add a few tablespoons of tahini to make a creamy orange dressing.
• Use as a marinade for a full meal! To do this, double the recipe, divide in half and use one portion as a marinade for chicken, steak or seafood and reserve the rest to use as a salad dressing later on.

Post originally published February 2022 and has since been updated to add additional content.