Vinaigrette
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Every diet
Oil and vinegar, with no carbohydrate to speak of.
The plain oil and vinegar version is low FODMAP, the garlic and mustard in shop versions are not.
Fine for most people at normal amounts.
Rules by country
A vinaigrette is a food and not an additive, so it carries no E-number and no regulator has evaluated it as one. The oil, the vinegar and the salt are food ingredients in their own right, and a bottle of dressing is sold under the general rules for prepared foods rather than under a standard of its own. If it contains mustard, that has to be declared on the label.
What is it?
The classic ratio is three parts oil to one part vinegar, and the emulsion is what keeps the dressing looking like one liquid instead of two layers. USDA's home recipe for vinegar and oil is 50.1 percent fat and 449 calories per 100 grams, so a 15-gram tablespoon carries about 70 calories and 7.5 grams of fat, most of it unsaturated. What you add after that is where the versions diverge: mustard, herbs, sugar, or a balsamic vinegar with its own sweetness.
Where it comes from: A vinaigrette is oil whisked with vinegar, salt, and often herbs or mustard, and it is the simplest dressing there is. The word comes from the French for vinegar with the diminutive ending, because the dressing used to arrive at the table in a bottle.
Why it’s in food
- Dressing a green salad
- Marinating vegetables
- Dipping for grilled bread
- Dressing sliced tomatoes
- Finishing a bean dish
Often found in
Also listed as: Vinaigrette, Balsamic vinaigrette, Oil and vinegar dressing, French vinaigrette
Health & gut impact
A homemade vinaigrette of vinegar and oil is 50.1 grams of fat per 100 grams and 449 calories, so a 15-gram tablespoon carries about 70 calories and 7.5 grams of fat. Nearly all of it is unsaturated, which is the better kind to be eating, but it is still oil rather than a light dressing.
USDA FoodData Central, salad dressing, vinegar and oil
Distilled vinegar carries about 2 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams, so the salt in a homemade vinaigrette is only what you add with the spoon. A shop bottle is saltier because the salt keeps the herbs and the emulsion stable in the jar.
USDA FoodData Central, distilled vinegar
A balsamic vinaigrette is a different product, because balsamic vinegar is made from cooked grape must and carries its own sugar with it. Even USDA's plain vinegar and oil recipe lists 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams, and a honey dressing is mostly sugar.
USDA FoodData Central, salad dressing, vinegar and oil
What can I use instead?
Ratio: Use it for half the oil in the bottle and keep the same vinegar
Best for: A richer, greener flavour
Ratio: Use it in place of half the vinegar for a brighter dressing
Best for: A lighter, sharper salad dressing
Ratio: Use a third of the vinegar and a splash more oil to keep it from being too sweet
Best for: A darker finish on a green salad
Related
More sauces & dressings:
Common questions
Is vinaigrette the same as French dressing?
No. French dressing is a sweet, emulsified shop dressing with coloured oil, and vinaigrette is oil and vinegar whisked together, usually with nothing else in it. They are different products and the nutrition panels do not match.
Is vinaigrette healthy?
It depends on the oil and how much you use, because the oil is almost the whole dressing. A tablespoon has about 70 calories, all of them from the oil, and most of that fat is unsaturated, which is the kind worth eating.
How do I stop it separating in the jar?
Shake it. Oil and vinegar on their own separate within minutes, and the emulsifiers in a shop bottle, usually mustard or a thickener, are what hold them together. A jar with a shaker cap stays mixed longer than one without.
Is vinaigrette low FODMAP?
Plain oil and vinegar is low FODMAP. The shop bottles that add garlic or a full spoon of mustard powder are not, and those two are usually what put a dressing outside the range.
Is Vinaigrette safe?
Generally safe (88/100). A vinaigrette is a food and not an additive, so it carries no E-number and no regulator has evaluated it as one. The oil, the vinegar and the salt are food ingredients in their own right, and a bottle of dressing is sold under the general rules for prepared foods rather than under a standard of its own. If it contains mustard, that has to be declared on the label.
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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- USDA FoodData Central, salad dressing, vinegar and oil
- USDA FoodData Central, distilled vinegar