Julia Child’s French Vinaigrette Is the Only Salad Dressing You’ll Ever Need

Queen Julia delivers yet again.

By
Sara Haas
Sara Haas
Sara Haas RDN, LDN, is a food and nutrition expert with formal training in the culinary arts. She works as a freelance writer, recipe developer, media authority, public speaker, and consultant dietitian/chef. Sara has over 20 years of experience as a registered and licensed dietitian. She has also been a professional chef for 15 years and a food photographer for 10 years.
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Published on 01/14/24
Salad dressing being poured from a small glass jar onto a romaine salad with sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes in a white bowl

Sara Haas

There’s no recipe as simple and that yields consistently perfect results as Juila Child’s French vinaigrette. Even if you’re a self-proclaimed “terrible cook,” you can make it. It’s packed with flavor and is perfect for salad, of course, but it can be used in plenty of other ways, too. Here’s why Child’s recipe is the only vinaigrette recipe you’ll ever need.

A Culinary School “A-Ha!” Moment

When I first started culinary school I had a huge salad habit. Not because I was a Registered Dietitian or because I loved salads necessarily, but of how quickly and efficiently I could make them. This was important because while I was in culinary school, I was also working a full-time job. 

I’d show up to school at 5 am and then head to work straight from class. Salads were easy to pack, traveled well, and I could eat them fast. It was the perfect meal, and I’d gotten used to dropping $5 for my favorite bottled dressing at the store. But everything changed once I learned how to make my own vinaigrette.

Like Julia Child, I went to a French culinary school where I learned all the French cooking techniques. Some things were lost on me (when will I ever make a terrine?), but others “clicked,” like how to make a vinaigrette. I’ll never forget my shock and amazement (I imagine that’s how Child felt too) when I was able to turn simple ingredients into a delicious dressing. There’s truly no replacement. 

Just Like Julia

Besides being an entertaining and lovely human, Julia Child was an excellent teacher. Her cookbooks are proof of that. You can open “The French Chef Cookbook” to any page and feel confident thanks to her clear instruction. Her French vinaigrette is a great example. It’s simple, requires minimal prep and zero cooking. It’s as easy as combining finely minced shallot with Dijon mustard, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and pepper in a jar, sealing it, and then shaking it “with great vigor” (her fantastic words). 

The vinaigrette ingredients: vinegar, half a lemon, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, oil, and shallot

Sara Haas

Julia Child’s French Vinaigrette Recipe

Makes about 1/2 cup


Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, or a combination of vinegar and lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dry or Dijon mustard, optional
6 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon minced shallots or scallions


  1. Beat the vinegar or vinegar and lemon juice, salt, and optional mustard in a large salad bowl with a whisk until the salt is dissolved.
  2. Beat in the oil slowly until fully combined.
  3. Beat in the pepper and shallots or scallions and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Alternatively, you can combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously to blend.


Adapted from "The French Chef Cookbook" by Julia Child, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1968.

Salad dressing in a small glass jar with a salad in the background

Sara Haas

The Versatility of a Classic Vinaigrette

Of course you can enjoy Child’s French vinaigrette on a beautiful green salad, but it can also be used in many other ways. One of my favorite uses is as a marinade for chicken. I’ll typically double the recipe and use half for the marinade, and the remaining half as a dressing. 

The vinaigrette is also delicious as a condiment for sandwiches and wraps, and adds perfect flavor to roasted potatoes and vegetables, especially when tossed together right after the veggies come out of the oven. Finally, I love drizzling it over grilled fish, seafood, poultry or pork, for the perfect finishing touch. 

The bottom line? Skip the bottled stuff and make your own vinaigrette, specifically Julia Child’s French vinaigrette. It comes together quickly and adds the perfect hit of brightness and acidity to everything from salad to grilled fish. It’s French “cooking” at its finest — thanks Julia!