And I found one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy all those fresh veggies is to drizzle them with a generous amount of homemade Lemon Vinaigrette. It’s incredible how much it brightens up their flavor. The beauty of making your own fresh lemon salad dressing is the control you have over the quality of ingredients. Many store-bought dressings contain hidden ingredients and additives I do not want in my diet. It also makes a wonderful addition to my homemade vinaigrette dressing recipes. Much like my Chili Lime Vinaigrette, Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette, Greek Yogurt Dressing, Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette, Maple Dijon Vinaigrette, and Tahini Yogurt Sauce, this easy and simple Lemon Vinaigrette recipe is made with 6 ingredients in under 5 minutes – that’s much faster than a trip to the grocery store!
Ingredients
Lemon olive oil dressing is made with just that – olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. A little note on the quality of the ingredients:
Lemon Juice: For the best vinaigrette recipe, use freshly squeezed lemon juice from the fresh fruit rather than the bottled variety found in most supermarkets. This will provide the most natural flavor and acidity. Lemon juice concentrate is controlled to provide a certain level of acidity and flavor – they sometimes contain added preservatives, too. Purchase lemons a half dozen at a time (organic, if possible) and store the remainder for up to 2 weeks in your fridge. Olive Oil: For quality and flavor, it’s best to purchase a single origin, cold-pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil packaged in a dark bottle (olive oil doesn’t like light) (Source). Read the label to discover the country – or countries – of origin, the harvest date and to make sure it is “extra virgin” (if the label reads pure, light or just olive oil, those are not extra virgin). Look for certifications from the NAOOA (North American Olive Oil Association) or IOC (International Olive Council).
How To Make Lemon Vinaigrette
All you need is a small bowl and a whisk (or a mason jar) to make this easy lemon juice dressing. Simply: Shake, Shake, Shake! Place all the ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar and either use a small whisk to whisk until emulsified or seal the jar tight and shake for 30-60 seconds until smooth and silky. Now the dressing is ready for salads such as Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Chickpea Tuna Salad, vegetables, meat, breaded fish and more!
How To Store
If you prepare the simple lemon dressing in a mason jar, you are already halfway there! Simply label and date and store the vinaigrette in the same jar you mixed it in for up to 5 days in the fridge. Keep in mind it might lose some of its bright flavors over time. Since most store-bought salad dressings are made with manufactured oils, the use of Extra Virgin Olive Oil offers the best in flavor! This homemade lemon salad dressing is also Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Keto, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Whole30!
Variations for the recipe
This lemon salad dressing is simple enough as is, but there are a few ways we can dress it up even more:
Lemon Zest: Add ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest before you slice and juice the lemon. Without Oil (Oil-free salad dressing): Although olive oil is an important ingredient, if you want a basic lemon sauce without the fat, simply omit the oil. With Water: For a citrus juice dressing that is less acidic, add 2 Tablespoons of room-temperature filtered water to dilute the lemon juice’s acidity. Adjust the seasoning as necessary. Basic: Omit the garlic and Dijon mustard and make a basic lemon dressing with olive oil, water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper (follow the directions for using water in the notes above). Fresh Herbs: Add 1 teaspoon of any minced fresh herb, such as rosemary, oregano, thyme or parsley for a fun, Mediterranean twist. With Honey or Maple Syrup: Add ½ – 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup for a hint of natural sweetness.
If you make this Lemon Salad Dressing recipe, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute to rate it and leave a comment below. It is a great way to support this website and help those planning to make it. Also, if you took pictures, I’d love to see them. Share your creations on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them with the Foolproof Living community.
Red Wine Vinaigrette
Pesto Vinaigrette
Maple Dijon Dressing
This Recipe is: This recipe was originally published in March 2020. It has been updated with a quick video and some additional helpful information in July 2020. No changes made to the original recipe.
