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A Life in Food by real-life Chef Cheryl Bennett

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salad dressing recipes

How to make Orange Ginger Dressing

March 23, 2022

Orange ginger dressing is light and zingy. It’s perfect for your green salads, but also great for dressing grain salads. Made with only a handful of ingredients, this dressing is quick and simple.

pouring orange ginger dressing on salad

Salad dressings, like sherry lime vinaigrette, are easily made at home and are much less expensive than store-bought.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

Mason jar dressing

Use any old jar you have – a jam jar or canning jar is perfect. This orange ginger dressing recipe makes a cup and a half, so you’ll have enough for the week.

I used these spiral pint jars to make the dressing, it leaves a little room at the top to be able to shake it up really well.

Orange ginger dressing in glass jar with oranges and ginger beside jar

I have no shortage of mason jars. Aside from canning jams and making pickles, they are useful for making quick salad dressings.

How to make orange ginger dressing

It honestly couldn’t be easier – pour everything in & shake it up. The best part of making your own salad dressing aside from it being much less expensive, is knowing exactly what’s in it.   

Zest and juice the oranges – Add the juice and zest to the jar first.

Peel and grate ginger – Next, peel and grate the ginger, then add to the jar. You can also buy a squeeze tube of ginger paste in the produce section.

Season vinaigrette – Add salt and pepper to taste. It is important to add the salt before adding the oil. This gives it a chance to dissolve into the orange juice.

Add oil – Lastly, add the oil. Secure the top and shake vigorously. To make a proper vinaigrette, drizzle the oil in while whisking or use an immersion blender to emulsify.

All homemade vinaigrettes will eventually separate, this one quicker than most because it doesn’t contain an emulsifier like Dijon mustard. Just shake it up again and it’s ready to use.

How to peel ginger

My preferred method for peeling ginger is a spoon. Use the edge of the spoon to scrape away the skin.

Most people turn the spoon upside down and scrape in a downward motion. I find it easier to do the opposite. I use the edge of the spoon and scrape upward. Try both ways to see what is easier for you.

how to peel ginger

Spring ginger has very thin skin. Most often, you can find it in Asian markets. It is less fibrous and spicy than it’s older counterpart. Look for it in April and May, and if you find some, grab a hand or two.

peeled ginger for orange dressing

Once you have peeled the ginger, grate it for the dressing. It can have a bit of a bite to it, so you may have to adjust the amount of ginger in the recipe to suit your personal preference.

How to zest an orange

Hold the orange in your dominant hand and the zester in the other. Using light pressure, press the orange against the zester and turn to rotate.

The zest will collect on the underside of the zester, give it a good tap against the cutting board or scrape it with your finger to gather it.

orange zest in measuring spoon with microplane

For this orange ginger dressing, use a microplane to zest the fruit. Use light pressure to avoid getting the pith (the white part under the skin), which is bitter. The zest has a ton of flavor, so please don’t skip it.

Ingredients

  • Oil – avoid strongly flavored oil. I used grapeseed in this recipe.
  • Oranges – I used cara cara oranges, use any variety you like, even blood oranges.
  • Ginger – fresh ginger is recommended, however, if it is unavailable, use the squeeze tube of ginger found in the produce section.
  • Salt & Pepper – season to taste
ingredients for orange ginger dressing

This isn’t a traditional vinaigrette. The ratios are basically flipped here. The fresh orange juice serves as the acid in this recipe and makes up the bulk of the dressing.

With this dressing, the fresh juice is so delicious, it deserves the spotlight.

FAQ’s

What are the ratios for a traditional vinaigrette?

The basic ratio for a vinaigrette is 3:1 (oil : vinegar).

How long will this vinaigrette last in the fridge?

I keep this orange ginger dressing for about a week.

Can I use store-bought orange juice?

Yes! Try to use a “fresh squeezed” variety instead of the carton for best results.

Try orange ginger dressing on these salads

  • Superfood salad with pomegranate
  • Delicata squash salad with farro
  • Spinach salad with nectarines and blue cheese

Please share

If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!

Image for Pinterest

I hope you love this orange ginger dressing recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.

Yield: 1.5 cups

Orange Ginger Dressing

Orange Ginger Dressing

Light, fresh and zingy, this orange ginger dressing is perfect for green salads and also grain salads.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from 2 -3 oranges
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed, canola or light olive oil
  • 2 tsp. orange zest, from 1 - 2 oranges
  • 2 tsp. grated ginger (3/4 ounce piece)
  • salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 tsp. salt / 1/2 tsp. pepper)

Instructions

  1. Zest and juice oranges, add to jar.
  2. Grate ginger and add to jar, then add salt and pepper. Swirl jar to help salt begin to dissolve.
  3. Add oil, seal jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
  4. Enjoy!

