Grapefruit Vinaigrette – Citrus Salad Dressing ~ Macheesmo

I used to be very good at making my own salad dressing. There was a pre-kid period in my life when I scoffed at store-bought salad dressing. I’ll admit that’s not the case anymore, and if you open my fridge you’ll find a few bottles of store-bought dressing. But when I first tried this grapefruit vinaigrette on a fresh salad, I was transported back to the days of homemade salad dressings.

Homemade salad dressings are simply the best.

They’re really quite fast (though not as fast as unscrewing a lid). But the flavors are so fresh and clean. I eat more salad when I have a good homemade dressing.

This time of year when the grapefruit is in its prime, this grapefruit vinaigrette is a must! Shake it and try it!

What ingredients are in a vinaigrette?

A classic vinaigrette is a really simple emulsion that almost always consists of a few different ingredients.

• Acid. Usually this is vinegar, but you can use citrus or other acidic ingredients for this ingredient.
• Oil. Olive oil is usually used, but you can use lighter oils if you prefer.
• emulsifier. I like to use mustard for this. A bit of this will help the emulsion.
• Sweetener. A little sugar balances the dressing. Sometimes that’s honey or maple syrup.
• shallot. Most vinaigrettes contain finely chopped onions, such as B. Shallots.
• Spices. Salt, pepper, and even hot sauce are standard ingredients.

Need fresh grapefruit juice?

I am not going to say that you have to use 100% fresh grapefruit juice for this recipe. If you bought a glass of grapefruit juice from the store, it would probably be fine.

But buying a single in-season grapefruit only costs pennies, and the fresh, clean taste of fresh juice is hard to beat. It’s probably the most important piece of this recipe. So if you take the time to prepare the recipe I would try to get a fresh one.

Instructions for this grapefruit vinaigrette

Place the fresh grapefruit juice in a lidded jar along with chopped shallots (very small!), olive oil, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper and just a dash of hot sauce.

You could add a dash of vinegar if you like, but I find the grapefruit juice has enough bite.

Shake it like crazy and you’re done!

Light and citrusy, the Grapefruit Salad Dressing is light enough to use liberally on salads. Of course, you can drizzle it over a salad if it’s soggy, but it won’t overwhelm the flavors in the salad.

Store any leftovers you have in an airtight mason jar in the fridge. Lasts at least 2 weeks!

replacement and ideas

There are some nice twists you can try with this salad.

• Change the citrus! Citrus fruits are great in winter and you could try oranges or something similar with this dressing.
• Add fresh herbs. Some fresh rosemary or tarragon would be nice.
• Change the sweetener. I just used white sugar to keep it simple, but honey or syrup would be great too.

Salads served with this grapefruit vinaigrette

There are many salads that would go great with this salad dressing. It can stand up to big flavors like this shredded Brussels sprouts lettuce or this rainbow lettuce.

It also pairs great with lighter salads like this Shredded Zucchini Salad or this Roasted Carrot Salad!

My Easy Grapefruit Vinaigrette Recipe

Here are some other great salad dressing recipes!