Honey Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette Salad Dressing with Orange Juice Recipe

Dive into a tantalizing burst of flavors with our Honey Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette Salad Dressing with Orange Juice Recipe! This zesty concoction, infused with orange zest and freshly squeezed juice, is about to elevate your salad game to a whole new level.  Simple to master, you may never reach for store bought salad dressing again!

Pam's Best Tips

This is my go-to vinaigrette in winter, especially on any salad made with bitter greens like arugula.  It’s also great in the summer drizzled on a piece of grilled fish. 

I love this dressing for its flexibility, while I opt for Champaigne vinegar, almost any light-colored vinegar like white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar will do the trick.

We first drizzled this honey citrus Champagne vinaigrette on an apple Manchego salad with arugula, dried cherries, and sweet and spicy nuts, and now we have this in the refrigerator door ready to use any night of the week. 

What you'll need

Here are the ingredients you will to make this honey citrus vinaigrette.

• Champagne Vinegar -  lends a bright and tangy flavor to salad dressing with a milder flavor and less acidity than standard white vinegar. As the name implies, it's made from Champagne that is aged and fermented. Most vinegars will work and you can swap for white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar - all will do the trick.
• Fresh orange - both for its zest and for its juice!
• Honey
• Dijon mustard
• Olive oil
• Shallots - this is a key ingredient add really adds zip to the vinaigrette.
• Salt + pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Honey Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette

Now that we’ve covered the ingredients you need to make this orange vinaigrette recipe, let’s learn how to make a perfect vinaigrette.

In a small bowl, whisk together (or use a hand blender – to make this more creamy) the chopped shallots, orange zest and juice, honey, and mustard. 

SLOWLY drizzle in the olive oil, whisking (or using a hand blender) constantly to emulsify).

Taste.  If it you like it sweeter, add more honey.  Like more vinegar notes?  Add more vinegar, consider adding rice vinegar in addition to the champagne vinegar.   If you like the zippy taste of shallots, add another shallot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 7 days.

Best Vinegars for an Orange Citrus Vinaigrette

Most “white” or light-colored vinegars like white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Champagne vinegar or rice vinegar will do the trick.

I opt for Champagne vinegar as it lends a bright and tangy flavor to the salad dressing and has a milder flavor and less acidity than standard white vinegar. As the name implies, it's made from Champagne that is aged and fermented. Avoid using red wine vinegar, it has a sharp, tangy flavor that complements olive oil nicely but competes with the bright orange citrus flavors

Variations

Add Tarragon:  In the summer, I like to add 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves – this is great drizzled on a piece of grilled fish.

Omit the vinegar, honey and shallots:   When we omit the vinegar, we will want to have equal parts orange juice to extra virgin olive oil.   For example, whisk together 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify.  Stir in an herb like 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves and season with fine sea salt to taste.

Storage

The vinaigrette can be refrigerated in an airtight container like a small glass mason jar, for up to 7 days. 

If you are unsure, give it the smell test.  Dressing that has gone bad gives off a noticeably rancid smell.

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