Notes

Store dressing in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife
    Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 ounce (2 tbsp)

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 84Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 25mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information calculated by a third-party company as a courtesy. It is intended as a guideline only.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Cheryl Bennett
Cuisine: American / Category: Condiment

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!

Originally published 1/18/12, most recent update 3/23/22

Filed Under: Condiment, Salads Tagged With: salad dressing recipes

How to make sherry lime vinaigrette

June 5, 2020

Home » salad dressing recipes

Sherry lime vinaigrette is a delicious dressing for your salad or vegetables. The combination of sherry vinegar and tart lime juice not only makes this vinaigrette super tasty, it is very versatile.

pouring vinaigrette on salad

This homemade vinaigrette with fresh lime juice is fresh and zingy, and it is great for meal prep recipes!

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

…

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Filed Under: Condiment, Salads Tagged With: salad dressing recipes

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette with Whole Grain Mustard

April 24, 2016

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Making your own vinaigrette is so easy, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it for years. It takes a few ingredients and five minutes to get “better than store bought” salad dressing at a fraction of the cost.

The three most dreaded words in my vocabulary “Bathing Suit Season”.   It’s not that I have an issue wearing one, I hate shopping for them.   Come on, Girls out there…  Please tell me you have my back.   It could nearly be classified as torture.  I have to psych myself up for the task, give myself a little pep talk and promise myself a reward if I get it accomplished in record time.

When life gives you lemons, make a vinaigrette ~ Me.

The point is, we are eating A LOT of salads these days.  We always eat salad, but lately we are eating enough greens for a small village.   We have a few favorites, like this Butternut Arugula Salad, but I like to change it up fairly often.  One of the best ways to do that is with the dressing. Last year, we were at a family reunion and I was lucky enough to score 2 lbs of raw honey from a cousin who has bees.   That honey is incredible and makes the best vinaigrettes!   Making your own vinaigrette at home takes about 5 minutes and one of the advantages in doing it yourself is total control over the ingredients.  You know exactly what is in there.  No red dye #5,  no high-fructose corn syrup, no need for a PhD to decipher ingredients!   Just squeeze a few lemons, add in a little honey, blitz it & stir in whole grain mustard.  Easy Peasy, Lemony Squeezy.

This vinaigrette is good for more than just salad, I use it in a summer pasta salad (post coming soon) and it’s a great marinade for chicken!  This recipe makes about 3 cups of dressing and it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 – 7 days.   Five minutes of work for a vinaigrette you can use all week!  That’s a pretty good deal.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette with Whole Grain Mustard

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette with Whole Grain Mustard

A light homemade salad dressing with honey, lemon and mustard

Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 fl. oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 4 big lemons
  • 6 TB raw honey
  • 1 TB whole grain mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups canola or grapeseed oil

Instructions

  1. Combine lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a deep bowl or container. I like to use quart containers (Tall deli containers or large soup containers from takeout)
  2. With an immersion blender (or regular blender), combine all ingredients for about 15 seconds and SLOWLY drizzle in olive oil, then canola oil.
  3. The texture and color will begin to lighten as it emulsifies.
  4. You will see oil on top and then suddenly, it will be a perfectly blended dressing that holds together instead of looking separated.
  5. When dressing is nice and thick, add in whole grain mustard and give it one last blast with the immersion blender to combine everything & Voila! Dressing, Done!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Cheryl Bennett

Filed Under: Salads Tagged With: salad dressing recipes

It’s all Greek to me…

May 14, 2011

Most of us are trying to eat healthier these days & lose a few pounds before we have to put on the dreaded bathing suit.  I am among the masses doing the very same…   I’ve been eating so much lettuce I’m afraid my front teeth are about to elongate into Bugs Bunny teeth.

The problem with salads, although to be quite honest I do like them,  is the dressing.  You think you are making a good choice by eating a salad for dinner and then you pour on a claggy dressing that has a ton of fat in it so you opt for the (sometimes chemical-laden)  fat free variety,  which in my book isn’t always the lesser of two evils.

Making salad dressing at home takes 5 minutes at most and is so much heathier and tastier that it really is worth the very minimal effort.

Tonight’s dinner was a Greek salad and chicken, so I made a Yogurt Dill dressing to tie the flavors together.

(A helpful hint to catch the lemon pits is to put a small strainer on top of the blender)

 
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: salad dressing recipes

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Hi there and thanks for stopping by!  I'm Cheryl, Chef by day and Blogger by night!

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