The best raspberry vinaigrette dressing is fruity, bright, and evenly balanced between sweet and acidic. It should have that signature vinaigrette tang without beingoverpoweringly sour. Most importantly, it has to taste like real, fresh raspberries.
As a former Panera girl, every couple of years I go through a “salad phase,” during which I’m convinced eating a salad for lunch every day is the key to happiness, health, prosperity, and overall success. (It’s not. Really, I’m just a former “You-Pick-Two” addict trying to relive her glory days through homemade Fuji apple and Green Goddess salads. The pipeline is real, people.) Still, I stand by this: There’s nothing quite like a fruity raspberry salad dressing tossed with nuts, seeds, crisp leafy greens, and your favorite pungent cheese of choice. Blue cheese, feta, goat cheese—you name it, it works. (My “salad phases” often overlap with my “crumbly stinky cheese phases.”)
While I can’t recommend subsisting on salads alone, I do know that keeping a good raspberry vinaigrette in your fridge at all times can drastically improve your quality of life. For this taste test, we searched for the best store bought raspberry vinaigrette that checks all the right boxes: sweet but not cloying, tangy from the red wine vinegar but not harsh, and bursting with real raspberry flavor. Here are four fruity options we really recommend.
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- Braswell’s Raspberry Vinaigrette
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For many, Braswell’s Raspberry Vinaigrette will taste far too fruity and sweet. But here’s the thing: out of all the best raspberry vinaigrettes I tried, Braswell tastes the most farm-to-table. It’s bright, boldly fruity and tangy, packed with poppy seeds, and yes, definitely the sweetest of the bunch. The darker color and thicker consistency almost remind me of a raspberry jam; it’s the sort of dressing you’d find at an artisan farm stand selling fresh fruit, flowers, and preserves. If that sounds like the vibe you want for your next salad phase, this is the best raspberry vinaigrette dressing to pick up.
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- Kraft Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette
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In contrast to Braswell’s fancier flavor, Kraft’s Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette is exactly what you’d expect to find drizzled over your side salad at the local diner. (I could say the same for other Kraft dressings, like their flavorful but no-frills blue cheese dressing.) For a “lite” option, this dressing is balanced, light in consistency without being thin or runny, and still very potent. If you’re on a budget or a diet, this is one of the best store bought raspberry vinaigrette dressings to buy. It’s the cheapest of the bunch while having the most comforting, familiar flavor, too.
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- Marie’s Raspberry Vinaigrette
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Yes, of course Marie’s made the list. After re-trying their rich ranch dressing recently for our ranch update, my hopes were high—and for once, my optimism actually paid off. Talk about fresh, bold raspberry flavor. Marie seems to opt for thicker, richer consistencies for their salad dressings. Since this is made with a raspberry puree, you’re getting real raspberry seeds in the mix, too. It almost reminds me of a raspberry smoothie (though to be clear, it’s not quite that thick and creamy). I would say it’s hands-down the best raspberry vinaigrette dressing you can buy, but I know the consistency, slightly more potent sweetness, and milder tang won’t be for everyone. The key is balance, and our #1 really has that.
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- Girard’s Raspberry Vinaigrette
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While we haven’t tasted a ton of their other salad dressings (yet), as a brand, Girard is slowly making a name for itself on the Sporked site. They top our list of the best Greek salad dressing and came in fourth in our caesar dressing ranking. I shouldn’t be surprised that this is the best raspberry vinaigrette we tried, but I’ve never opted for this brand before, so I didn’t know what to expect. The flavor has the best balance of fresh raspberry and tangy vinaigrette of all the options we picked up. I can already taste the spinach, toasted walnuts, and goat cheese I’d add to this, if I were so inclined. But I’m not mentally prepared to enter another salad phase anytime soon. Maybe try it yourself and let me know what you think?
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Best Sweet
Best Budget
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other raspberry vinaigrette dressings we tried: Ken’s Steak House Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing Lite, Private Selection Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, Specially Selected Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, Wish-Bone Light Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, Great Value Light Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, 365 Vinaigrette Raspberry Organic
