Use up your harvest of summer basil with an easy, fresh basil vinaigrette. This dressing is delicious on salads, pasta, as a dip or a marinade! (vegan, gluten-free)

Every year that I've planted basil at our house in the past few years, I'm surprised to find that it takes off and I end up with a huge plant by the end of the summer. I have a brown thumb, and a handful of herbs are the only things I've successfully grown. If I can make it around to harvesting the basil before our first freeze, I end up with so much more basil than I know what to do with. So this basil vinaigrette is the perfect recipe for using that bounty of basil!

Why You'll Love This Basil Vinaigrette

This basil vinaigrette is the perfect use for a bounty of fresh basil. It's a bright, refreshing salad dressing with a punchy basil flavor that's balanced by white balsamic vinegar, garlic, shallot, and the slightest hint of honey. It's super easy to make and is delicious on any salad, but it goes way beyond salad, too.

How To Make Basil Vinaigrette

This dressing couldn't be easier to make. Simply throw all the ingredients into the blender or food processor (I love this KitchenAid mini chopper) and blend until smooth. That's it!

What To Eat Basil Vinaigrette With

This basil dressing goes great with:

My Strawberry Peach Burrata Salad, Stone Fruit Panzanella Salad, Grilled Peach Caprese, Peach Avocado Caprese Salad, or Strawberry Avocado Salad with Chicken
Grilled vegetables
Your favorite grilled protein, such as salmon, shrimp, or pork chops
In place of pesto in pasta or on sandwiches

More Basil Recipes You'll Love

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Summer Basil Vinaigrette

glass jar of basil vinaigrette with a black spoon and basil leaves beside it.

Use up your harvest of summer basil with an easy, fresh basil vinaigrette. It's delicious on salads, pasta, as a dip or a marinade! (vegan, gluten-free)

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: about ½ cup 1x
Category: dressing
Method: blender
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp shallot, roughly chopped
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp honey
¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Notes

If you don't have white balsamic vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
Use good quality ingredients for the best results.
If you like a little spice, try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Keywords: basil vinaigrette, summer basil vinaigrette, dressing with fresh basil