Blood Orange Salad Dressing (Vinaigrette) 5 Minute Recipe

This blood orange dressing is an easy 5 minutes, using olive oil, red wine vinegar and blood orange juice. It's citrus season and we've been taking full advantage of all the citrus flavor possible!

Enjoy fresh orange slices or use them in a salad, either way you are getting the best of blood oranges or regular oranges. 

The citrus season in South Africa is typically during the winter months with blood orange season mainly from early August to Spring.

Love citrus fruits and live in sunny SA? Make sure to catch them early, the time frame for this vibrant fruit is sadly very short.

I managed to take some photo's to share with you for both a naval orange vinaigrette and a blood orange dressing. 

How to use a Citrusy Dressing

Think beyond your favorite greens, red onion, feta cheese or goat cheese and use your homemade salad dressings for flavor on your proteins from chicken, fish and seafood to steaks. Add it to your veggies, use for sandwich fillings, couscous (image below) and use it for marinades. 

How to Make Blood Orange Salad Dressing Taste Even Better!

I love a little depth to my flavors and perhaps that's because I am anosmic but either way, here are some ingredients to make your dressing taste even better!

Ginger, turmeric, curry powder, dried chili pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, hot chili sauce and go from there to what you prefer.

How to Store Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Store your flavorful dressing in an airtight container like a mason jar 4-5 days and make sure the jar is sealed. Just before using, give it a shake and you're good to go.

Ingredients

The recipe card with full measurements can be found below this post. 

Blood oranges: The color of blood oranges is something special plus the health benefits are definitely worth the hype.

Olive oil: I prefer the taste of extra virgin olive oil in a vinaigrette but feel free to use avocado oil. 

Garlic: Fresh garlic, not pre-cut, bottled, packaged, strongly suggest fresh.

Honey: I add between a tablespoon or two of honey. It will depend on the sweetness of your blood oranges so just taste as you go. Maple syrup is also good.

Dijon mustard: Tried it without mustard, prefer it with. I tried this recipe a few ways and what I am sharing today is my suggested preference. 

Red wine vinegar: Believe me when I say that I was very tempted to add balsamic vinegar, we love it!  Italian Summer Salad, Balsamic Mushroom Pasta but for this recipe, red wine vinegar was the preferred choice. It enhances the bright color of the oranges without staining them in any way. Apple cider vinegar can also be used. 

Salt:  Pulls all the flavors together so if you taste it and somethings missing? It's probably salt. 

The slices of blood orange image below can also be found in this recipe Simple Orange Salad Recipe

Dijon mustard is not in the ingredient image because I wasn't going to add it but the dressing was seperating a little to much. It was added, emulsification took place and hooray, it all was good!

Expert Tips!

Wash the oranges:  Even if you're not using the peel, I would suggest washing them before using. 

Repurpose:  Use the peels in a cocktail or other non alcoholic drink. 

Refrigerate:  Even after I sliced the oranges, once they were covered tightly in cling wrap, they stayed fresh in the fridge for an entire week! I would suggest placing them on a plate as opposed to stacking them to allow the slices to breathe. If they overlap just a bit, that's fine. 

FAQ's

How long can I keep blood orange salad dressing?

Refrigerate your vinaigrette in a mason jar or an airtight container. This way it last 4-5 days refrigerated. 

What type of flavors go well with blood oranges? 

Fresh strawberries, fennel, fresh mint leaves, apple, arugula, baby spinach, lemons, 

Why is it important to add a dressing or a vinaigrette to a salad? 

I believe and have always said even on my Instragram that a salad is only as good as it's dressing! A good quality salad dressing can change any salad and so can a bad one. 

What's the difference between a salad dressing and a vinaigrette?

A vinaigrette is lighter than a dressing which usually has a creamier texture. A vinaigrette uses oil and vinegar as the key ingredients and a dressing is when you start adding all the other flavor bombs like mustard, mayo, egg which are all emulsifiers. 

Salad Recipes

This blood orange vinaigrette recipe works well with these salads. 

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