Have you ever made your own salad dressing before? For most people, the answer is likely “no”. It may seem unattainable, unnecessarily fancy, or complicated. After all there are shelves and shelves full of ready-to-eat salad dressings in every supermarket. Hopefully, this recipe will change your mind and introduce you to the wonderful world of homemade salad dressing.

If you’ve yet to make salad dressing, my Maple Mandarin Vinaigrette is a great one to try first! It is fresh, zesty, and has depth. The warm, homey maple syrup contrasts with the bright, acidic citrus. This stuff is seriously good. And I’ve never seen this flavor in the store before. Dress some salad with it. Pour it over some roasted vegetables. Marinade some chicken before grilling. Right now, my favorite way to eat this dressing is drizzled over my Harvest Salad (previous post and pictured below); the two are a perfect match! With a handful of ingredients you may already have in your kitchen, you can make this Maple Mandarin Vinaigrette in 3 minutes. That’s all – 3 minutes! And in as much time as it takes you to check the mail, you’ll have a fresh, original flavor of salad dressing which has all real-food ingredients!

Have you ever stopped to read the ingredients on the pre-made bottles of salad dressing? With very few exceptions, salad dressings have become a magnet for all sorts of cheap, processed ingredients not found in nature. Many dressings include several of these all in the same bottle – even brands promoting themselves as healthy and natural! From the very base of the dressing- the oil (ex: soy, canola, safflower) to “natural flavors,” which by the way are really essentially the same as artificial flavors, to “spices” (another umbrella term preventing transparency in our food supply), to emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives and so forth. 

No, thank you! I don’t mind giving my dressing a quick shake before I pour. And I’ve got 6 ingredients, a jar, and 3 minutes to make this dressing. How about you?

Print Recipe

Maple Mandarin Vinaigrette

Savory-sweet vinaigrette style salad dressing which comes together in minutes. (AIP option, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, nut-free, nightshade-free)

Prep Time3 mins

Total Time3 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 mandarin oranges, juice of
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a glass jar. Shake vigorously until completely mixed and has an even, consistent appearance.

Notes

May prepare in advance. Store in refrigerator. Lasts for at least 1 week.

Serving recommendation: dressing on my Harvest Salad.

AIP option: omit dijon mustard.