Basil and Mint are wonderful herbs on their own but taste even better together in this basil & mint vinaigrette which is great not only as a salad dressing, but a veggie dip, a marinade and a topping for meats, fish and tofu!
Southern California (SoCal) has been having an unusually warm winter this year. We've been cooking on the grill since January and now the roses are setting buds like crazy. Soon it will be time to start preparing my container garden to receive new plants. Warm weather always gets me thinking about lighter meals like salads, grilled meats and fruit desserts. When I think of Spring and Summer I always think about this wonderful basil & mint vinaigrette salad dressing because we enjoy it all season long.
I've been making this Basil & Mint Vinaigrette for at least 10 years and it always turns out perfect. It's so versatile. We use it as a marinade for chicken and fish, as a sauce for our meats, fish or tofu and as a dressing for our salads, veggies and sometimes fruit. I've made it with all basil or all mint, but my favorite is a combination of the two. Subbing orange juice for the lemon and adding the orange zest is also a nice change. I'm telling you, this recipe is a winner and so versatile. It's a nice change from the heavy, creamy blue cheese and ranch dressings my husband loves but daughter can't have.
In the recipe below, I've included some ideas on how to modify the dressing with the inclusion of ginger, orange or lime. But, I wanted to provide a few tips on how to adjust the taste, because sometimes different ingredient brands or even the difference between Summer and Winter produce will effect the flavor of the end product. The dressing should be sweet and tart at the same time with a small acidic bite at the end. If you don't like it so tart, add a little more sweetener - but only 1 teaspoon at a time or drop by drop, depending on what you are using. If it is too acidic, add more oil or a little water - about ¼ cup. If it tastes a little bitter, it could be the extra-virgin olive oil - reduce the evoo to ¼ cup and increase the light olive oil by the same OR use all light olive oil or regular salad oil next time. If the 1 tablespoon of sweetener is too sweet, leave it out. My mother does not like a sweet dressing, so I leave it out when she visits. Taste is very personal. What tastes good to one person may not be spot-on to another. Adjust to your liking. Cooking is fun.
Looking for another great vinaigrette dressing? Try the Crumbled Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
[Disclosure: This recipe contains affiliate links.]
Basil & Mint Vinaigrette (Dressing)
Ingredients
- 3 ounces fresh Basil tops and leaves
- 1 ounce fresh mint tops and leaves
- ¼ cup white onion
- 1 clove large of garlic
- 1 tablespoon low carb sugar (or Swerve, Lakanto)
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
- ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
- ½ cup of light olive oil or salad oil
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients except the oils into a blender and pack the leaves down toward the blades with a spatula or a spoon. Blend the ingredients into a puree, turning off the blender and pushing and stirring when necessary.
- With the blender running on low, slowly add the oil. When completely incorporated, taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be just a little sweet, have a nice acidic bite and be balanced. Adjust the seasonings per your taste.
- Pour into a container that has a good seal and refrigerate. It will separate in the fridge, just let it warm up a little on the counter and shake or stir before serving.
Makes approximately two cups with ¼ cup per person at 1.5 net carbs per serving.
Notes
all mint
sub orange juice for lemon juice and add orange zest (orange blossom honey is great with this)
add a little fresh ginger juice (grate the ginger and put it into a garlic press to extract the juice to taste)
sub lime juice for the lemon juice and add lime zest from 1 lime
Lewis
Can I use dried herbs? If so what ratio would I use?
Kim Hardesty
Hi Lewis. This recipe uses fresh basil and mint. It wouldn't work with dried. -Kim
Matt
I've been on a salad kick lately, and this is a super tasty dressing. As you commented below, I also tried it over some baked salmon, and it is really good there, too!
Kim
Oh, yes. It’s great on salmon. I’m glad you like it. -Kim
Sue P.
The dressing seems really high in calories. What contributes to 275 calories per serving? Is it the sugar? And can I substitute erythritol? Thanks!
Kim
Thank you for asking about the recipe, Sue! I would have not known there was a problem without your question. First, that should not have been sugar, but low carb sweetener. You may use Sukrin :1, Swerve Granulated or Lakanto (or stevia if you prefer).
I recalculated the nutritional information and saw that I had accidentally chosen 4 CUPS of lemon juice instead of 4 TBSP. I have corrected the information and the carbs have reduced considerably. The calories are high because there is a cup of oil in the recipe and the serving size is 1/4 cup. The recipe is corrected.
Thanks again! -Kim
Renee
I have a question about the Basil & Mint Vinaigrette dressing. How long can it stay in the fridge, as I hear that anything with garlic, oil and such has a shorter shelf life? It looks delicious!
Also, does it change anything to have it warm over spinach leaf type salad?
Kim
Hi Renee. I have kept it in the fridge for a couple of weeks. It has vinegar in it which is a preservative. You can warm it up. I spoon it over my salmon and chicken sometimes. -Kim