Oil Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

GF V DF VG SF Jun 10, 2025

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As someone who eats a lot of salad, you may be surprised to hear that I don't use bottled salad dressing. That's because these are often filled with inflammatory seed oils, tons of added sugar, preservatives you can't pronounce, and artificial food dyes. Instead, you can make your own balsamic that contains healthy fats from olives and walnuts, and natural sweetness from dates. For a similar recipe, make my Homemade Sugar Free Italian Dressing, or you can check out any of my other salad dressings!

- 1/2 cup (120 g) Water
- 1/4 (40 g) Walnuts
- 1/4 (40 g) Dates
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 (40 g) Kalamata olives
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Minced garlic
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp (3 g) Basil, dried

1. Soak the walnuts and dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. It should be pretty thick

https://www.poormanprotein.com/recipes/balsamic-vinaigrette

Description

 As someone who eats a lot of salad, you may be surprised to hear that I don't use bottled salad dressing. That's because these are often filled with inflammatory seed oils, tons of added sugar, preservatives you can't pronounce, and artificial food dyes. Instead, you can make your own balsamic that contains healthy fats from olives and walnuts, and natural sweetness from dates. For a similar recipe, make my Homemade Sugar Free Italian Dressing, or you can check out any of my other salad dressings!

Time

Prep Time:

5 minutes

Total Time:

5 minutes

Cost

Total Cost:

Cost per Serving:

$0.25

Ingredients

Serving(s)

1/2 cup Water
1/4 Walnuts
1/4 Dates
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 Kalamata olives
1 tbsp Minced garlic
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Basil, dried

Instructions

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1. Soak the walnuts and dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. It should be pretty thick

Below is a table comparing the nutrition facts of my homemade dressing to a standard bottle of balsamic vinaigrette per serving (2 tbsp, 30 g). As you can see, the homemade version contains less calories and unhealthy fats, more protein and fiber, and no added sugar.

Nutrient	Homemade Dressing	Bottled Dressing
Calories	47	106
Protein	0.9 g	0.0 g
Fat	3.0 g	10.6 g
Net Carbs	4.0 g	2.9 g
Fiber	0.8 g	0.0 g
Added Sugar	0.0 g	1.9 g

Scroll to the right to read information about every variation

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Nutrition Facts

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Servings: 11

Serving Size: 2 tbsp (30 g)
Calories: 47

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Total Fat: 3.0g (4 %)
 Saturated Fat: 0.3g (2 %)
 Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g
 Monounsaturated Fat: 0.8g
Cholesterol: 0mg (0 %)
Sodium: 74mg (3 %)
Total Carbohydrate: 4.8g (2 %)
 Fiber: 0.8g (3 %)
 Net Carbs: 4.0g
 Total Sugar: 3.3g
Protein: 0.9g (2 %)

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Vitamin B12: 0.0mcg (0 %)
Vitamin D: 0.0mcg (0 %)
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Calcium: 18mg (1 %)
Iron: 0.5mg (3 %)
Magnesium: 11mg (3 %)
Potassium: 60mg (1 %)

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Glycemic Index

:

51.2

Glycemic Load

:

2.4

Sources of Inspiration

https://youtu.be/7I3UxIaUS28

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