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How to make homemade Balsamic Glaze or reduction in minutes with just one ingredient!
Balsamic glaze (also known as balsamic reduction) is so easy to make in your very own kitchen. Balsamic vinegar cooks down and transforms into a much-loved condiment you can drizzle over anything. Chicken, fish, salad, pasta, bruschetta, steak, vegetables, fruit – the options are endless!
Turn any regular dish into something restaurant quality with a rich balsamic glaze.
Why This Recipe Works
With a perfect balance of sweet and tangy, balsamic glaze adds a deep, rich colour and flavour to any recipe. Whether you pop it on a Caprese Salad with Avocado or drizzle it over Italian Herb Bruschetta, it elevates every dish it touches. Make a large batch and store it in the refrigerator for when the craving hits. Once you try it, you’ll be adding this reduction to everything you cook!
Ingredients
- Balsamic Vinegar: When reduced, it thickens and intensifies in flavor, offering a sweet and sour balance that enhances various dishes.
- Sugar: Adding sugar accelerates the reduction process and imparts additional sweetness.
Note: For full list of ingredients and measurements see recipe card at the bottom.
How To Make Balsamic Vinegar
- Add Sugar If adding sugar, combine both into the pot and heat together.
- Heat balsamic vinegar in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat.
- Boil, then reduce heat to medium-low & let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar thickens and is reduced to about ½ cup (20 minutes). If simmering with sugar, it will take about 8-10 minutes to reduce.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before serving (about 15 minutes). It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
You can put my Balsamic Glaze on Caprese Stuffed Avocado, Stuffed Mushrooms, Caprese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken or even Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Recipe FAQ’s
Balsamic glaze is a thick, syrupy reduction made from balsamic vinegar and sugar. It’s sweet, tangy, and perfect for drizzling over savory or sweet dishes.
Yes, you can reduce balsamic vinegar on its own. It will be slightly less sweet, but still thick and flavorful.
I don’t recommend it, freezing will likely change its texture. Store in the fridge instead.
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Balsamic Glaze (Reduction)
Ingredients
- 2 cups balsamic vinegar good quality
- 1/2 cup brown sugar optional
Instructions
- Heat balsamic vinegar in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat. *If adding sugar, combine both into the pot and heat together.
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar thickens and is reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.*If simmering with sugar, it will take about 8-10 minutes to reduce.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before serving (about 15 minutes).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made homemade pizza, I did a Caprese pizza. After I took it out of the oven I finished it off by Drizzling this over the top! It was amazing and now I have a great Balsamic Glaze/Reduction on hand!
Thanks for the help
I used an inexpensive store brand balsamic and it took much longer to reduce. In the end it still tasted pretty good, but next time I’ll use a much higher quality to start with.
These are the most delicious, yummy brussels sprouts EVER. I can eat the whole batch for dinner. Going to share for Thanksgiving..Guess will have to double the recipe!
Is the cooking time the same for using honey?
Honey is more liquid than brown/dry sugar so I assume/educated guess it would take the 20 minutes stated for vinegar as it is 🙂
It’s just delicious
How long can you store in the fridge and can you reheat it please?
Doesn’t need refrigerated. The high acid content of vinegar keeps it from spoiling. We have a bottle of high quality Italian commercial glaze that we opened about 6 years ago and some some of it is still sitting on a shelf in the cabinet. Since it was aged 6 years before it was sold, another 6 years of aging might be making it better.
I read on google that it keeps in the fridge for a month. Back of the fridge is better than the door to keep it cold as possible. And I can’t see why it wouldn’t reheat, best to use a small pan/low heat to stop it burning, and adding a touch of water would help with the burning issue too 🙂
For up to 1 month in a tightly covered glass jar and yes you can reheat it
This was soooo good. Did not add any sugar. Incredibly easy. We used it to drizzle over our blue cheese dressing on a salad. Totally calms the blue cheese. Can’t wait to try it on other dishes.
Perfect! I had just ordered a pizza and was thinking how good it would be a nice drizzle. This was fast and easy and just what I needed.
This has always been my go-to condiment to put on a pizza with some dried Italian herbs. Simply amazing!
Thank you! I used the brown sugar because I wanted balsamic glazed brussel sprouts but my family is less into vinegar than I am. The glaze was such a hit my 9 year old added it to his salmon, too!
Thank you so much for posting this! I made it tonight using about 1/3 cup of “Truvia’s Brown Sugar Blend” and it turned out great!
Worked perfect! I made it without added sugar as I lean more towards tart flavors.