Our Maple Balsamic Dressing recipe is perfect for adding some sweet, tangy flavour to your salads. You can make a BIG batch to use on your favourite salad combinations; it lasts ages!
As you all know, I am a huge fan of homemade salad dressings because they are chemical and preservative free. This Maple Dijon Dressing is one of my favourites because it is just so easy to whip up, stores well, and pairs with a wide variety of salads.
We loved it in our Grilled Corn Salad and Bitter Leaf Salad (recipe coming soon). You can also use it as an alternative dressing in our Exotic Pumpkin Salad or as a sweet dressing in our French Green Salad.
Table of contents
More On Maple Syrup...
The key ingredient in our Maple Balsamic Dressing, maple syrup has been around for centuries, and most of the world's production comes from eastern Canada.
It is made from the sap of sugar maple trees that has been boiled to produce a thick syrup; with different grades based on colour - Light Amber, Medium Amber and Dark Amber. The darker syrup grades are made from sap harvested much later in the maple syrup season and have a much more intense maple flavour.
While maple is healthier, containing around 24 antioxidants and trace amounts of minerals, such as manganese and zinc. While slightly better for you, you should still use it sparingly as it is very high in sugar.
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
Read your labels carefully before buying to make sure they read maple syrup and not maple-flavoured syrup!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Balsamic Vinegar - choose wisely, as it does make a difference. Real balsamic should be dark brown and sweet, and it should pour like syrup. You could also try a flavoured balsamic to make it even more delicious.
- Olive Oil -we have used a good quality extra virgin olive oil; you may swap for avocado oil if you prefer or try flavoured olive oil for added flavour.
- Dijon Mustard - for some tang, swap for wholegrain mustard if you prefer.
- Maple syrup - look for pure maple syrup, not maple-flavoured syrup. At a pinch, you can add some sweetness with honey instead.
What Can I Use It On?
This Maple Balsamic Dressing is wonderful for any salad with bacon or corn, or even try it with your grilled baby carrots.
- Toss it with spinach salads and sturdy green salads such as kale, chard or silverbeet.
- Sensational with bitter green salads such as Belgian endive/witlof, radicchio, or arugula/rocket.
- Use it as a marinade for chicken, steak or fish.
- Drizzle it on brassicas such as brussels sprouts or cauliflower.
- Serve it with roasted broccoli, baby carrots or butternut squash.
- Spoon it on apples and pears.
You Will Need
How to Make It
- Find a container that has a tight-fitting lid; glass jars are perfect for this.
- Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to the container and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Cover it and shake until emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
- Keep your Maple Balsamic Dressing in an airtight container in the fridge so it is ready to shake up and use.
People Also Ask...
Our Maple Salad Dressing recipe will make one cup of dressing or 16 tablespoons, which is enough for one large salad that serves eight people.
The nutritional information has been calculated per tablespoon.
Store the vinaigrette in a tight jar with a lid so that it’s easy to shake when you need to mix it up before serving. The vinaigrette can be stored in the fridge for about a month, but I bet ya it won't last that long! 😉
Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegetarian/vegan. The maple syrup in this maple balsamic dressing makes it unsuitable for whole30 keto diets.
It contains 67 calories per serving and two grams of net carbs.
Some More Sweet Dressings to Try!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- Find a container that has a tight-fitting lid, glass jars are perfect for this.
- Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to the container, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Cover it and shake until emulsified.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately one cup of dressing enough for one large salad that serves eight; the nutritional information is calculated per tablespoon.
- Store the vinaigrette in a tight jar with a lid so that it’s easy to shake when you need to mix it up before serving. The vinaigrette can be stored in the fridge for about a month, but I bet ya it won't last that long!
Helen says
Tried it, loved it!
Thank you!