Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette is an easy copycat version of a bottled salad dressing, one you buy from the store. Smoky roasted-pepper flavor and just the right amount of honey sweetness shine in both, but this one’s better—because it’s homemade, with love.
The best thing about making your own vinaigrette is you know exactly what’s in it. It blows my mind to see sugar in almost every bottled dressing on the shelf–Arrrgh‼ Homemade salad dressings rock, especially over tossed lettuce and veggie salads.
Click here to PIN Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette!
Roasted red pepper vinaigrette is super easy to make. You just put everything except the herbs in the blender and whir until smooth. After blending, stir in minced parsley, basil, and/or chives. The little green flecks look cool floating around in the bright orange.
That said, if you wish, you can blend the herbs right in with everything else, it’s up to you. That way you don’t need to mince the herbs so much–the blender does it for you!
I usually use roasted red peppers from a jar. It’s so easy. Given the time, roast and peel your own sweet red peppers for this vinaigrette.
Grill or broil them until they are charred all over. Like in this recipe for roasted poblano peppers. After they’re nice and charred, put them in a covered bowl to sweat just until cool enough to handle. The charred skin should easily peels off. It’s OK if some of the char doesn’t come off—all the better for sweet and smoky roasted red pepper vinaigrette.
The truth is, Robbie takes charge of salads around here. His m-o is to doctor up Newman’s own. He divides the bottle into two bottles and adds V-8 juice, extra virgin olive oil, extra garlic, and dried Italian season to both. Theres’s even a copycat of Robbie’s hack dressing on this blog—Very Herb + Veggie Vinaigrette, which btw is damn delicious.
Normally, I’m in charge of making our salad dressings. Each week, I like to make a different recipe–you know, variety is the spice of life! This homemade roasted red pepper vinaigrette is one that often comes up in my rotation. Isn’t the red-orange color brilliant?
The other salad dressing that frequently makes it into my salad dressing rotation is my creamy White Miso Salad Dressing.
You might also like my copycat version of another of Annie’s dressings, this Sesame Shiitake Vinaigrette. Maple Pecan Vinaigrette is another of my favorite salad dressings.
Recipe idea: You know how kale salads are best when the pieces of kale get massaged first? Instead of salt or lemon juice, get your hands messy and massage your kale with a quarter cup of this dressing and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Another recipe idea using this vinaigrette: Toss some of the dressing with cubes of winter squash and roast in the oven. Like I did for this kale and squash salad!
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Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (copycat recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted red peppers, from a jar, or home-roasted and peeled (see note)
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey, agave syrup, or organic cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, or basil or chives (see note)
Instructions
- Put the peppers, vinegar, water, olive oil, garlic, honey, salt and pepper a blender container and whir until the peppers and garlic are smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if you think it’s needed. Pour into a jar, and stir in parsley and/or basil, and/or chives.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is meant to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on how much you actually use. These number are based on 2 tablespoons of dressing per serving.
*** This is an update of the Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette I posted here way back in October 2016!
This is delicious. I used 8 oz of red pepper because I’m a little obsessed with them. The vinegar taste may have also been too much for me otherwise. My sister and I go through a bottle of the Annie’s roasted red pepper dressing way too fast. We were so excited to make this tonight. Great recipe. Thank you so much! · 16 May, 2016
Kami–I am so happy you like my “copycat” red pepper vinaigrette! Enjoy. I absolutely adore those canned roasted red peppers too. · 17 May, 2016
I am going for the jar of red
peppers too. Will give it a try
tonight. xoxo, PC · 27 October, 2016
I remember you like Annie’s dressings too. Let me know what you think about my copycat! · 27 October, 2016
Thanks Letty. I’m on it. Always making creative dressings from whatever I have on hand but this sounds wonderful. I will substitute coconut aminos for the apple cider vinegar and let you know how it is. Can Robbie coach Ed on making salads every night?? Lol · 27 October, 2016
LOL. Last night he made one with yellow carrots and yellow tomatoes, the last of them around here. This vinaigrette is delicious on tomatoes. · 28 October, 2016
Loved the red pepper and vinaigette dressing. Maybe better than Annies. · 28 October, 2016
Thank you Patricia! I’m so happy you love it! · 30 October, 2016
Thanks Letty. This vinaigrette was really tasty. My family enjoyed it very much. Can’t wait to try the other ones. · 23 May, 2018
Thank you Shweta! I’m glad you like it! · 27 May, 2018
I would like to use this dressing on a pasta salad. Do you think that would be okay? · 6 July, 2018
This red pepper vinaigrette would be delicious on pasta salad. I think it would stick to the pasta better if you stirred in a tablespoon or so of mayonnaise or tahini (sesame butter.) · 6 July, 2018
Thank you Letty – this is delicious! We made exactly as you detailed and honestly, blistering red peppers is great fun! · 1 May, 2020
Thank you!! I am so happy you enjoy this dressing. We love it too, though I confess I almost always use roasted red peppers from a jar! · 1 May, 2020
How long can this be stored in the refrigerator after making?
BTW, my friend used Annie’sRRP dressing as a marinate for grilled chicken thighs…they were so yummy! So glad i found this copy cat! I don’t do unhealthy oil (found in Annie’s). Thank you!!!! · 13 October, 2021
I store it it the fridge about 2 weeks before using it up and it is still bright and tasty. I almost always use roasted red peppers from the jar and they contain citric acid, which supplements the vinegar in the dressing. If you roast your own peppers, I would store in the fridge no more than 5 days. · 17 October, 2021
Loved this recipe! I used jarred red peppers and used the juice from the jar instead of adding the water. · 5 April, 2024
Thank you Leslie! I’m happy you like the recipe. · 10 April, 2024
Really punchy and tasty. Thanks for sharing! · 14 April, 2024
Hi Madli, I’m delighted you enjoyed this salad dressing. Thank you for writing. · 14 April, 2024