The best balsamic vinaigrette is all about ratios. It should be rich from the oil, but not oily. It should be tangy from the balsamic vinegar without being sour. It might have another complementary element like herbs, Dijon mustard, or garlic. Most importantly, it should taste delicious!
We tried a ton of different brands in order to find the best balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing. Thankfully, we found four that absolutely rock. Grab the most gigantic bowl you own, a bag of mixed greens, and one of these bottles of the best store bought balsamic vinaigrette for the perfect salad.
- Panera Bread Balsamic Vinaigrette & Marinade
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You already know Panera makes some good products that are sold at the grocery store. We love their mac and cheese! And their potato soup slaps! Turns out we’re into their balsamic vinaigrette, too. We’re so into it that it happens to be one of the best balsamic vinaigrette brands we tasted in this taste test. It tastes very strongly of dried herbs. Normally, I would deduct points for that, but it works in this salad dressing for some reason. Plus, it’s so creamy and tangy. The thickness, tartness, and herbiness of this store bought balsamic vinaigrette make it the perfect topping for Caprese salad.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Litehouse Balsamic Dressing & Marinade
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This Litehouse dressing bills itself as marinade as well as a dressing. You can tell! It packs a punch of flavor and would be great for marinating chicken, fish, veggies, or beef. I want to drizzle this bold store bought balsamic vinaigrette over cubed veggies and tofu and roast them in the oven. I think the sugars in the dressing would caramelize beautifully and make the perfect easy entree for a weeknight dinner.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Briannas New American Creamy Balsamic Dressing
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Briannas store bought balsamic vinaigrette really tastes like a vinaigrette you’d get at a restaurant. It’s luxurious and refined. Is that what “New American” means? I have literally no idea. All I know is that I like it! It’s lightly creamy and has a delicate tang. It was leaps and bounds above almost any other store bought balsamic vinaigrette we tried in this taste test.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinaigrette
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I’m surprised to say this, but Trader Joe’s makes the best balsamic vinaigrette we tried. Typically, their dressings are fine, but this is perfection. It’s everything I want from balsamic vinaigrette and more. It’s tangy, salty, and has an almost dairy-like creaminess despite not having any dairy at all. It doesn’t taste like straight-up oil like so many store bought balsamic vinaigrettes out there. There are no chunks of dried herbs. This is the best balsamic vinaigrette, and I have been regularly using it to make a salad with goat cheese, diced apples, and candied nuts. It’s so good. You should buy this and then make it!
Credit: Merc
Best Herby
Best Bold
Best Creamy
Best of the Best
Other balsamic vinaigrette we tried: Great Value Lite, California Olive Oil, Wishbone, Kraft, Ken’s Lite, Newman’s Own Lite, Ken’s Lite, Good & Gather, Newman’s Own, Bolthouse, Ken’s
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Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!