Soy Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

By
Kevin D. Weeks.
Kevin D. Weeks.
Kevin D. Weeks is a personal chef, cooking instructor, and food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/22/21
Soy Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Rest: 60 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1/2 cup

All it takes is the simple combination of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and a few seasonings to yield this flavorful soy vinaigrette salad dressing. The soy adds an umami flavor that makes the dressing wonderful on fresh greens of any kind. It has a light consistency and is low in fat, making it perfect for a lunchtime or first-course salad. Also, use this vinaigrette to marinate beef, chicken, or pork for grilling, but remember to let the vinaigrette infuse the meat for less than 30 minutes, as the acid in the vinegar can make it mushy.

Homemade salad dressing is typically healthier than using store-bought products because you can adjust the recipe to your taste. Swap the red wine vinegar for rice wine vinegar and add a dash of sesame oil for an Asian-style vinaigrette. Or replace half of the vinegar with lemon juice and the hot sauce with red pepper flakes for an Italian-style dressing. As long as the proportions stay the same between the oil, vinegar, and other liquid (water or wine), you can customize the recipe to your tastes. Fresh or dried herbs or thinly chopped shallots are also a great addition to the recipe.

Make the dressing ahead of time and store it in the fridge, or double the amounts and have a jar of soy dressing ready for when you need it—it will keep for up to a month refrigerated.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon dry red wine

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 dashes hot sauce

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Soy Vinaigrette Salad Dressing ingredients

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  2. Combine all of the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Screw the lid on the jar tightly and shake thoroughly.

    Combine all of the ingredients in a jar

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  3. For best results, allow flavors to meld for an hour before using. Shake vigorously before using, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.

    Soy Vinaigrette Salad Dressing in a jar

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

What Is Vinaigrette?

A vinaigrette is a basic oil-and-vinegar combination that's frequently used as a salad dressing. From the French term for "small vinegar," these types of dressings have been around for centuries. It's often made with a 3:1 ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar. It can be seasoned with salt and pepper and other spices. Any oil (olive, walnut, canola, sesame, etc.) and any vinegar (red wine, white wine, apple cider, balsamic, etc.) can be used in the mixture. Sometimes vinegar and wine are used to add more flavor, but water is also used to thin out some preparations.

Spices, fresh herbs, shallots, minced onions, garlic, mustard, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and other ingredients can be used to further flavor the vinaigrette. Fresh fruit juice from lemons, limes, oranges, or grapefruit can also be incorporated. Pineapple and apple juice are used to flavor sweeter preparations. So any and all ingredients have a place in a vinaigrette as long as you keep the ratio of oil to vinegar steady.

A vinaigrette is a temporary emulsion since the oil and vinegar never completely combine. As soon as it sits for a while, the mixture will separate into an oil layer and a vinegar layer. For best results, always remember to shake a vinaigrette vigorously before using. 

Recipe Variations

  • Water is a good substitute for the vinaigrette's red wine.
  • Use 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
  • Dried oregano will work if you don't haver marjoram.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
132 Calories
14g Fat
1g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 132
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 439mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 54mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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