Lively Lemon Vinaigrette
This Lively Lemon Vinaigrette will brighten up any type of salad, but it’s the perfect complement to my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad or my Strawberry Feta Salad (recipes coming soon). This dressing is wonderfully tangy, using fresh lemon juice, garlic, herbs, honey, Dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil. This quick and easy salad dressing recipe can be made in only 5 minutes, and can easily be made vegan.
For easy entertaining, make it ahead of time. This healthy and delicious salad dressing will liven your taste buds with its zesty lemon flavor! To learn how to make this lemon vinaigrette recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations including vegan, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
LIVELY LEMON VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients
Instructions
- Using a citrus juicer, squeeze lemon juice.
- To a Mason jar (12 ounce), add lemon juice, olive oil, pink Himalayan fine salt, white pepper, basil, honey (or superfine sugar), Dijon mustard, and 1 pressed garlic clove. Cover tightly with lid, and shake vigorously until emulsified.
- Pour over your favorite salad, and enjoy. It’s delicious on my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad or my Strawberry Feta Salad (recipes coming soon)!
Notes
- Recipe can be made ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For Make Ahead Instructions and recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section for this recipe in my Blog Comments & Tips on the website.
- Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd.
- Makes about ⅔ cup (10 servings, 1 tablespoon per serving).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
67.23Fat (grams)
7.23 gSat. Fat (grams)
0.99 gCarbs (grams)
0.99 gFiber (grams)
0.06 gNet carbs
0.93 gSugar (grams)
0.49 gProtein (grams)
0.07 gSodium (milligrams)
61.19 mgCholesterol (grams)
0 mgNutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Note: I opted not to use the citrus Champagne vinegar for the main recipe, as I wanted this to be a pure lemon vinaigrette. Visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below for the recipe variation that includes this Champagne vinegar.
STEP 1
Using a citrus juicer, squeeze ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice.
STEP 2a
To a Mason jar (12 ounce), add lemon juice, ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan fine salt (or to taste), ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper (or to taste), ¼ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon honey (or superfine sugar), ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, and 1 pressed garlic clove.
STEP 2b
Cover tightly with lid, and shake vigorously until emulsified.
Note: I used an 8 ounce Mason jar for these photos. As you can see in the photo below, there was very little room left in the jar. I recommend using a 12 ounce Mason jar for this recipe.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Pour over your favorite salad, and enjoy. It’s delicious on my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad or my Strawberry Feta Salad (recipes coming soon)!
Notes:
Recipe can be made ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For Make Ahead Instructions and recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd.
Makes about ⅔ cup (10 servings, 1 tablespoon per serving).
VIDEO
How to Make this Lively Lemon Vinaigrette!
Blog Comments & Tips
A bright & lively vinaigrette!
This Lively Lemon Vinaigrette is terrific on almost any type of salad. With the exception of the acidity from the lemon, it’s very neutral in flavor. Lemon vinaigrette is one of my favorite salad dressings, and it pairs well with almost any cuisine from American to Asian, and from Greek to French salads.
I originally created this dressing for my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (recipe coming soon). This vinaigrette is so bright and lively that I’ve used it on a variety of salads and appetizers. It tastes amazing on a strawberry salad (my Strawberry Feta Salad is coming soon), and would pair well with vegetables, too!
Cold asparagus with vinaigrette was a common dish my parents made as a first course for dinner. They steamed asparagus, and shocked it in ice water to retain its color. They refrigerated the asparagus until about 30 minutes before serving. They would make a wonderful vinaigrette and gently toss it with the asparagus. This Lively Lemon Vinaigrette is wonderfully tangy and would be perfect with asparagus. As a nice change from a salad, asparagus with vinaigrette also makes a nice appetizer (first course) when you are entertaining.
This quick and easy salad dressing recipe can be made in only 5 minutes, and can easily be made vegan. For Make Ahead Instructions for entertaining a crowd, and to learn how to make it vegan, visit the Pimp My Recipe section below for details.
My Lively Lemon Vinaigrette is a heart healthy choice for salad dressing. It’s also keto, gluten free, dairy free, and absolutely delicious!
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 3 tips to make this Lively Lemon Vinaigrette:
Use fresh organic lemons. To get the best flavor, the lemon juice must be freshly squeezed. Do NOT use bottled lemon juice.
Make sure to use a great quality extra virgin olive oil.
To make it easy when you are entertaining, make this dressing ahead of time. You can make it the night before and refrigerate, which will allow the flavors to meld for a delicious dressing.
It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Even More Lemony: Add ¼ teaspoon of fresh lemon zest.
Make it Less Acidic: To balance out the acidity, just add a little more honey (or superfine sugar for vegan option), if needed (taste test first).
Make it Slightly Less Lemony: Champagne vinegar adds a lovely flavor to this salad dressing. Instead of ⅓ cup of lemon juice, replace it with 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons citrus Champagne vinegar. It’s delicious and still very lemony!
Make it Vegan: Replace the honey with ½ teaspoon of superfine sugar. Start with ½ teaspoon, and shake all the ingredients together. Taste for sweetness, and add another ½ teaspoon, if needed. Substituting with sugar gives this dressing a cleaner flavor, but you can also use ½ teaspoon of pure maple syrup. However, keep in mind that maple syrup will alter the flavor of the vinaigrette.
Make Ahead for Entertaining: For the freshest flavor, make the recipe the night before, shake vigorously, as directed, and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Be sure to remove from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before using to allow the oil to come to room temperature. Also, shake well just prior to serving.
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Prep My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to use fresh squeezed lemon juice for this recipe.
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