It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe for orange juice dressing salad. You only need a few ingredients and less than ten minutes to throw it together. This is a quick and easy salad to throw together for lunch or dinner, or even a potluck. Dinner is so simple with this quick dressing that compliments any deli meat or chicken breast.
EASY ORANGE SALAD DRESSING
This orange salad dressing recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make! 4 simple ingredients bring it all together. Bright, light, and flavorful!
This recipe for orange dressing is our favorite homemade version. We make a big batch and store it in a jar until we run out. That way, it’s always on hand when a salad craving strikes and it only takes 5 minutes to make more when we finish it off.
I love to pair it with mason jar salads for a quick, portable lunch! Whenever I get tired of this dressing, I mix it up with our raspberry or lemon version – both as just as healthy and equally easy to make.
WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE YOUR OWN SALAD DRESSING?
It’s simple! When it comes to salad dressing, there are a lot of issues.
There are too many options.
There are too many misleading labels such as “light,” “low-fat,” and “sugar-free” — all strategically worded for the purpose of fooling the consumer.
The ingredients list? WHOA.
Organic varieties are too pricey.
Moral of the story? There is no reason to pay $4-5 for ambiguously-labeled salad dressing when you can easily make your own healthy version for half the cost.
Let’s take a moment to consider the purpose of salad dressing. We use it to add flavor to a bed of greens and to make the leafy goodness easier to chew and swallow. With that in mind, shouldn’t dressing be more of a supplement than the main attraction? Sure, it should taste good. But it shouldn’t be a crutch that we use to drown and choke down a salad. Salads are pretty delicious in their own respect, especially when paired with a dressing that brings out the best in them.
ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
Bursting with fresh citrus this Orange Vinaigrette Recipe mixes up quick and easy with just eight simple ingredients many of which you may already have on hand. This light tangy vinaigrette is ideal for spring mix salads, spinach salads, or any tender greens where a light flavorful dressing is desired. I love to drizzle it over spring greens with almonds, gorgonzola, and red onions or avocados stuffed with chicken salad, walnuts, and goat cheese.
The orange juice and orange zest in this vinaigrette are so refreshing with just the right pop for so many salads. Try it on fruit salad, berry salad, arugula salad, and strawberry salad. It is so easy to prepare by simply whisking all the ingredients together or combining in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid and shaking to combine. Add a little garlic and red pepper flakes and use it as a marinade for chicken, fish, vegetables, or shrimp. Just keep in mind that with the orange citrus 10-15 minutes of marinating time is enough.
WHAT IS IN ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
It is the simple ingredients in this homemade orange salad dressing that make it taste so good. Just all natural ingredients that really shine through without additives and preservatives.
- Champagne Vinegar – or substitute white wine vinegar
- Orange Juice – fresh squeezed is best and one orange will do the trick.
- Orange Zest – use the zest from the orange before you squeeze it
- Honey – for a tad of sweetness.
- Dijon Mustard – for a little bit of tang
- Olive Oil – so it will cling to the greens
- Salt and Pepper – to suit your taste but I love plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VINAIGRETTE AND DRESSING?
A salad dressing is any liquid mixture that dresses a salad and can most definitely include a vinaigrette. While a vinaigrette is a type of salad dressing in which vinegar and oil are main components of the dressing.
7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN DRESSING
- The ingredients are usually fairly common with many recipes offering suitable substitutions with only small changes in taste.
- You can easily adjust the seasonings to suit yourself.
- Most salad dressings take mere minutes to make.
- Salad dressing recipes are effortlessly halved or even doubled to accommodate any number of people.
- It is considerably less expensive to mix your own salad dressings.
- You control the ingredients leaving out all the additives, preservatives, gums, artificial flavors, and artificial colors.
- Without a doubt homemade salad dressing tastes so much better than bottled salad dressing every time.
ORANGE JUICE DRESSING
This is a citrus based Orange Juice Dressing is both refreshing and super healthy! Great for those easy salad days.
When it comes to building a salad at home we sometimes feel it is too hard because we don’t have a bottle of ready made salad dressing in the fridge.
Guess what? It really only takes 5 minutes to make your own salad dressing and you will be surprised that you may have all the ingredients already in your pantry or fridge.
Having a few basic salad dressing recipes in your locker room is a time saver. Whenever you crave a delicious fresh salad or want to use up some leftover veggies, just whip them together. It’s simple, quick and cheap.
One of those versatile light dressings you can have is our Orange Juice Dressing. We don’t like salad dressings that will drown and choke down a salad.
This is refreshing and pairs well with many different ingredients. Oranges also make a fantastic base for salad dressings as it is naturally sweet with a little acidic.
Combining orange and lemon juice in one salad dressing, brings sweetness and tartness together. You don’t need extra sweetener or acidity to create balance.
Mix with extra virgin olive oil for a sharper flavour compared to normal olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. That’s it. How easy can it get?
Great combinations with this simple light salad dressing includes peppery greens like rocket, witlof or radicchio. The sweetness will help counterbalance the piquant flavours of these vegetables.
The refreshing orange juice flavours will also help balance the creaminess of avocado. And don’t be afraid to use this citrus based salad dressing with grains like quinoa, barley or couscous. The freshness will definitely give grain salads a lift.
ORANGE JUICE DRESSING INGREDIENTS
Orange and lemon juice: For this recipe we’re using natural acids to make this dressing instead of vinegars. Perfect way to use up oranges and lemons you need to get rid of before they go off.
Olive Oil: Use a good olive oil for salad dressings as it certainly makes a difference to the overall flavour of the recipe.
Salt and pepper: Sprinkle with some salt and pepper to your taste.
ORANGE JUICE DRESSING METHOD
A light vinaigrette using orange and lemon juice to create a balance between all the flavours. Mix all ingredients well – olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
BEST SALAD FOR THIS DRESSING
Radicchio, Baby Gem, Orange and Ruby Grapefruit Salad
A delectable pairing of bitter and sweet flavours on one plate. This Ruby Grapefruit Salad is fuss-free to prepare, the colours are stunning and would definitely get guests talking around the table. Also perfect for any spring or summer barbeques and informal catch ups.
Ingredients in orange vinaigrette salad dressing
This orange vinaigrette takes just 5 minutes to whip up with simple ingredients you might already have on hand. The only fresh ingredient, of course, is the orange! Now, here’s a secret to the big flavor in this salad dressing: all you need is orange zest. That’s right: no orange juice needed! When testing this recipe, we found the orange juice made the dressing too watery without adding enough flavor. Grab 1 tablespoon orange zest and it makes a massive acidic pop! Here’s what you’ll need for this dressing (or skip to the recipe for quantities):
- Orange zest
- White wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Honey or maple syrup
- Olive oil
- Salt
All you have to do? Whisk together the non-oil ingredients, then gradually whisk in the oil until a creamy emulsion forms. That’s it!
How to zest an orange
Orange zest is the colored outside portion of its peel that brings a citrusy, tangy flavor to recipes. Avoid the white portion of the peel (called the “pith”) because it adds bitterness. Zesting citrus is a key skill for the home cook. Here are the best ways we’ve found to zest an orange:
- The best method for how to zest an orange? Using a microplane. It’s a handheld grater that has a metal plate with sharp holes. You’ll find this works much faster than using a box grater, and it results in more consistent grating.
- The next best methods? Use a citrus zester or the fine holes on a box grater.
Best ways to serve orange vinaigrette salad dressing
This orange vinaigrette is perfection with almost any green salad. We created it for this Butternut Squash Salad with apple and pecans. But it’s also great with lots of other salads! Here are a few ideas for how to use it: