Today I want to share one of my hands-down absolute favorite Vinaigrettes. One of my favorite dressings of any kind. Honey Citrus Vinaigrette.
Honey Citrus Vinaigrette
This little dressing is like a spring tonic. It’s fresh, it’s bright and you’ll probably just want to drink it, it’s that good. It’s simple, too, and you may even have everything on hand that’s needed for Honey Citrus Vinaigrette.
About Honey Citrus Vinaigrette:
As the name implies, this dressing is made with Honey and Citrus, and a little Vinegar. I usually make it with oranges but if you want to, go wild and try it with lime (and maybe a little cumin) or lemon and keep it in mind next time you have one of those bags or boxes or tangerines or tangelos or cuties. If you catch blood oranges in the store, they’re marvelous in this dressing.
Try making this with rice vinegar and sesame seeds if you want a little Asian flair (leave out the poppyseeds) and chives or thinly sliced green onion are good in this dressing, too.
I’d advise doubling or tripling this dressing because you’ll probably want to keep it on hand. I love Honey Citrus Vinaigrette for a winter salad, and in the late spring when everything is brown and muddy and dreary, this bright little dressing makes the day seem better.
I use this dressing a lot and really love it on my Orange, Avocado, and Red Onion Salad which is just oranges or Mandarin oranges, slices of avocado, and red onion layered on a bed of lettuce. Scatter thinly sliced red onion over the top and you’ll have a gorgeous presentation.
Another favorite salad that I use Honey Citrus Vinaigrette on is my “Beet Goes On” Salad. Yeah, about that name. I just couldn’t help myself at the time! The Beet Goes On is butter or bibb lettuce, pickled or roasted beets, and goat cheese. It’s also strewn with thinly sliced red onion. The dressing is magical on this salad.
Try Honey Citrus Vinaigrette as a dressing for a fruit salad (add more honey or leave out the garlic, if you want and def use the poppyseeds) or toss it over simple orange supreme or orange slices.
Honey Citrus Vinaigrette
Making Honey Citrus Vinaigrette:
I often just throw Honey Citrus Vinaigrette together, carelessly and spur of the moment, paying very little attention to proportions and measurements, and it always turns out great.
These types of citrus vinaigrettes usually have one half part oil and about a quarter each of citrus and vinegar, but I don’t sweat the proportions. If I’m a bit light on the citrus, I add a bit more vinegar, and possibly a bit more honey. The Dijon helps thicken and emulsify and the garlic and zest add so much flavor.
Any light vinegar is perfect: White Wine or Rice Vinegar, are both great, and Champagne Vinegar is best of all if you 1) can find it and 2) find it for a decent price. It seems to be more available these days.
Honey Citrus Vinaigrette
Saving Money on Honey Citrus Vinaigrette:
As for the pricing, the real cost is the oranges and the oil. The rest of the ingredients are just pennies. Bonus for this dressing, though, for being the perfect way to use up the last of that bag of oranges languishing in the fridge and maybe not quite at their peak any longer. If the oranges are on the drier side, you may need more than one. I make it a habit to zest a lot of my citrus and either dry it to have it on hand for dressings or toss it in a small Ziploc in the freezer. Then dressings like this are even quicker to make.
I always compare sales prices when I buy fruit, especially if I’m looking at a larger bag like we see so often in late winter to early spring. I try, too, to stock up on vinegar for the year prior to Easter when it’s always on sale…and not just the jugs like you’d expect (Easter Egg Dying) but the specialty vinegar is usually marked down, too.
Olive oil is my choice of oil even though it’s more expensive than other oils. I think it’s a worthwhile splurge. Look for a cold-pressed oil, and look for pure olive oil or you might be paying more for what is just a mix of olive oil and some type of vegetable oil. I do watch for sales and sometimes buy at Aldi but picked it up last time at Costco for a great price. If you do buy a huge jug of it, it’s worthwhile to decant it into smaller bottles and keep them tightly closed in a cool place. They’ll keep fresher, longer.
Honey Citrus Vinaigrette
Super easy dressing but tastes so good! You might have everything you need on hand.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3/4 cup 1x
Ingredients
- Juice and zest from one orange (or about 1/4 cup of orange juice)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons to a tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- 1/2 to one teaspoon Dijon
- 2 tablespoons of a light vinegar, and up to 1/4 cup depending on how sweet/tart you’d like the dressing to be
- 1 clove garlic, crushed and finely minced
- a few grinds of pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Poppy seeds, optional
- Salad greens and/or fruit of your choice.
Instructions
Mix all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake. Add poppy seeds if using. Poppy seed go best with a fruit salad.
Notes
When stored in the fridge, the olive oil might harden. Keep it in the door where it is not as cool, bring it out ahead of time to dress salads or microwave it for a few seconds to warm the oil.
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