This maple Dijon dressing used to be my go-to when I still lived in Canada, and I do prefer it over honey mustard dressing, but now make the honey version most of the time since maple syrup isn’t produced in Europe. With maple syrup you get more flavour and less sweetness – the darker the syrup, the better. It’s a creamy, very flavourful, low-acid dressing that’s ideal for just about any kind of salad.

Ingredients

• Mustard: choose a good Dijon musard, not German mustard, and absolutely not yellow hotdog mustard. They’re not interchangeable.
• Maple syrup: this should be real, 100% maple syrup. Choose the darkest syrup you can find for the best flavour.
• White wine vinegar: substitute apple cider vinegar if preferred.

Use the maple Dijon vinaigrette on any green salad, or try it with swiss chard salad, chickpea quinoa salad, and a carrot apple salad. It’s very similar to the dressings for those recipes and you can make a bigger batch in advance and keep it in the refrigerator.

Step by Step Photos

Step 1: add all of the ingredients to a bowl (or a jar).

Step 2: whisk or shake very well.

Step 3: the dressing should be fully emulsified, creamy and smooth, when ready.

Step 4: use immediately or keep in a jar until ready to use.

How to Store

Keep the dressing in a sealed container – a lidded glass jar is ideal – in the refrigerator for up to five days. Shake well or whisk again before use. Some olive oil will harden when chilled, so if that happens, leave the dressing out at room temperature for about half an hour before mixing again.

Expert Tips

• Don’t reduce amounts: it might seem like a lot of mustard and maple syrup, but they are right there in the title, and with reduced amounts the dressing will be thin and bland.
• Season to taste: adjust the amount of salt to suit your preference and depending on what you’re using the dressing for.

More Salad Dressing Recipes

White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Avocado Dressing
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Strawberry Vinaigrette