Red Wine Vinaigrette Recipe Recipe

Red wine vinaigrette is super easy to make, just measure and shake. Make it fresh for every salad, no preservatives needed!

Image of red wine vinaigrette in a small jar. A tossed salad and chopped vegetables are pictured in the background.

Tangy red wine vinaigrette, with good extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with chopped shallots is pretty much a perfect dressing. It tastes great on all kinds of salads: fresh greens and vegetables, pasta salads, grain bowls, you name it.

I’ve been making my own salad dressings for years. Once in awhile, I pick up bottled dressing at the grocery store in a weak moment, use it once, and then it sits in the refrigerator until I finally toss it. It just doesn’t taste as good as homemade.

Often, I’m making a salad for one (that would be me!). I have a little Tupperware cup that holds about 1/4 cup max. I pour a little olive oil and red wine vinegar into the cup. I don’t measure, I just eyeball it. I add a pinch of sugar, whatever seasonings I’m in the mood for, maybe a dab of Dijon, salt and pepper. I cover the container, give the dressing a good shake and pour it on my salad. It’s as easy as that! Takes about 2 minutes.

And it tastes so much better than store bought bottled dressing. Why? Well, there isn’t any need for preservatives because you’re making it and eating it right away. And it’s super fresh because you just made it! You know every ingredient in your dressing is wholesome and real. No artificial flavor or color.

I almost forgot! If you haven’t tried making your own croutons, please, please, please give these a try. You’ll never look back!

I can almost guarantee that you’ll be making your own dressing from now on, too, once you try this red wine vinaigrette. Make sure you take a look at the ideas for making it your own.

Image of homemade vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar. It's pale yellow in color and in a small glass bottle.

About this Homemade Vinaigrette

This is a basic recipe for red wine vinaigrette. I make it in a small jar with a tight fitting lid so I can shake it up. You can also use a small bowl and a whisk.

Image of red wine vinaigrette in a small glass bottle, the dressing has separated to show the different components, shallots, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.

What You’ll Need

Here’s the ingredient list:

red wine vinegar
shallots
extra virgin olive oil
sugar (optional)
salt and pepper

That’s it. I bet you have everything you need in your pantry right now. Enjoy your salad!

How To Make This Recipe

Begin by finely chopping the shallots. I like to soak the chopped shallots in the red wine vinegar for fifteen minutes or so to mellow them out a bit. Soaking them in the vinegar also softens them. Do I always soak them? Nope, only when I have a little extra time.

Once you have your shallots ready, add the rest of the ingredients and shake or whisk until combined. Ready to serve!

If you don’t serve the vinaigrette right away, always give it a good shake or stir before you pour it on your salad. The oil and vinegar tend to separate and it’s best to blend it together before pouring.

FAQs

What is red wine vinaigrette made of?

Often people mistakenly think that this vinaigrette is made of red wine instead of red wine vinegar. Please don’t confuse the two – you really need vinegar for this dressing, not wine.
Other ingredients are olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar (optional), and garlic (also optional). Some folks like to add a touch of Dijon mustard to help emulsify the dressing.

Do you have to refrigerate red wine vinaigrette?

Because this recipe contains shallots, it should be refrigerated. It will keep for a couple of days in a tightly covered container. If you make it without shallots, it will keep indefinitely, either in a cool dark place or in the refrigerator.
Always shake it well before serving.

Make It Your Own

When you make your own salad dressing, you have control over every ingredient. It’s a perfect way to tailor the dressing to your own tastes and needs. Here’s some suggestions but feel free to experiment. Enjoy serving your own “house made” vinaigrette.

Prefer creamy dressings? Substitute 1/4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt for 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Use a small whisk to completely emulsify the dressing.
Looking for Italian dressing? Add dried oregano or Italian seasoning to the vinaigrette. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste.
Make Greek dressing by adding the juice of one lemon, minced garlic, and oregano. You could also add fresh chopped basil or parsley.
Like spicy? Add 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes.
Don’t care for shallots or too busy to hassle with them? Just skip the first step, leaving the shallots out. The vinaigrette will be fine without them.
Like garlic? Add a teaspoon of minced fresh garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste.
Make this dressing keto and Whole 30 friendly by leaving out the sugar. Add dried herbs or garlic for extra flavor.

Image of homemade vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Storage Tips

Since this dressing is so easy to make, I usually only make what I can use immediately. If you do have leftover vinaigrette, store it in the fridge in a small jar for a day or two, not longer, because of the chopped shallots.

If the oil in the dressing hardens in the fridge, just let it set out a half hour or so. Shake well. It will return to its original state.

Dressing made without fresh shallots, herbs, or garlic will last a week in the refrigerator.

More salad dressing recipes

Once you try this homemade red wine vinaigrette, you’ll be wanting to make all your own salad dressings. You can look at my complete list of dressings and toppings here. I’ve listed just a few of my favorites below:

White wine vinaigrette
Catalina dressing (similar to French dressing)
Lemon basil vinaigrette (this one is my mom’s favorite!)
Poppy seed dressing
Creamy avocado lime dressing with cumin (perfect for Southwest type salads)
Honey mustard vinaigrette

Recipe