Lemon Vinaigrette
Homemade lemon vinaigrette is far superior to store-bought salad dressings! Fresh lemon shines in this simple recipe using basic ingredients.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 12, 2024
Homemade lemon vinaigrette is one of the most versatile salad dressings! Today, I’m sharing my go-to lemon dressing recipe for all of your salad needs. It’s light and lively, and goes with nearly any salad.
Lemon juice shines in this simple recipe using basic, high quality ingredients. No store-bought salad dressing can compete with these vibrant, freshly-squeezed flavors.
To make this lovely dressing, you’ll need just five basic ingredients. Fresh lemons and garlic are key—please no pre-squeezed juice or pre-minced garlic here. You’ll also need extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and honey or maple syrup. The Dijon mustard rounds out the flavor and helps emulsify the ingredients so they stay blended together.
This dressing yields enough for six generous side salads and keeps in the refrigerator for up to ten days. I’ve enjoyed this dressing for years and know you will, too!
How to Serve Lemon Vinaigrette
Lemon vinaigrette is one of my go-to dressings throughout the year. This dressing recipe relies entirely on lemon juice for its acidity. Technically, you could call it a citronette since it’s vinegar free, but this oil-based dressing is similar in flavor and mouthfeel to a classic vinaigrette.
Any green is fair game but I tend to use this dressing with more mild lettuces, including Bibb lettuce, spring greens and baby arugula. Lemon vinaigrette goes well with all fresh fruits, and any salad-friendly nut or cheese.
In summary, lemon vinaigrette is quite versatile. Here’s a short list of flavors that go particularly well with this dressing:
- Apple
- Broccoli
- Carrot
- Chickpeas
- Citrus, including grapefruit and orange
- Cucumber
- Farro
- Fennel
- Feta and goat cheese
- Lentils
- Pear
- Radish
- Strawberries
- Sunflower seeds
- Wild rice
Watch How to Make Lemon Dressing
Salads Featuring Lemon Vinaigrette
The following salads on Cookie and Kate feature lemon vinaigrettes tailored to each recipe.
- Arugula and Wild Rice Salad with Zippy Lemon Dressing
- Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Radish and Herbs
- Lemony Roasted Broccoli, Arugula & Lentil Salad
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad
- Vibrant Orange & Arugula Salad
Please let me know how your lemon salad dressing turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you. If you find yourself on a homemade dressing kick, be sure to check out more salad dressings here.
Lemon Vinaigrette
Homemade lemon vinaigrette is far superior to store-bought salad dressings! Fresh lemon shines in this simple recipe using quality ingredients. Recipe yields ¾ cup.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until blended.
- Season generously with black pepper and adjust to taste by adding more honey if the dressing tastes too tart. This dressing keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 10 days. (The olive oil tends to solidify in the refrigerator, which is normal. Let the dressing warm to room temperature for 5 minutes or microwave it for about 10 seconds before using.)
Notes
Recipe adapted from the Liquid Gold salad dressing in my cookbook, Love Real Food.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup, not honey.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Happy Thanksgiving Kate! This is my go to salad dressing recipe and it’s from your wonderful cookbook…Love Real Food. It’s quick and easy to make and stores well. Everyone in the family love it too! Thank you for sharing such healthy and delicious recipes! Enjoy the holiday!
Thanks so much, Deborah! I’m delighted to hear it!
Silly question – would it be okay to use coconut sugar or regular sugar instead of honey?
This looks so gorgeously golden yellow! Been binge-reading your posts since yesterday and I’m so amazed by how beautiful all the pictures are! You should watermark them! Every picture of yours is a piece of art! ♥
Thanks so much for the compliments, Sayali! Sure, you could use granulated sugar. You may need to whisk it for a while until the sugar dissolves. I love the extra flavor that honey or maple syrup provides, but the other options would be nice as well.
Thank you Kate for your lovely lemon vinaigrette dressing recipe which I made for my luncheon salads this week. Delicious. I didn’t change a thing!
