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Basil Vinaigrette is perfect for drizzling on tomatoes, veggies, chicken, or fish and this simple recipe captures the essence of summer in a bottle! I’ve been preparing this basil-flavored dressing for years with the basic ingredients listed here, and it has been a hit on the blog as well!
PIN the Basil Vinaigrette recipe to make some later!
Basil Vinaigrette is featured as my Friday Favorites pick this week, and it’s a seasonal delight for me! This dressing, a staple in my summer salads, was born in the early days of my blog when I harvested an abundance of basil from my herb garden. I processed the basil with olive oil, froze some for later use, and combined the rest with my favorite low-sugar vinaigrette to create a large batch of basil vinaigrette!
This uncomplicated dressing motivates me to plant multiple basil plants each year, even though I now cultivate my herbs on the patio. While I adore tomatoes in any form, pairing fresh garden tomatoes with Basil Vinaigrette elevates the summer tomato experience. Add goat cheese, fresh Mozzarella, or Feta Cheese, and you have a delightful meal!
If you don’t have fresh basil growing in your yard, consider purchasing a basil plant at the grocery store for indoor cultivation. I hope you enjoy experimenting with this recipe!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is just a list of ingredients; the complete printable recipe can be found below or by clicking the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page.)
- chopped fresh basil
- extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- low-sugar vinaigrette dressing
What dressings do I use for this Basil Vinaigrette recipe?
My Basil Vinaigrette utilizes store-bought vinaigrette as the base, with the flavor derived from the chopped fresh basil. I recommend Le Parisien Vinaigrette Dressing (available at Costco in Salt Lake) or Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link). However, any low-sugar vinaigrette of your choice will work well with Basil Vinaigrette! Alternatively, homemade vinaigrette dressing can also be used.
What foods pair well with this flavorful basil dressing?
Basil Vinaigrette complements a wide range of dishes, making it a summer staple for me. It enhances the flavor of fresh tomatoes and is ideal for various summer salads featuring tomatoes. It pairs beautifully with grilled chicken, fish, and roasted or grilled vegetables.
How low in carbs is this Basil Vinaigrette recipe?
This delightful summer dressing contains only 2.7 net carbs per two tablespoons of dressing!
Two Methods for Making Basil Vinaigrette:
(This is just a summary of the steps for the recipe; the complete printable recipe can be found below or by clicking the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page.)
- Pick basil, remove leaves from stems, wash and dry basil leaves thoroughly.
- Measure out one cup of basil leaves.
- Add basil to a Food Processor with extra virgin olive oil.
- Process until basil is finely chopped and coated with oil.
- Combine chopped basil puree with vinaigrette dressing to make Basil Vinaigrette.
- For a simpler version, finely chop fresh basil and mix with vinaigrette dressing.
Some recipes where I’ve used Basil Vinaigrette:
See all my recipes using Fresh Basil:
I’ve been a fan of fresh basil for many years; explore Cooking with Fresh Basil for more basil recipes and tips on growing and using basil!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Basil Puree (freeze the extra)
- 1 cup (tightly packed) fresh basil leaves, washed and dried well
- 1/2 cup (or less for stronger basil flavor) best quality extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients for Basil Vinaigrette
- 3/4 cup low-sugar vinaigrette dressing (see notes)
- 1/4 cup chopped basil puree (see below) or Fresh-Frozen Basil (see notes)
Instructions
Making Basil Puree:
- Pick fresh basil, trim the leaves away from the stems with Kitchen Shears (affiliate link), and wash the basil and spin dry in a salad spinner (affiliate link). You can dry with paper towels if you don’t have a salad spinner, but dry basil as well as you can.
- Measure out one cup of basil leaves, pack it tightly in the measuring cup.
- Put the basil into the Food Processor (affiliate link) with 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.
- Process until the basil is finely chopped and coated with oil.
Making Basil Vinaigrette:
- Combine 1/4 cup of the chopped basil puree and 3/4 cups vinaigrette dressing to make the basil vinaigrette.
- You can freeze the extra chopped basil and pull it out of the freezer to make basil vinaigrette later!
- For a simpler version of this recipe just finely chop fresh basil with a chef’s knife and mix with vinaigrette dressing. Either version is amazing!
- Use the Basil Vinaigrette to drizzle over sliced tomatoes, tomatoes topped with goat cheese, or tomatoes layered over fresh mozzarella, or serve over roasted or grilled veggies, grilled chicken, or grilled fish.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8
Serving Size
2 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving
Calories 153Total Fat 15.2gSaturated Fat 2.2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 0mgSodium 4.4mgCarbohydrates 2.8gFiber 0.1gSugar 2.4gProtein 0.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
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