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Up your salad game with this Creamy Balsamic Dressing. It’s just as rich and delicious as anything you can get in a restaurant or from a bottle, but this Greek yogurt salad dressing is lighter and made with just five simple and gluten free ingredients. It may be homemade, but it’s still easy – just shake up this smooth balsamic vinaigrette in minutes!
Love balsamic in your condiments? Try Balsamic Ketchup or Balsamic BBQ Sauce!
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Italian-inspired
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Egg-free
- Skill Level: Easy
I make a batch of homemade salad dressing at least once a week! I love that I can enjoy a rich and creamy dressing like Blue Cheese Dressing or Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing in a lighter way than those that use mayo or lots of oil. Plus, I know everything that goes into it – no hidden preservatives or sneaky gluten ingredients. And this recipe is another one of the Greek yogurt salad dressing recipes that are part of my regular rotation.
This creamy balsamic dressing has the tangy sweetness of balsamic vinegar making it a perfect pairing for so many of your favorite salads. Make a batch to keep in the fridge, grab some fresh produce from the store, and you’ll actually be craving a salad! Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Few ingredients. Yes, you only need a handful of items to shake this dressing up in just a few seconds. No preservatives or funky ingredients – just simple, fresh items you may already have on hand. And you’ll know it’s gluten free, if you need that.
- So versatile. It is the perfect complement for Mediterranean salads or a basic tossed side salad with Romaine, spinach, or mixed greens, and even some fruit and cheese. You can also use it as a dip for veggies or chicken nuggets or as a chicken marinade.
- Egg free. Many recipes for creamy balsamic dressing contain an egg or egg yolk, or are made with mayonnaise. Raw eggs can be a concern for people due to salmonella, and since mayo contains eggs, either one has to be avoided by those with an egg allergy. This recipe uses Greek yogurt for that creamy texture, so it does not contain any eggs.
Made per recipe and have found salad dressing perfection! Thank you for such a delicious, low-calorie salad dressing! -Sue
DELICIOUS! The second time I made a variety with White Balsamic Vinegar and that was equally fantastic! – Alexandra
What You’ll Need
You only need 5 basic ingredients to make this creamy balsamic dressing. In fact, you may already have these basic vinaigrette components in your pantry, plus Greek yogurt in your fridge. Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need. You’ll find the full quantities listed in the recipe card further down in the post.
- Plain Greek yogurt. I typically use nonfat, but you can use any type you prefer.
- Dijon mustard. Yellow or brown mustard can also be substituted.
- Balsamic vinegar. Regular balsamic is fine, but some people prefer white balsamic vinegar for its milder flavor and lighter color.
- Olive oil.
- Honey. Maple syrup can also be used.
Plus you can season to taste with salt and pepper.
How to Make Creamy Balsamic Dressing
It truly doesn’t get any easier than this!
Shake it up. Combine all of the ingredients in a glass jar or bowl, season with salt and pepper, and shake or stir until smooth and creamy. I love using this salad dressing shaker – it’s one of my favorite kitchen gadgets!
Proper Storage
Because this recipe contains dairy, you do have to store it in the refrigerator. So while you can whisk it together in a bowl, I recommend using the shaker I mentioned or a mason jar because you can keep it right in that container. Shake up that dressing and keep it in the fridge to use for several days.
Make it a Meal
Here are some serving suggestions for how you can add this creamy balsamic dressing into your meals.
- On a side salad. Simply toss it with your favorite lettuce or drizzle it on an Italian-Style Wedge Salad to go with your favorite Italian meal, like Gluten Free Lasagna), or penne and Vodka Sauce.
- Make an entree salad. Assemble romaine roasted red peppers, olives, and feta with shrimp ot grilled filet mignon on top. Or try mixed baby greens, apples, and blue cheese with leftover rotisserie chicken or Honey Balsamic Flat Iron Steak.
- Use it for appetizers or kids’ lunches. It’s great for dipping veggies or Chef Salad Sticks, or drizzling on Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Tenders or Baked Asparagus Fries.
- Use it as a marinade. You can soak chicken breasts in this Greek yogurt dressing before grilling, then serve it with some Balsamic Roasted Vegetables.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
- Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing is made from ingredients you probably always have on hand in your pantry.
- Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing lightens up that favorite salad.
- Homemade Tzatziki Sauce doubles as a delicious dressing for a Greek-style salad.
- Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing adds the natural sweetness of figs for a fruity twist.
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar and shake or whisk until combined and smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
Delicious, healthy and easy to make!! My favorite combination!
I just made this with honey mustard and bit more honey then stated. It tastes very good might add garlic powder or some other herbs like basil or Italian seasoning as well
I love this recipie. I make it all the time and it always turns out perfectly.
This was amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
This was delicious! Used sour cream because I didn’t have yogurt and stone ground mustard because I didn’t have Dijon. Will definitely make it again!
Yummy! I subbed plain yogurt and upped the vinegar amount and added a bit of salt and cayenne pepper and a little water to thin it out. It came out wonderful. Will definitely use this one again.
I do not like kitchens. We just don’t get along. I can’t cook to save my life! Well…I happened to run into this recipe… And hot damn!!! I couldn’t believe I made it. Couldn’t wait to get the salad together!!! I can now make a good salad….spring leaf lettuce, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, red onion AND the most delicious recipe EVER! Thank you.
This is so wonderful! Thank you! I’m glad you can make all kinds of yummy salads this summer!
Thank you for this recipe; I’m excited to try it out! As a note, right before the “ What is balsamic vinaigrette dressing made of?” section, there is a block of web code that looks like it shouldn’t be there—just letting you know!
