Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing goes well with just about every salad and is the most versatile salad dressing to stock in your fridge (that’s what we do!). It’s bright, zippy, and perfectly balanced, making it a crowd-pleaser. Watch my easy video tutorial and you’ll be mixing up a batch in minutes!
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Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe
With fresh ingredients, my homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing tastes so much better than store-bought salad dressing. It makes even basic side salads sparkle, and it’s easy to scale it up or down.
Our friends, Clark and Sara, shared this family recipe with us, and it became an instant hit with our family. Even our kiddos were smitten, calling it, “awesome!” When your six-year-old likes it, it’s a keeper!
I like making homemade condiments, like BBQ Sauce, Pesto, Hummus, and Marinara, because I love knowing exactly what I’m eating (frankly, it tastes better), it’s often cheaper, and surprisingly easy to make.
Lemon Vinaigrette Video
You don’t need a fancy blender to make my lemon vinaigrette dressing, but it certainly makes the process faster! Grab your whisk or immersion blender and let’s get mixing.
Ingredients for Lemon Vinaigrette
Grab these 5 fresh ingredients to make the best lemon vinaigrette dressing. You can also add optional herbs like fresh parsley, chives, cilantro, thyme, or oregano when you have them on hand.
- Olive oil – use a high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which really makes a difference. Here’s Bon Appétit’s guide to buying the best oil.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed from 2 lemons (not the bottled stuff, which can taste flat or bitter).
- Dijon mustard – adds so much flavor and helps emulsify (mix two liquids that don’t usually mix together, like oil and water) the dressing.
- Garlic cloves, salt, and pepper – use fresh minced, grated, or pressed garlic
- Honey – optional, but can help tame the acidity of the lemon. You can also use maple syrup.
How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
Just two steps to a classic lemon vinaigrette dressing:
- Mix – Mix all the ingredients together by shaking in a mason jar, whisking, or using a blender.
- Taste and adjust the ingredients if needed (see the chart below). Store in the fridge in an airtight container, and if the dressing separates in the fridge, shake or whisk to mix.
Natasha’s Pro Tip:
If using a whisk to emulsify, mix all the ingredients except the oil, and then slowly add the oil while whisking. This prevents the oil from clumping into large blobs, so it mixes well.
How to Adjust Lemon Dressing to Taste
This Lemon vinaigrette dressing recipe has the perfect kick for covering salad greens, but the quality and ripeness of the lemons and oils can vary. Taste and then use this chart to adjust the flavor to your tastes.
- Too punchy/lemony? – add more oil or a hint of honey to sweeten
- Not lemony? – add a bit more fresh lemon juice or dijon mustard
- Too salty? – Drizzle in more oil and a bit more lemon juice
- Overpowering garlic? – Add more oil and lemon juice to the dressing
- Separated dressing? – Leave at room temperature for a few minutes and then shake or whisk vigorously. You can also blend for about 10 seconds.
Lemon Vinaigrette Serving Ideas
Easy lemon vinaigrette dressing tastes amazing with nearly any salad and also works as a marinade, dip, or a drizzle over veggies. Here are some of our favorite ways to serve it:
- Salad Dressing: Garden Salad, Wedge Salad, Beet Salad, Greek Salad, Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad, or Pasta Salad
- Over roasted vegetables like Roasted Broccoli, Asparagus, or Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Meat Marinade for Baked Chicken, Roasted Pork Tenderloin, or Grilled Salmon
This will be everyone’s favorite salad dressing! One batch makes 2/3 cup of dressing, so feel free to double it to store in your fridge. It stays fresh for up to a week when refrigerated, with just a little shake before serving. Let me know how you love to serve this amazing lemony dressing.
Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 1/2 to 2 lemons
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, more to taste
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 medium garlic cloves, 1 tsp grated or pressed
- 1/2 tsp honey, or maple syrup, optional to tame acidity
Instructions
- Mix – In a medium bowl with a whisk, combine all of the ingredients except the oil. Whisk until blended and emulsified. While whisking vigorously, slowly put in the oil and whisk until blended and emulsified. You can also shake up the dressing in a mason jar until emulsified and creamy.
