Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette is super simple yet immensely flavorful, making for a convenient make-ahead dressing for fresh green salads, pasta salads and even a dip for crusty bread.

Making a homemade dressing is an easy way to add lots of flavor to your meals while also giving you the flexibility to adjust the recipe to your preferences. I'm a big fan of convenience products, like using store-bought preserved lemons for this Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette and this recipe for sun-dried tomato dressing relies on store-bought ingredients. Buying a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes means you don't have to make your own sun-dried (or oven-dried) tomatoes, plus it comes with a super flavorful oil you can use in the vinaigrette.

Whether you are looking for a unique dressing to toss with your lunch salad, or a special vinaigrette you can use all throughout the week, you should give this sun-dried dressing a try. I like to make it on Sunday and use throughout the week on pasta salads, green salads, wraps, grain bowls or a dip for vegetables or bread. We make a lot of homemade sauces around here because I think it's one of the best (and easiest) ways to add lots of flavors to all sorts of different meals.

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• Ingredients that Matter
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Serving
• Storage
• FAQ
• More Sauce
• Salads
• Recipe

Ingredients that Matter

There is a lot of flexibility in this recipe, but here are the ingredients I use for my version of sun-dried tomato vinaigrette:

• Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Reach for a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Whole sun-dried tomatoes are used right in the dressing, plus that flavorful oil makes a tasty addition to the dressing. You can also packaged dried sun-dried tomatoes, but you'll want to soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes before blending into the dressing.
• Olive Oil. In addition to the oil from the jarred sun-dried tomatoes, use regular or extra-virgin olive oil for this dressing.
• Red Wine Vinegar. You have plenty of options when it comes to the acid used in this vinaigrette, but I think red wine vinegar works best. Here's why: Red wine vinegar has a bright, almost sharp flavor that cuts through the rich, slightly sweet sun-dried tomatoes. Plus, it's naturally red, making for a more vibrant dressing.
• Mustard. Just a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (or stone-ground mustard) helps to emulsify the dressing and adds a nice pungent flavor.
• Aromatics. I use a small clove of garlic (finely grated) and a small shallot (minced) in the dressing. Both of these are optional and I wouldn't recommend using more than the recipe lists as both can overpower the sun-dried tomato flavor.
• Basil. Fresh chopped basil leaves adds tons of flavor to this dressing and is an ideal compliment to sun-dried tomatoes.
• Salt & Pepper. Use table or Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

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Hint: You will likely have leftover sun-dried tomatoes. Use them up in our flavorful Sun-Dried Tomato and Artichoke Pasta recipe.

Substitutions

There are plenty of tweaks you can make to this recipe depending on your dietary restrictions or flavor preferences. Try these:

• Vinegar - The biggest change you can make (flavor-wise) to this recipe comes from the vinegar. While I strongly recommend using red wine vinegar to preserve the reddish color of the tomatoes (plus it has a bold flavor that cuts through the sweet tomatoes), you can instead use balsamic, white balsamic, white wine or even plain white vinegar. You could also use fresh lemon juice.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes - You will likely find oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in a jar alongside dry sun-dried tomatoes. You may even find plump dried sun-dried tomatoes ready for a salad or even a snack. If using dried, be sure to soak in warm water until tender before trying to blend.
• Oil - I recommend using regular olive oil for this recipe, but you can use any neutral flavor oil like vegetable, corn, peanut, etc. Note that if using extra-virgin olive oil, be sure to limit how long you blend it on high speed as it may become bitter if it gets too hot or agitated.
• Aromatics - You can certainly leave out the garlic and shallot, if desired. Or, you could use a bit less. If desired, you could swap in ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ teaspoon of onion powder instead of the fresh garlic and shallot.
• Basil - Fresh basil goes so well with this recipe that it's hard to offer other recommendations, but if you don't like basil, you can certainly use fresh oregano or parsley. You can also use dried oregano, if desired.

Equipment

You can make this recipe using a mini food processor or high-speed blender like a Vitamix Propel 510 Blender. For a mini food processor, I recommend this KitchenAid 5 Cup Food Chopper, which is small and has a spout to pour in the oil

Serving

Try using this dressing on any fresh salad, like our Arugula and Crispy Quinoa Salad, Burrata Caprese Salad or even our Carrot and Pea Shoot Spring Salad. Or try serving this dressing in a wrap with our Pulled Chicken in a Dutch Oven or as a dip for our Red Lentil Patties or our easy and vegan Chickpea Patties.

Storage

This dressing will keep well in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note that as this dressing sit it will thicken slightly. Simply add a splash of water right out of the refrigerator to thin it out a bit.

FAQ

More Sauce

Looking for more sauce recipes like this? Try these:

Salads

These are some delicious salads to try for dinner tonight:

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