Made with 5 ingredients, this apple cider vinaigrette is a snap to throw together and perfect for all of your fall — or any season! — salad needs.

A fall salad of greens, pine nuts, goat cheese, and apples in a bowl.

This favorite apple cider vinaigrette recipe is a simple mix of 5 ingredients: honey, apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. Due to its composition being nearly equal parts acid and olive oil, it’s on the sharp side.

The bite, however, is tempered by honey, the amount of which you can adjust to taste. I find two tablespoons to be about right, and if this sounds like a lot to you, know that it sounded like a lot to me, too. But the vinaigrette, I assure you, does not taste too sweet — it tastes balanced and bright.

My children, who historically are not the best salad eaters — they’re more like rabbits, favoring undressed raw vegetables — actually love this dressing, too, and whenever I serve them a salad dressed with it, they gobble it.

PS: All-Purpose Lemon Vinaigrette

Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: lemon, honey, extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt.

Ingredients to make apple cider vinaigrette on a counter.

Whisk together the honey, salt, lemon juice, and vinegar first.

Apple cider vinaigrette ingredients measured.

Then stream in the olive oil. Store in the fridge for two weeks (or longer).

Whisked apple cider vinaigrette in a Pyrex liquid measure.

This is a classic combo: greens, apples, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts (or other) nut.

A salad of greens, pine nuts, apples, and goat cheese in a bowl.

Find the recipe for this specific fall salad here.

A fall salad of greens, pine nuts, goat cheese, and apples in a bowl.
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A jar of lemon vinaigrette.

5-Ingredient Apple Cider Vinaigrette

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Description

Made with 5 ingredients, this apple cider vinaigrette is a snap to throw together and perfect for all of your fall — or any season! — salad needs. I love it with this one: Fall Sweet Potato Salad

Notes:

Honey: As noted in the post above, I do not find this dressing to taste too sweet. That said, adjust to taste. If 2 tablespoons of honey gives you pause, start with 1 or less, then adjust to taste with more. 

Olive Oil: If 1/3 cup of olive oil makes a dressing that is too sharp for you, increase to 1/2 cup. Also: if you are coming here via my newsletter, I made a mistake in the quantities … sorry for any confusion! The below recipe is correct. 

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey, see notes above
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup olive oil, plus more to taste

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon, vinegar, honey, and salt. Stream in the olive oil while whisking constantly. Taste. Add more olive oil by the tablespoon if the dressing tastes too tart and adjust to taste with salt.
  2. Store in the fridge for 2 weeks (or longer).
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Dressing
  • Method: Whisk
  • Cuisine: American