I’m a cheapskate and basically lazy. While developing a recipe for slow cooker lentil soup, I decided to finish it with balsamic glaze. That’s basically a concentrated form of balsamic vinegar.
One on-line lentil soup recipe had linked to what I thought would be an easy recipe. No such luck. Instead, it went to expensive store-bought versions.
Now, I do splurge on food items to be sure. My stash of artisan chocolates, exotic cheeses, and liqueurs are ample evidence of that.
But this glaze is basically just reduced balsamic vinegar. There is no way I was going to spend $7-$15 a bottle for bit of syrup to add at the end of a soup recipe. Plus, why interrupt my soup-making to search for the glaze when balsamic vinegar is one of my pantry staples.
After searching online, I concluded that no one source adequately described the process. So I wrote it up myself, with cautions on what not to do, as well as advice on cleaning equipment and storing the balsamic glaze once you’re done.
First of all, what is balsamic glaze and how can you use it?
Dark balsamic vinegar (as opposed to white balsamic) is rich and lovely as an ingredient in salad dressing. After a semester in Italy, my son introduced me to strawberries dipped in good balsamic vinegar. He also explained that Italians often drink a spoonful after a meal as a digestif or digestive. Getting a bit fancier, balsamic vinegar is a flavorful base for a sweetened syrup that goes well with strawberries, blueberries, peaches and ice cream. If you’ll pardon the awful photos (I promise to substitute improved photos next summer), my recipe for “Balsamic Blueberry Blast” is quite tasty.
The best balsamic vinegars are aged and some of them can be pricey. But you can find inexpensive or moderately priced brands that are quite satisfactory. The region of Modena in Italy produces some of, if not all of, the most highly prized balsamic vinegars and if you look at bottles of balsamic from that region, they have a stamp indicating that origin.
Balsamic glaze is typically unsweetened. Some recipes do include a bit of sugar or honey, but I find that addition unnecessary. Often called balsamic reduction or reduced balsamic vinegar, it has a syrupy consistency.
Perfect for drizzling on vegetables or brushing on fish or poultry before cooking, the glaze is also great in a marinade when you want a stronger balsamic flavor than the plain vinegar provides. Adding a tablespoon or two of balsamic glaze enhances the flavor of soups, especially lentil, split pea or other dark bean-based soups or chilis.
To see how easy it is to make balsamic glaze, check out the video:
Five Tips for Making No Sugar-Added Balsamic Glaze
- Equipment – Use a saucepan with round sides and a whisk to help keep the vinegar moving in the pan while it condenses. The pan should heat evenly – heavy materials do that best. Avoid cast iron because acidic substances such as vinegar can take off the seasoning that you work hard to build up on a cast iron pan.
- Be attentive while cooking the vinegar down – This is a quick process requiring constant stirring. A few moments answering a text or checking emails could lead to a burnt mess. As the vinegar reduces, it needs to stay at a low simmer. Don’t let the vinegar get to a rolling boil!
- Know what you’ll do with the glaze once it is ready – The glaze is sticky when it’s done and stays viscous (so you can drizzle it) only while it’s warm. Choose a heat-proof container to store the excess or the full amount if you’re making it ahead of time. I used a glass container, then warmed the glaze in the microwave before using it.
- The vinegar reduces in volume by a half – Start with a minimum of 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. That amount, when reduced, makes 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of glaze.
- The glaze is strong and sweet – The taste is complex and deep, very intense. Use it sparingly, starting with less than you think you want and tasting before adding more. The photo below shows balsamic vinegar before and after cooking. (Compare the light vinegar on the walls of the container to the right with the thicker residue from the finished glaze on the left. Yes, I know it’s confusing that the before is on the right and the after on the left, when the photo before is the reverse. Sorry about that. )
Sugar-free Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (dark, not white balsamic)
Instructions
- Put the vinegar in a small,heavy pan with sloping sides.
- Under a medium-low light, slowly bring the vinegar to a simmer. Whisking constantly, keep it at a low simmer until the volume is reduced by half and the balsamic starts to thicken. The entire process takes about 10 minutes from the time you heat the pan until the balsamic is reduced to a syrupy glaze.