- Taste and adjust if needed (see troubleshooting table below). Transfer to a mason jar or an airtight container and refrigerate. If it solidifies or separates in the fridge, leave it out for a bit on the counter, then shake to recombine.
Notes
- Too sharp/ sour? Add more oil if it seems too punchy or lemony. You could also add a hint of honey to sweeten.
- Too mild/ oily? Add a splash more of lemon juice or a bit more Dijon.
- Too salty? Add more oil plus a splash of lemon juice
- Too garlicky? Add more oil and lemon juice
- Dressing Separates? Whisk or shake vigorously or blend for 10 seconds.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Homemade Dressing Recipes
Lemon Vinaigrette is a great homemade dressing to start with, but then try these other fan favorite salad dressing recipes:
- Italian Dressing
- Caesar Dressing
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Avocado Ranch Dressing
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
- Ranch Dressing
- Chimichurri
- Tzatziki
I really dislike the flavor of Dijon mustard. Is there any substitute for it in the recipe for lemon vinaigrette dressing?
Hi Karen. You can use another type of mustard but you’ll want to add it to taste since they can all have very different flavor intensity.
I’ve been making this for years and it’s seriously better than any store bought dressing.
It really is so good!
Is there anything to step substitute the dijon mustard?
Hi Alicia! We always make it with dijon, but feel free to experiment with regular mustard, brown mustard, etc. You may need to adjust the amount of mustard you use, add it to taste.
I served it at yesterday’s dinner and I didn’t like it as well as vinegar based dressing. Also needs more oil. I’ll tinker tonight.
Hi Dave, since this is a lemon vinaigrette, lemon juice is the start ingredient here, but you could replace it with a number of different types of vinegar for different flavor profiles. I’d love to know how you make your go-to vinaigrette.
Hello from Canada! I am excited to make this! How long will it last in the fridge?
Hi Donna! See the storage notes in the recipe card. It will last up to one week, refrigerated. I hope you love it!
Oops sorry about that miss that! I can’t wait to make it.
Thanks Natasha. I. Have a bottle of lemon vinaigrette dressing in my fridge, but will try this one, I’m sure it will be better. Also, have all the ingredients.
I hope you love it, Anne!
How would this be on a Cobb salad? Would it be better on other kinds?
Hi Chelle! It’s very versatile, so I think it would work well.
Simply Delicious 😋 Thank you so much ☺️
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Raquel.
I like the dressing. The difference vs. my usual dressing is lemon juice instead of vinegar.
I hope you give it a try with the lemon juice. It’s such a vibrant flavor.
Thank you Natasha! I can even have this on my low carb diet! It sounds good. EVOO is so good for our health and I use a sugar free version of honey and syrup. Your recipes and channel on my you taste be are at the top of my list and I cook for my family that don’t eat keto!! I just made your chicken pot pie soup for them last night!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Delicious and easy with no added emulsifiers
Yes! I love that also and it gets perfectly creamy when you shake it up. The dijon acts as an emulsifier here and adds so much great flavor.
I add cumin to this, and it is the best dressing ever
Thats interesting and I’ll have to try it next time I whip up a batch of lemon vinaigrette. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness! Hi from Clarks mom! I was so pleased and excited to see my recipe on your blog! Coming from So Cal where we had lemons by the bucket, moving up to Idaho where, sadly, citrus does not do well, haha. I had to actually BUY lemons, oh the horror! I buy in the bulk from US Chefs, squeeze and freeze in 3 cup containers. I then thaw when needed and make a large batch that I keep in the spare fridge and use as needed. Love your recipes, and love that you know Clark and Sara!
Hi! Great to hear from you! Yes, they are great friends of ours. My husband and I worked out with Clark at the gym this morning! That is such a smart strategy with the lemons. My in-laws grow lemons in California and it’s such a treat when we can get a big box of lemons from them.