Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette

This Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette is a simple, fruity salad dressing recipe that is perfect for spring and summer. It’s just the right balance of sweet & tart and is a great way to up ripe strawberries.

If you love vinaigrette salad dressings just as much as I do, then you will also enjoy this Balsamic Date Vinaigrette made with fresh dates and this Citrus Vinaigrette made with orange juice.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make Strawberry Basil Dressing
• Serving Suggestions
• Expert Tips & Variations
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Uses up ripe strawberries — If you have strawberries that are overly ripe and just starting to get a bit mushy, this is the perfect recipe to make so that they don’t go to waste. 
• Great for summer salads — The strawberry flavor combined with the herby fresh basil makes this a delicious dressing for practically any type of summer salad, especially ones with berries in it. 
• Creamy — Although you wouldn’t expect a vinaigrette to be creamy, the strawberries and avocado oil mix together to form a really creamy, slightly thick dressing that coats leafy greens well. 
• Light pink — The color of this dressing is especially unique. It is a light, opaque pink and it will make your salad extra presentable.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Strawberries: This recipe works best with fresh, ripe strawberries. It is ok if the strawberries you have are mushy and too ripe for eating. They will be blended anyway so it doesn’t matter. 
• Basil Leaves: You will need fresh basil leaves for this dressing. Dried basil will not work as a substitute. If you have other fresh herbs, such as thyme or mint, you can use them instead of, or in addition to, the basil.  
• Avocado Oil: I find avocado oil works really nicely in this vinaigrette, but if you don’t have avocado oil, you can use olive oil or sunflower oil as a substitute. If you are using olive oil, use light olive oil rather than extra virgin olive oil as extra virgin olive oil has a particularly strong taste that will overpower the strawberry flavor.
• White Wine Vinegar: Use your favorite type of white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. You can use regular balsamic vinegar for a stronger flavor or red wine vinegar if you prefer.
• Maple Syrup: A dash of maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness to balance the tart vinegar flavor. Use real maple syrup, not the fake type. As a substitute, you can use honey.

How To Make Strawberry Basil Dressing

Step 1: Add the strawberries, avocado oil, basil leaves, white wine vinegar and maple syrup to a food processor.

Step 2: Pulse a few times and then blend until smooth.

Step 3: Pass the dressing through a fine mesh strainer, pressing to help squeeze the dressing through. Discard leftover chunks.

Serving Suggestions

This Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette works well with green summer salads made with summer vegetables and fruits. 

My favorite salad to use this dressing on is this Spinach Strawberry & Almond Salad. 

However, here are some ideas for ingredients to use to build a salad that will pair nicely with this dressing:

• greens (kale, arugula, spinach, spring mix)
• goat cheese or feta cheese
• blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or raspberries
• citrus fruits such as mandarins or grapefruit
• cucumber
• shredded carrots
• avocado
• toasted nuts (walnuts, almonds or cashews)

Expert Tips & Variations

• Make it sweeter. Even though this dressing is made with strawberries, it still has the slight tart taste which is classic of a vinaigrette. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, add in an extra teaspoon of maple syrup or honey.
• Store the dressing in the fridge. To ensure freshness, store this dressing in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, in the fridge for up to 10 days. Stir well before pouring it over your salad. 
• Use another type of berry. This recipe works well with any type of berry. You can use blueberries, blackberries or raspberries (or a combination of them!), in place of the strawberries.

Recipe FAQs

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