Raspberry vinaigrette

This raspberry vinaigrette is brightly colored and brightly flavored. It incredibly easy to make and adds a wonderful burst of sweet-tart flavor to simple salads for a quick appetizer or side. 

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I'll admit, I've seen versions of fruity dressings like this before and have tended to keep away from them as I always imagined they are too sweet for my taste. But when we were out with the kids one time, my eldest nagged me into getting a salad as part of lunch that had a raspberry dressing. I wasn't exactly going to say no when he was requesting salad.

It turned out, we all really liked both the salad and the dressing. So naturally, I had to recreate a version at home. Thankfully, this one went down just as well and as a bonus, it's super simple and easy.

What's the difference between vinaigrette and dressing?

Sometimes the names vinaigrette and salad dressing are used almost interchangeably. Though technically there are a couple differences. Arguably, all vinaigrettes are a salad dressing but not all salad dressings are vinaigrettes. Let me explain...

Vinaigrettes are generally simpler and oil-based while dressings are much broader in style and ingredients. A vinaigrette typically includes oil and something acidic, either vinegar or citrus, as the core ingredients. Many then have some simple additions such as mustard to help emulsify and some herbs or shallot.

Dressings are a much more diverse category and include everything from creamy ranch to blue cheese dressing and green goddess. You can think of them more of a cold sauce, in a way. 

This raspberry salad dressing is a little borderline as a vinaigrette. It does have the core oil and acidic elements, but I do wonder if the amount of raspberries maybe takes it out of the category. And it's certainly not the classic 3 parts oil to 1 part acid ratio which is the typical vinaigrette formula.

But I'd not be too bothered on the definition as it is wonderfully delicious either way. It has a lovely balance of sweetness from the raspberries but also tartness from the vinegar. It is thicker than your average vinaigrette, but that just makes it feel extra luscious as you pour it on your salad.

Raspberry vinaigrette ingredients

This dressing needs just a few easy to find ingredients:

• Raspberries - I like to use fresh raspberries but you could also use frozen raspberries, just defrost them first.
• Olive oil - I recommend using virgin or extra virgin olive oil as they have a much better, more distinct flavor. Extra virgin is generally a little stronger so if you are less sure then use virgin olive oil.
• Vinegar - as I say I just use a little as raspberries already have some acidity. I find red wine vinegar pairs particularly well, but you could use balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead. Some lemon juice would also work, or a mix of vinegar and lemon.
• Honey - just a little to help balance the flavors. A little sugar or maple syrup could work as a substitute.  If you prefer more tart, you can skip this.
• Dijon mustard - this helps give more depth of flavor and also helps the mixture emulsify. You only need a little or the flavor will take over. 
• Salt and pepper - just a little of each helps round out the flavors.

How to make raspberry vinaigrette

One of the great things about this, as with many dressings, is it's as simple as putting everything together and mixing. With this, instead of just whisking you need to use a blender or small food processor to break up the raspberries, but it's still really easy.

If you really don't like raspberry seeds, you could strain this before using the dressing. But personally I find they are small enough they don't really feel like a problem. 

The dressing is a relatively thick consistency which I personally like, but if that's not so much your preference, you could add a small amount of water or lemon juice to thin it slightly.

How to serve raspberry vinaigrette

When we had a version of this in the restaurant, it was served over a simple green salad with toasted hazelnuts. The savory nuts pair really well with the fruity dressing - it's a delicious combination.

Other ideas include:

• Serve with a simple mixed greens, arugula or spinach salad like my spinach pomegranate salad.
• Pair it with salads that include berries or citrus. Ideas include substituting the dressing in my strawberry feta spinach salad, or chicken blueberry salad.
• Other add-ins to salads it would work well with include nuts like almonds or pecans, seeds like pepitas and sharper cheeses like feta and gorgonzola. Steamed broccoli, shaved fennel and micro greens would also be good in there, though generally I'd say keep things fairly simple.
• Drizzle it over meats like chicken or duck, whether as part of your salad or simply to top a main. It would also work well with salmon.
• You could also even use it as a dip since it's relatively thick.

If you have leftover salad dressing, you can store extra in the fridge for a couple of days, potentially more, in an airtight container or sealed jar. You may need to shake it up before using again as it may separate.

This raspberry vinaigrette is so easy to make and sure to brighten up any salad. It's perfect with some simple greens but also so much more. No matter what, you'll want to find an excuse to make it soon.

Try these other salad dressings (as well as some salad ideas):

• Preserved lemon vinaigrette
• Maple vinaigrette in my beet apple salad
• Lemon basil vinaigrette
• The cooked yolk-based dressing in Luang Prabang salad (Laos salad)
• Plus see more dressings, jams, sauces and other condiment recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This post was first shared in May 2021 and has been updated, primarily with additional information.

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