Cider season is upon us and there is nothing quite like fresh-pressed apples. I live in an area with a lot of farms and orchards and this time of year it’s not uncommon to see coolers full of fresh cider next to a donation bucket to drop your payment. If that’s not the case where you live, you can easily grab some at the store! During the fall months, it’s usually found in the produce section of the grocery store near the apples. This sweet and tangy dressing only requires 3 main ingredients. I keep the ingredient list minimized to really let the flavors of both the honey and the cider, shine. This Honey Cider vinaigrette is amazing paired with things like spinach and crispy apples or sweet pears. It’s phenomenal on this Autumn Harvest Salad!
Ingredient Notes
- Apple Cider – make sure to purchase apple cider, and not apple juice. Fresh pressed cider is generally sold in the produce section during the fall months and it will look thick and murky as opposed to golden and clear.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – use a high quality apple cider vinegar. I only use Bragg’s brand, especially in recipes like this and that’s what I recommend.
- Honey – any standard honey is great. If you don’t have honey, you could also use sugar.
- Salt and Pepper – use kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper for best results.
- Olive Oil – I like the flavor of olive oil, but if you want something more neutral, feel free to use your favorite neutral oil, like canola.
Instructions
This is an incredibly easy process. I like to use a blender because it results in a creamy, well-emulsified dressing, but if you’re going to be serving it right away, you could also shake all of this together in a mason jar as well.
- Place apple cider, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until honey is incorporated into mixture (you may need to scrape the bottom of the blender.)
- With lid on and blender speed running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil in a small steady stream until fully incorporated. If desired, add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Serving Suggestions
This dressing pairs so well with autumn salads in particular. Think apple slices, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, tangy feta, roasted butternut squash, toasted nuts,etc. This Autumn Harvest Salad is a great example:
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Honey Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Apple Cider not apple juice1/3 cup honey3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon pepper3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or a vegetable oil, like canola)
Instructions
- Place apple cider, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until honey is incorporated into mixture (you may need to scrape the bottom of the blender.)
- With lid on and blender speed running on low, slowly drizzle in the oil in a small steady stream until fully incorporated. If desired, add additional salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a little more vinegar if you'd like it tangier...it's flexible!
Questions & Reviews
I love this recipe, and so many of your recipes! I’m making your harvest salad for our Thanksgiving dinner. FYI – since you updated your website (congrats!) the recipes print weird. For example, I just printed this recipe and the directions are covered by an ad. I clicked on “Print this recipe,” and I still got the ad. The recipes are printing with a really large font too which makes it hard to keep track of all of the pages. I really do love your recipes! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the review! I just had my ad manager fix the printing issue- thank you for the feedback!
Can you help me understand what makes dressings turn out too watery? I tried this one last week and it was one that just ended up too runny! I like a dressing that has a little body to it. When there is a dressing with yummy flavor but isn’t thick enough the flavor gets lost. What can you do to thicken it up a bit?
Hey Nicki! If your dressing is turning out way too thin, then the proportions of oil to liquid or off (which isn’t the case in this dressing) OR it’s not properly emulsified. You’ll want to make sure you are adding your oil in a very slow, thin stream while a blender is running at low speed so the emulsification process happens correctly. Hope that helps!