Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette

By Julia Moskin

Updated Nov. 22, 2022

Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(2,456)
Comments
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Store-bought salad dressings are an automatic shortcut for many cooks. But with their sweeteners and stabilizers, they aren't worthy of a well-made salad, whether your tastes run to iceberg and romaine or mizuna and mesclun. And — revolutionary notion ahead — they aren’t really more convenient than a basic vinaigrette like this one, made in big batches from real ingredients, which can also live happily and indefinitely in your refrigerator door.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1¼ cups
  • 1shallot, minced
  • 2tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ¼teaspoon salt
  • ½teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

197 calories; 22 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 70 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a container with a tight lid, preferably a glass jar, combine shallot, vinegar and mustard. Close tightly and shake well to mix. Add salt and pepper, and shake again.

  2. Step 2

    Add olive oil ⅓ cup at a time, shaking very well after each addition, until smooth and emulsified (you may want to wrap a kitchen towel around the container, just in case). Taste and add more olive oil, ¼ cup at a time, if dressing is too tart.

  3. Step 3

    Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 weeks. The chilled olive oil will form a lump, so remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before using to allow it to liquefy. Shake well before serving to re-emulsify.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,456 user ratings
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Comments

CYW

That's a pretty generous proportion of oil to the other ingredients.

I use 4 tbsp. of olive oil to 2 tbsp. of vinegar (sherry, apple cider, flavoured -- whatever good variety I have on hand), 1 tbsp. of mustard and 1 tbsp. of something sweet (maple syrup, honey, agave, etc.).

Sometimes I swap out the olive oil with hemp oil, for added omega 3s.

Ed Hawco

Add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice and watch how easy it emulsifies!

Penny

I make my own salad dressings all the time -- easy, peasy. For variations on this basic vinaigrette, try tarragon vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, and instead of salt, put in a dollop of anchovy paste (or 1-2 anchovies) when you add the mustard. You can also do halved garlic cloves instead of shallots. I make dressing by the jar and without measuring -- try 1/3 vinegar, then the mustard etc., shake it, and finally 2/3 oil, and shake it well again. Taste, adjust and you're good to go.

Beth

Not enough acid in this vinegrete

amy

I made this in the mustard jar with the dregs of the mustard, used 1/2 the called for olive oil, full amounts everything else and added a little fresh lemon juice. Will make this every time we finish a jar of mustard

Babette

Extremely oily. This is way too much oil with way too little vinegar. Made my salad a greasy mess. Such a waste of expensive olive oil.

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