Delighted to hear it! Thank you for letting me know.
Echoing what Deborah said, this is my go-to. I have the recipe memorized:). Eating it on mixed greens right now!
Love it! Thank you, Molly!
Loved the lemon vinaigrette dressing. I put it on green beans one night and salad the next. I used the full 2 tablespoons of honey. I didn’t use the full 1/3 cup of lemon juice. I measured out 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and that was perfect and not overly lemony. 1/3 cup would have been 6 tablespoons. Will definitely make again. Love all your recipes Kate!
Thank you, Mindi! So glad you enjoyed this one.
Hi
This recipe is delicious! I am always on the hunt for easy to prepare and tasty dressings to make eating interesting. And this one most definitely does not disappoint. Thank you Kate. ❤️
Thank you, Leanne! I love making homemade salad dressings and have a couple more recipes coming up soon. They make all the difference!
Hi Kate – What a delicious and versatile lemon vinaigrette! I used garlic powder in place of fresh garlic because I didn’t want it to be too garlicky for the salad I was making, but next time I’ll make it with fresh garlic cloves.
I love all your recipes and your salt, spice/heat, and garlic are always just right for our tastes. Thank you for sharing your talents! Happy Holidays!!!
Thank you so much, JoNell! I’m really happy to hear that. :)
I tried the lemon vinaigrette dressing and it was fabulous! I added some crushed ginger – about 1/4 tsp. The salad was a hit at a pot luck. Thanks for the recipe!
Great idea! I’m glad everyone enjoyed this dressing.
So happy with this dressing, easy fast to make and very handy to have in the fridge. ❤️
Thanks so much, Olivia!
Love this vinaigrette, very fresh tasting and a little change from other vinaigrettes.
Great to hear, Malia!
This is my favorite salad dressing on the planet. I’ve been making it over and over again for months now and never tire of it. My husband love it, too. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Delicious salad dressing! I used maple syrup and added a bit more than the 2T in the recipe. I used it on a salad made with Bibb lettuce, shredded carrots, diced red apple, toasted slivered almonds and craisins. It was very tasty.
Wonderful to hear you loved it, Mindi!
I have to double this recipe so we always have it in the fridge to use. It’s so good and wouldn’t change a thing.
I make almost all my salad dressings due to the unhealthy oils used in pre-made. Can’t wait to see what else you share.
Add some mint to perk it up for summertime.
I love all your salad dressings, and this one is no exception. The lemon makes it taste nice and fresh. Thank you!
Bright, fresh, and so delicious!
Big fan of your site. Delish lemon vinaigrette eh much we put on many things for that lemon brightness (grains hot and cold, tuna salad, etc). Making extra to share with a neighbor ❣️
Hi Kate :)
I’m curious if I can substitute flaxseed oil instead of olive oil for this recipe?
Hi Jessica, yes you can use that. Flaxseed oil shouldn’t be heated, so using it in a salad dressing works.
Awesome thanks for tip!
This dressing is AWESOME!! So easy to make and somehow makes every salad taste restaurant-worthy. Totally obsessed—thank you!!
This is so simple and so good. I’ve made this countless times. Today’s salad was Kale, Lentils, olives, feta, sliced almonds and radish. This dressing is PERFECT.
good recipe after I reduced lemon juice by about 1/3. 1 part oil to 1 part juice is way too much-
This lemon vinaigrette recipe was a breeze to make and so delicious! It seemed so simple that I was tempted to add some dried herbs, but I followed the recipe precisely and it is – simply wonderful! A real bright citrus flavor and just enough honey, salt, garlic, and pepper to balance out the lemon! We loved the dressing on a salad of arugula, grated Parmesan, fresh cherry tomatoes and pistachios. Yum!
Kathryne,
Can you substitute garlic powder for the garlic cloves? If so, what would the teaspoon ratio be?
Thank you!
Hi Gina, you can use 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder for garlic cloves with substituting.
Love love love this dressing. Ty