Liven up your salads with the tart, juicy taste of homemade raspberry vinaigrette. It’s quickly becoming a summer favorite!
Recipe overview
Why you will love it: Not only is it pretty, raspberry vinaigrette really makes a salad special. It tastes a lot fresher than store-bought vinaigrettes!
How long does it take: 10 mins
Equipment you will need: fine sieve, small bowl and whisk or jar with lid
Servings: makes ¾ cup
While I love a simple red wine vinaigrette or white wine vinaigrette, I wanted to create a salad dressing that celebrates the warm summer weather and much-anticipated berry season here in Michigan.
I am particularly fascinated by red raspberries this year. Fresh raspberries are the sweets of summer, bright red, juicy and full of tart aromas. You are so beautiful, aren’t you?
A raspberry rosé spritzer made from fresh raspberries and raspberry jam is one of our favorite summer cocktails. Raspberries are also great for desserts, like delicious white chocolate raspberry blondes or individual mini raspberry trifles and brownies. Everyone enjoys a slice of classic sponge cake with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.
Aside from raspberry cocktails and desserts, I also love making fresh raspberries the star of my salads. This Raspberry Vinaigrette recipe is fast becoming my new favorite summer salad recipe. Imagine a salad of fresh berries, baby spinach, grilled chicken and candied walnuts, topped with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Doesn’t that make your mouth water?!
About this raspberry vinaigrette
- It is made from fresh raspberries. The base of this dressing is, you guessed it, fresh raspberries. In fact, there’s ½ cup of fresh raspberry puree in ¾ cup of vinaigrette. That’s a lot of good berries (and they’re seedless!). I checked the ingredients list for a popular raspberry vinaigrette brand and found that raspberry juice made up “less than 2%” of the total ingredients. The main ingredients? water and sugar!
- There are only 5 ingredients. Making your own vinaigrette is easy, and this recipe is no exception. In addition to the raspberries, all you need is olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. I also like to add some honey, but that’s up to you.
- You can do it. The vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for up to a week, so it’s ready when you are.
ingredients you need
- Fresh red raspberries: Look for a 6-ounce container of fresh raspberries. They should look plump and intact. Raspberries are quite fragile, so handle them with care. They can be kept in the fridge for a day or two and can also be frozen. In fact, frozen raspberries work great in this recipe.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: You probably won’t find high-quality extra virgin olive oil in commercial salad dressings. Choose the best olive oil you can afford. It has a wonderful taste and is also beneficial for health.
- red wine vinegar: A dash of vinegar rounds out the flavor of the vinaigrette so it tastes like a vinaigrette on your salad and not just plain raspberry juice. Keep a bottle of red wine vinegar in your pantry. You’ll find it’s perfect for homemade salad dressing and more.
- honey (optional): For a little sweetness, I like to add just a teaspoon of honey to the vinaigrette. Taste the vinaigrette and see what you think. Sometimes raspberries can be a little tart and a little honey is necessary. Other sweeteners can also be used, such as agave or maple syrup.
- Salt pepper: Just a pinch of kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper season the salad dressing.
How to make raspberry vinaigrette
Prepare the raspberry puree. Wash the berries and drain in a fine-mesh colander. Over a small bowl, using a fork, first mash the raspberries in the colander until nicely mashed.
Then, using the back of a large spoon, press the mashed berries through the fine-mesh strainer into the bowl. Take your time; This can take about five minutes. A few seeds may get squeezed through the mesh, but that’s not a problem. You should end up with about half a cup of raspberry puree left over.
Either add the remaining ingredients to the small bowl you reserved the puree in, or place the raspberries in a small jar with a lid.
If using a bowl, whisk together raspberries, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey (if using), salt, and pepper until dressing is emulsified or completely combined. If using a jar, add all the ingredients, put the lid on and shake.
Taste the vinaigrette before adding it to the salad. You can opt to add a little more sweetener, salt or pepper. It’s up to you!
What to serve with raspberry vinaigrette
Drizzle the vinaigrette over your favorite salad. It goes well with green salads with fruits (more raspberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, etc.). Add chicken or shrimp, either grilled or crispy, if desired. Roasted pecans or candied walnuts go particularly well with this dressing. I also love spicy cheeses like gorgonzola, blue cheese or feta cheese. The dressing also goes well with a grain salad.
Make it your own
- Creamy Raspberry Dressing: Stir in a few tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise.
- Experiment with different vinegars: Try balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. I like to use white or gold balsamic vinegar so the vinaigrette keeps the bright red raspberry color. Apple cider vinegar is another good choice; Apples and raspberries always go well together.
- Vegan Raspberry Vinaigrette: Simply replace the honey with agave or maple syrup, or leave out the sweetener.
- Not a fan of raspberries? No problem, check out my list of 24 Easy Salad Dressing Recipes!
storage tips
Raspberry vinaigrette keeps well in a jar in the fridge and is always ready to hand when you fancy a salad. All you have to do is shake, shake, shake and pour.
Sometimes olive oil will firm up a bit in the fridge. Leave the vinaigrette at room temperature for about half an hour and it will become liquid again. If you don’t have half an hour, gently reheat in the microwave for about 10 seconds, depending on how much is in the jar. Be sure to remove the lid first.
How long does raspberry vinaigrette keep?
If you store the dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to a week.
Did you do this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
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Liven up your salads with the tart, juicy taste of homemade raspberry vinaigrette. It’s quickly becoming a summer favorite!
instructions
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Push the berries through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, mash them first with a fork, then use the back of a large spoon to mash through all of the fruit. It’s okay if a few seeds come through. This should make about 1/2 cup of raspberry puree.
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Using a fork or small whisk, stir in olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and honey (if desired). You can also add all the ingredients to a small, clean jar with a lid and shake well.
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Taste the vinaigrette and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Power ¾ Cup.
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Store the vinaigrette in the refrigerator until ready to use, or up to a week. The oil can harden a bit in the fridge. Therefore, before use, leave it on the work surface for about 30 minutes. Or you can gently warm it up in the microwave (10 seconds should be enough).
Remarks
- Frozen raspberries can be replaced with fresh ones. Thaw them in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
- Vegan Raspberry Vinaigrette: Omit the honey or substitute agave or maple syrup for it.
- Creamy Raspberry Dressing: Stir in 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or mayonnaise.
Nutritional Information
Portion: 2tablespoon, Calories: 101kcal, Carbohydrates: 4G, Protein: 0.4G, Fat: 10G, Saturated Fatty Acids: 1G, Polyunsaturated fat: 1G, Monounsaturated fatty acids: 7G, Sodium: 98mg, Potassium: 46mg, Fiber: 2G, Sugar: 2G, Vitamin A: 10IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 8thmg, Iron: 0.3mg
Approximate nutritional information is provided on this website for convenience only. Nutritional data is collected primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database (where available) or other online calculators.