Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
Bursting with tomato flavor, this sun dried tomato vinaigrette is an easy, unique and versatile dressing. It is made with a handful of simple ingredients and can be used on Greek salad, green salads, pasta salads, as a sauce for nearly any protein or a dip for raw or roasted veggies.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Homemade dressings are elite. They truly are so much better than any storebought dressing and I’m on a mission to post as many yummy homemade salad dressings as I possibly can to convince you all!
If you know me, then you know I get a little overexcited when I find a recipe I love. I obsess over it for weeks and make it at least five times. So yeah, this sun dried tomato vinaigrette has been one of my recent favorite recipes. I love having a jar in the fridge to drizzle on my grain bowls, fresh salad or grilled proteins for a quick and easy meal. In fact, I’m totally making this Mediterranean salad recipe for dinner tonight.
We’re still in what feels like the depths of winter here so I’m channeling some summer flavors with sun-dried tomatoes. The thing about oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes is that they are harvested at the peak of their season, dried and preserved so you get that incredible flavor that you just can’t find in the wintertime fresh tomatoes in the grocery store. Paired with a few other pantry staples and you’ve got an easy dressing in less than five minutes that you can use on so much!
What you’ll need to make this easy vinaigrette:
Olive oil: I love to buy organic extra virgin olive oil from Costco. It is the best price for its high quality.
Red wine vinegar: red wine vinegar is a tangy and acidic vinegar made from fermented red wine, perfect for the Mediterranean vibes we’re going for!
Sun-dried tomatoes: I have only tested this recipe with sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (I get the ones from Trader Joe’s or the Delallo brand). The extra bit of olive oil helps make a cohesive, flavorful dressing.
Garlic: fresh garlic cloves here friends! Simply give them a rough chop and blend them into the dressing, they provide bold flavor and just a little bite.
Honey: tomatoes are acidic, so most tomato-based sauces need a little balance from something sweet like a pinch of sugar or honey or maple syrup.
Seasonings: the seasonings in this recipe are very simple. Salt and pepper to lift the overall flavor and dried oregano to reinforce the Mediterranean flavors.
Water: since we are blending a solid (the tomatoes!) more liquid is needed for a thin, cohesive dressing. Warm water or room temperature water work best.
How to make sun dried tomato vinaigrette:
Combine all ingredients in a small high-speed blender blender or food processor. Start with ¼ cup water, you will likely need the additional ¼ cup water but start conservatively and adjust the consistency to your preference. Blend on high for 20-30 seconds until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Adjust the consistency with the additional water, until your desired consistency is achieved. Taste and season with an extra pinch of salt, pepper, honey or vinegar, if needed.
How to use sun-dried tomato dressing:
- On this incredible Greek spinach sun-dried tomato salad
- As a dressing for pasta salads
- Drizzled on Mediterranean salads like a quinoa salad with kalamata olives, fresh basil, pine nuts and cucumber or an arugula salad with feta cheese, red onion and cherry tomatoes
- As a dipping sauce for blanched Brussels sprouts, asparagus, roasted vegetables or a raw vegetable tray
- Spooned over grilled chicken, grilled salmon or white fish, pork tenderloin or thinly sliced flank steak or ribeye
- Drizzled over caprese skewers with fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and grape tomatoes
Expert tips and variations:
- Use a food processor or high-powered blender for best results.
- Start conservatively with the water and add water as need to achieve your desired consistency.
- This dressing will be slightly thicker/chunkier than your average dressing and that’s okay!
- If you like things a little spicy add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
- If you don’t have red wine vinegar you can use white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. You could also replace the vinegar with three tablespoons lemon juice.
FAQs
This recipe was tested using sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (which generally has more seasonings added). If you use oil-free tomatoes, I would recommend increasing the olive oil by one tablespoons and adding extra pinches of salt, pepper and dried oregano.
You can use white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. Traditional balsamic vinegar will also be tasty but note that it will change the color of the dressing to a muddier, darker brown color. (still amazingly tasty just not as pretty!)
Store leftover dressing in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for up to one week.
If you love this recipe you’ll love my other salad dressing recipes:
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Sun dried tomato vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/4 cups dressing 1x
- Category: Dressings
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
This sun-dried tomato vinaigrette is tangy, herby, slightly sweet and bursting with tomato flavor.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a small blender or small food processor. Start with ¼ cup water, you will likely need the additional ¼ cup water but start conservatively and adjust the consistency to your preference. Blend on high for 20-30 seconds until the dressing is creamy and emulsified. Adjust the consistency with the additional water, until your desired consistency is achieved. Taste and season with an extra pinch of salt, pepper, honey or vinegar, if needed.
Drizzle on THIS salad, any salad, grain bowl or grilled protein!
Notes
Refer to above blog post for expert tips, ingredient substitution ideas and answers to frequently asked questions.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 124
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 62.7 mg
- Fat: 13.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.8 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Loved this dressing! Used this dressing with the “Fried Feta Greek Salad,” and it was delicious! It was so easy to make, and I can’t wait to keep it using for more salads as there was extra!
I made the Greek spinach salad last night and used farro instead of quinoa and my husband and I lOVED it! He doesn’t like sun-dried tomatoes but also loved the sun-dried vinaigrette, as did I! Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes!
Hooray!! Farro is a GREAT idea! Thanks for trying 🙂
I’ve just started making my own dressings and am kicking myself for not starting sooner. This looks amazing!
Homemade dressings are where it’s at! This one is particularly bomb🔥