Balsamic Reduction (Balsamic Glaze)

Want to add sweet and tangy flavor to a salad, appetizer, or side dish? Make this balsamic reduction! You just need 10 minutes and 1 basic ingredient.

Balsamic reduction

Since it’s the season for all things Caprese (find my salad recipe here and my skewer recipe here!), I thought I’d go ahead and share a simple balsamic glaze recipe too. This punchy reduction couldn’t be easier to make, and its sweet and tangy flavor is the perfect accent for seasonal ingredients like basil and tomatoes.

That being said, this balsamic glaze recipe can come in handy at other times of year, too. You can toss it with Brussels sprouts in the fall, drizzle it over roasted acorn squash in the winter, and serve it with ruby red strawberries in the spring. Honestly, once you know how to make a balsamic reduction, you’ll start drizzling it over everything.

How to make balsamic glaze - whisking balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan

How to Make Balsamic Glaze

Here’s the good news: you only need 1 ingredient to make this balsamic glaze recipe! While some recipes call for maple syrup or brown sugar, I find it’s not necessary. Reduced balsamic vinegar is plenty sweet and syrupy on its own.

The other good news? Making this balsamic glaze only takes about 10 minutes.

  • Add 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
  • Then, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often so that the vinegar doesn’t burn, until the vinegar thickens. The exact timing will depend on how thick you want your balsamic reduction to be. Keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools.

That’s it! Making a homemade balsamic glaze couldn’t be simpler.

Caprese skewers with balsamic glaze

How to Use Balsamic Reduction

Use this balsamic glaze anytime you want to give a dish a kick of sweet and tangy flavor. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

How do you like to use balsamic glaze? Let me know in the comments!

Balsamic reduction recipe

More Favorite Dressings and Sauces

If you love this balsamic reduction recipe, try one of these dressings or sauces next:

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Balsamic Reduction (Balsamic Glaze)

rate this recipe:
4.96 from 21 votes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Serves 4
This sweet and tangy balsamic glaze is an easy, delicious topping for roasted or grilled vegetables, bruschetta, pizza, fruit, and more! Find specific serving suggestions in the post above.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Add the vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
  • Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until thick and reduced, about 8 to 12 minutes. The timing will depend on your desired thickness. The balsamic will also thicken as it cools.
  • See the blog post above for serving suggestions.

23 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. rob
    03.15.2024

    will this work with Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.21.2024

      Hi Rob, You need plain balsamic vinegar for this recipe. A vinaigrette has oil in it, which won’t reduce.

  2. Dave G
    10.09.2023

    5 stars
    Easy and effective! Thank you!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      10.13.2023

      Hi Dave, so glad the recipe was helpful!

  3. S Cruz
    06.24.2023

    5 stars
    I give it 5 stars ⭐️

  4. Brad Johnson
    05.24.2023

    5 stars
    I was thinking of this reduction on the plate with fried Sturgeon with an orange glaze on top. What are your thoughts?

  5. Tammie tate
    05.15.2023

    Drizzle it on a wedge salad over the Bleu cheese dressing. The sweetness helps city the butter of the Bleu cheese.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Great suggestion!

  6. Matt
    05.15.2023

    How thick will it get?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi, it will have a lightly syrupy texture. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be. It will thicken more as it cools.

  7. Kathleen
    05.02.2023

    Can you store the leftover reduction sauce? If so for how long?
    Thank you

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.05.2023

      Hi Kathleen, yes! You can keep it in the fridge for about a week.

  8. Lauren
    03.17.2023

    I use it to make fig sauce for pork tenderloin

  9. Tom
    02.28.2023

    5 stars
    Would this also work with malt vinegar?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.03.2023

      Hi Tom, I haven’t cooked with malt vinegar much, so I’m not sure.

  10. Elaine
    11.13.2022

    I cooked for 30 minutes or longer…the balsamic vinegar would not thicken? The liquid reduced to half..or more…same consistency!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.18.2022

      Hi Elaine, Did the reduction thicken at all once it cooled? If the volume decreased by half, it should thicken, as much of the water has been cooked out.

    • Paul Larick
      01.07.2023

      4 stars
      I am thankful for this simple recipe. My first try, great flavor, but it didn’t thicken to my expectations even when the volume was reduced significantly . I used a little, put it in the fridge and just tested – meh. Maybe it has something to do with the quality of the vinegar? – I used a bottle that had been in my cupboard for a while.

  11. Diane
    08.06.2022

    5 stars
    Balsamic vinegarette glaze on top of sourdough avocado toast with burrata cheese tomatoes and raw onions. X. Excellent excellent

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.10.2022

      Sounds so delicious!

  12. Aliseya from aliseya.com
    07.26.2022

    5 stars
    Delicious – the instructions were perfect.

  13. Wendy Oltmanns
    07.23.2022

    5 stars
    So grateful to find a recipe that doesn’t add sugar! Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.25.2022

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! I think balsamic is sweet enough on it’s own.

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.