- Remove the reduced vinegar from the heat and pour into a heat-proof container for storage or use immediately.
Recipe Notes
Refrigerate unused glaze and warm before using it.
Kim - Liv Life says
Truly a recipe everyone should have, don’t you agree?? And I’m with you, something I would have a hard time buying when I knew I could make something so divine myself, and with not much work. A must for every kitchen!
Laura says
Kim – a kindred spirit! It’s so easy that you can make it every time you need it or think it might add a little zip to a soup or other dish.
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says
I love balsamic vinegar…I have a whole cabinet of different types of flavors. I’m a little over the top, I will admit. Can’t wait to try your glaze!
Laura says
Thanks Michelle. It’s so easy to make vinegar into glaze. If you try with different vinegars, let me know which one you like best and what the differences are.
Vivian Parramore says
I would like to try this but I want Spenda used in it. Can I do this and can you tell me the little amount I would need. Thank you so much.
Laura says
Vivian, Thanks for stopping by. I’m not sure why you would want to use Splenda – the recipe only calls for balsamic vinegar, no sugar at all. It’s simply a glaze made by reducing the balsamic vinegar. (Some balsamic glaze recipes do use sugar, but not this one.)
Sheryl says
Why only a half a cup. Is that for one serving only after reduced? You can’t make more st a time and store?
Laura says
A half cup is enough for making a dish that serves several people. If you want to make more and store any remaining glaze in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container, that’s a great idea. It should last at least several weeks.
Lyndsey says
Hi there, thanks for this! I started keto this week. It is keto friendly, isn’t it? The original balsamic vinegar; does it contain carbs/sugar? Thanks in advance.
Laura says
I’m not on the keto diet and I’m no expert in it. From a bit of online research, I did determine that balsamic vinegar does have carbs and that it matters for keto which type of balsamic vinegar you use. But in general, this glaze, without added sugar, seems OK for keto if you use the right type of balsamic vinegar. Check these sources, but again, I’m not expert and you should probably check with a medical/nutrition professional for keto requirements: https://tasteinsight.com/how-many-carbs-in-balsamic-vinegar/ https://perfectketo.com/finding-hidden-carbs-ketogenic-diet/
Alan says
my balsamic vinegar has 2g carbs but it also has 2g sugar but that is still only 4 carbs it is LaRomanella
Laura says
Hmm – my Kirkland balsamic has 6g of sugar, but all from the fruit – no added sugar.
Christine says
If the label shows 2g of carbs and 2g of sugar, it has 2g of carbs, not 4g. The breakdown below the “Total Carbohydrate” number simply tells you where the carbs come from. LaRomanella balsamic vinegar has 2g of carbs total in 1 TBSP, it does not have added sugar, the sugar is from the grapes. Note that this is for nutrition labels in the USA, some other countries do it differently.
Jared says
You call this “sugar free” but you’ve got to be careful. Most balsamic (nearly all sold in the USA) has added sugar already in the vinegar. If not for the sugar it’d never thicken.
Laura says
My balsamic does not contain any added sugar. Although it has 6 grams of sugar, all of that comes from the fruit. The ingredients read “cooked and concentrated grape must, red wine vinegar.” to avoid any confusion, I changed the reference to “no sugar added.”
Jacquelyn Miller says
Thanks for sharing! Just what I was looking for! The confusion over the sugar can be prevented by calling recipes like this “No Sugar Added” vs “Sugar-free” etc. It isn’t sugar-free since the ingredients contain natural sugar. Sugar is sugar – but it is the added sugar (in any form) that should be avoided. 🙂
Laura says
Jacquelyn – Thanks for stopping by and for your helpful distinction between no sugar added and sugar-free.
Christine says
I have 3 brands of balsamic vinegar and none of them have added sugar. Over the years I’ve used many brands from inexpensive to very good quality vinegar and none have ever had added sugar. They all do however, contain natural sugar from the grapes.