Combine delicious ripe figs and tangy balsamic vinegar to make homemade fig balsamic dressing. Drizzle the sweetly dressing over salad greens and roasted Brussels sprouts, or use it as a marinade for air fryer London broil or grilled bison steaks.
If you love fresh fruit dressings, try tart and tangy blackberry vinaigrette!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a staple salad dressing in my house (especially in the summer) and the best way to make your favorite green salads even better!
- Prepare the tangy vinaigrette with simple ingredients from your pantry.
- Use the versatile condiment as a salad dressing, flavorful marinade, or topping for pizza, bruschetta, and burrata Caprese.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Figs: I love figs, and thankfully, I have a beautiful tree that produces so many fresh figs for my family. Figs are in season from summer through the end of fall, so the flavor of the dressing can vary depending on the ripeness of the figs you use.
- Garlic: I recommend using two fresh garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Adjust flavor using aged balsamic vinegar if you can find it. Aged balsamic has a slightly sweeter flavor that goes perfectly with the other ingredients.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard adds creaminess and helps emulsify the dressing.
- Honey: Honey is a great way to add sweet flavor to the naturally sweet and tangy figs.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the base for fig balsamic dressing.
- Spices: Season the homemade dressing with salt and black pepper.
Additions and Substitutions
- Try frozen or dried figs if you don’t have fresh figs available (see my expert tips on how to use them). You can also use 2-3 tablespoons of fig jam, fig preserves, or fig spread.
- Use fresh lemon juice, lime juice, white balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar instead of aged balsamic vinegar.
- Replace the honey with maple syrup, agave nectar, or a sugar substitute like monk fruit for a sweeter dressing.
- Include fresh herbs such as basil leaves, mint, rosemary, or thyme.
Tools Used to Make this Recipe
You can use an immersion blender, food processor, or high-speed blender to make this creamy fig balsamic dressing recipe. However, I highly recommend using an immersion blender when making salad dressings or sauces that require emulsification, because I always have the best results.
Use the tall cup provided with the immersion blender (or one of these meal prep containers) to ensure the blender works properly and to avoid a big mess. Transfer the leftover dressing to a large liquid measuring cup to pour it through a fine mesh sieve to strain the fig seeds.
How to Make Fig Balsamic Dressing
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the figs and garlic into a paste using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
Step 2: Whisk in the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey (if using), salt, and black pepper. Combine until smooth.
Step 3: Pour the olive oil into a tall cup or a blender in a slow, steady stream, a little at a time, while blending or whisking the ingredients.
Step 4: Transfer the mixture to a liquid measuring cup and pour the dressing through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container, discarding the seeds.
Expert Tips
- Add water until the dressing has the consistency you prefer.
- I recommend blending the ingredients, tasting, and adjusting the salt and pepper until you find a perfect balance.
- Skip straining the dressing if you don’t mind fig seeds and small chunks of figs.
Tips for Emulsification
What is Emulsification?
Emulsification is a fancy cooking term that describes combining ingredients that do not naturally mix, such as oil and balsamic vinegar, and making them stay together using an emulsifier.
What is an Emulsifier?
An emulsifier acts like a bridge between two opposing ingredients, holding them together in a smooth, stable mixture. The best emulsifiers contain water and oil-friendly properties to help the ingredients combine. The most common emulsifiers include egg yolks, mustard, mayonnaise, soybeans, honey, and xanthan gum.
How to Create a Stable Emulsification
If you want to learn how to make homemade vinaigrette, dressing, hollandaise sauce, aioli, or mayonnaise, then learning how to create a stable emulsification is key. Plus, it’s easier than you think!
- Choose an Emulsifier: Select an emulsifying ingredient based on what you are making.
- Combine the Ingredients: Mix the water-based ingredients, such as vinegar or lemon juice with an emulsifier.
- Slowly Add Oil: Add a few drops, then pour the oil gradually in a slow, steady stream while whisking or blending the ingredients. The gradual addition helps to achieve a stable emulsion (so the two liquids combine instead of separate).
- Adjust the Consistency: If the mixture gets too thick, add more water-based liquid to thin it out while continuing to mix.
If you enjoy the dressing, pair it with one of these salad recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Use fig balsamic dressing to finish your favorite salad recipes like baby spinach salad, arugula spinach salad, and a fresh fall kale salad, or spoon it over rice and other grain bowls.
Another great idea is to use the dressing as a marinade for red meat, particularly London broil. I made it for dinner the other night, and it was the best I have ever had!
The delicious dressing is perfect for drizzling over goat cheese or blue cheese for a sweet and savory addition to cheese platters and charcuterie boards. And you can spoon it over my turkey-shaped Thanksgiving butterboard for color and flavor.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover fig balsamic dressing in an airtight container or glass jar for one week, and guess what? It taste even better the next day! However, it will thicken once refrigerated because of the olive oil. I recommend removing it from the fridge 30 minutes before you need it. Shake or give it a good stir before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen figs to make the dressing?
I always keep frozen figs in my freezer to make homemade fig jam throughout the year. You can use the frozen figs, but you need to let them thaw before using the figs to make balsamic fig dressing.
Can I use dried figs for the vinaigrette?
You can use dried figs, but rehydrate them first. Soak the dried figs in warm water for 15-20 minutes or until they soften. After rehydrating, drain the figs and chop them into small pieces to help them blend more easily into the dressing.
More Homemade Salad Dressings:
Fig Balsamic Dressing
- 1 cup fresh figs washed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Combine the figs and garlic into a paste using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
- Whisk in the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey (if using), salt, and black pepper. Combine until smooth.
- Pour the olive oil into a tall cup or a blender in a slow, steady stream, a little at a time, while blending or whisking the ingredients.
- Transfer the mixture to a liquid measuring cup and pour the dressing through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container, discarding the seeds.
- Add water until the dressing has the consistency you prefer.
- I recommend blending the ingredients, tasting, and adjusting the salt and pepper until you find a perfect balance.
- Skip straining the dressing if you don’t mind fig seeds and small chunks of figs.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.