Yes, I will fix that, thanks. I switched ad companies and had to replace all of my video codes and it’s taking a while to get to all of them.
Thank you, Brianne! By the way, the dressing is AMAZING. The perfect amount of creamy texture and a bit of tang. I made mine with almond milk yogurt to avoid dairy and it came out great. I will also try adding in a bit more balsamic vinegar for more tang. It’s delicious and I thank you so much for it!
I’ve made this dressing twice. Excellent for our tastes.
Great tasting – didn’t have regular dijon mustard – used horseradish dijon.
This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you!
Made per recipe and have found salad dressing perfection! Thank you for such a delicious, low-calorie salad dressing!
Can you substitute the Greek yogurt for Mayo or sour cream
I would think mayo would work, but then leave out the oil since mayo already contains oil. Sour cream has a similar texture and flavor, so it should work too. But I have not tested either of these substitutions.
Just what I was looking for! So delicious and super easy to throw together! Thank you!
So happy to hear this! I actually made some over the holiday weekend and forgot how much my younger son loves it.
Thanks for getting me out of my vinaigrette rut! I only had “regular” non-fat yogurt (i.e., not “greek”) and it turned out fabulous! Very easy and will be fun to change it up during the year by adding garlic or some fresh basil, raspberry vinegar, etc.
Yay, so glad you liked it. Yes, it is a good base recipe. I like to make Maple Dijon – https://cupcakesandkalechips.com/creamy-greek-yogurt-maple-dijon-salad-dressing/
This dressing is good on spinach and quinoa with beans and corn! I used honey mustard since I didn’t have Dijon and I left out honey since I put honey mustard. This dressing is such a good creamy type dressing…thank you for the idea!
That does sound like a tasty combo! Yes, I often swap the mustard and sometimes even use maple syrup instead of honey, based on what I have around. It’s very versatile!
I added a small clove of minced garlic.
Great recipe! Thanks.
I’m glad you enjoyed the dressing, Patricia!
How long do you think it keeps in the fridge? Week?
I’ve kept it close to a week. It does depend somewhat on how fresh your yogurt it.
Yadda fking Yadda. Show the recipe, not the other bollocks. Good grief.
I wrote this post years ago when this was the style of writing food blogs. I’m working on updating old posts, but with over 1000 recipes and one-person business, it takes time. You can always click the Jump to Recipe button which is much faster than leaving a comment to complain.
I finally made a good homemade dressing. Well…you did. So, thank you!
I don’t recall standing in your kitchen, so you are welcome to take the credit for making it, Nicole. 😉 Thank you for rating the recipe!
I’m cutting out prepared foods so I have been looking for different (healthy) salad dressing options. I’ve also been making my own Greek yogurt so this recipe was definitely a recipe to try. The reason I gave it a 4-star rating was it a bit too tart so I doubled the honey and that helped. I also think using white balsamic would be a better option as regular balsamic gives this dressing a funky color. With those changes it will be one of my go-to dressings.
Thank you for your feedback and for rating the recipe, Janiece. I think it’s great that you were able to adapt the recipe to make it something that you can enjoy!
Delicious…..and low calorie too! My new go-to salad dressing
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Diane. Thank you!
How many servings are in here?
Hi Courtney!
The recipe makes 12 Tablespoons (6 ounces) of dressing. A typical serving is 2 Tablespoons
How long can you keep dressing like this tightly covered in the fridge?
Hi Emily! Because of the yogurt in the dressing, I wouldn’t keep it for more than about a week. Obviously, if it starts to smell sour, I would not use it and toss it out.
This is delicious!! Just made it today 🙂
I’m so glad that you like the salad dressing recipe, Daniel!
My husband requested I get some creamy balsamic from the store. I asked if he was OK with me trying my hand at my own. Got all excited to make it, then realized we were out of balsamic! I used red wine vinegar instead and it is delicious!
Ooh, what a yummy alternative. I’ll have to try it!
PS Do you know how long it keeps for??
I’ve kept it for several days. I’d say it depends how fresh your yogurt is.
DELICIOUS! The second time I made a variety with White Balsamic Vinegar and that was equally fantastic!
I have to try the white balsamic!
holy sh*t! This is delicious!!
Oh wow, thanks!
Holy crap this dressing is soooooooooooooooooooooo good. Was just wondering if you knew how many calories it is per tsp or tpsp?
Thank you for sharing. Just got back into healthy eating. Thought it was going to be impossible for me to like salads- this dressing is going to save my diet.
Oh good! I haven’t calculated it myself, but there are online calorie caluclators, and you could plug in hte calories for the exact brands of ingredients you use.
Very nice recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I find that a clove of garlic finely minced and a sizable dash of salt really add some nice flavor.
Oh I am sure it does! I am really sensitive to garlic, so I don’t use a ton, but great suggestion!
I made this tonight and I like it, but it’s very yogurt-y. Next time I’ll probably drop down the yogurt by half and add more oil. And I think I’ll use a whole grain mustard rather than a dijon, just for the extra umph. Hopefully it tastes good on my spinach/bacon/feta/roasted red pepper/almond salad tomorrow!
Definitely a great idea to tweak it to your preferences – everyone is different 🙂 I think the whole grain will be yummy, and that sounds like an amazing salad!
We eat a lot of salads at our house, so I am always looking for yummy dressing ideas. Glad you posted at the Marvelous Monday link party. I’ve pinned, liked, twittered and G+-ed your post. I’d love it if you dropped by for a visit at http://www.kneadedcreations.com . I look forward to seeing you over there! Deb @ Kneaded Creations.
I love this recipe! What a great alternative to store-bought dressings, much healthier too! Yum 😀
Thanks Ally. I am definitely a convert to homemade.