This simple lemon vinaigrette will brighten up any salad! It's just the right amount of punchy and tangy, and only takes five minutes to make. Not to mention, it's super versatile, so you can use it to sauce up your grain bowls, pasta salads, or even for marinating chicken!
Looking for a simple homemade salad dressing recipe to keep in your back pocket? Look no further than this simple lemon vinaigrette to enliven your meals - a tart and tangy lemon dressing that brightens any salad, grain bowl, or pasta salad. I even love drizzling it over roasted veggies, like these herb roasted beets or roasted radishes.
Especially in spring, summer, and fall months that are bountiful with fresh produce, this vinaigrette is exactly the little something needed to make us even more excited about eating all the veggies. Let's make some!
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Ingredients
- Fresh lemons - We'll use lemons as the acidic component of this lemon vinaigrette recipe.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Shallot
- Dijon mustard - Helps to emulsify ingredients.
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Pepper
Please see the recipe card for full details and quantities.
Substitution Ideas
Below are some different ways I've tested this lemon vinaigrette and loved. If you don't have some of the ingredients listed or simply want to change it up, I recommend one of the below ideas!
- Garlic - You could add in a fresh clove of garlic for additional savoriness and bite. If you're not blending the dressing, you'll need to mince the garlic very finely - I LOVE using a microplane to make mincing garlic super easy!
- Sweetener - Feel free to use honey or agave as a sweetener if you don't have maple syrup on hand. Note that if using honey, the vinaigrette would no longer be vegan.
- Creamy - Use mayo instead of Dijon mustard to make a creamier lemon vinaigrette.
When you're done making this recipe, you'll definitely want to try our homemade basil vinaigrette!
How to Make this Lemon Vinaigrette
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a jar that can be sealed tightly (such as Weck jars or mason jars). Secure the lid on the jar.
Step 2: Shake the jar vigorously until the ingredients are well combined, then serve on your favorite salad!
Success Tips
Here are some of my favorite tips for making this vinaigrette as easy and delicious as possible:
- Lemon squeezer - My family bought me this lemon squeezer for Christmas a few years ago (see image below!), and it is in my top five kitchen tools because we use lemons so much! It does an amazing job of extracting as much juice as possible from each lemon without needing to give it a death squeeze with your hands and getting sticky juice everywhere. Highly recommend!
- Blender method - If you don't mind cleaning out your blender, you can also blend the ingredients together to achieve an even smoother consistency (and you can also skip dicing your shallot or garlic when doing this method).
- Go beyond salads - This vinaigrette recipe is truly all-purpose and can be served with more than just salads! I highly recommend trying it in this late summer veggie pasta salad, in grain bowls, as a chicken marinade, or on roasted veggies.
FAQ
If you made this lemon salad dressing in a jar, you can just leave any leftovers in there, seal it up and store it in the fridge. Shake the jar again just before serving.
Lemon vinaigrette is SO versatile. I recommend serving it with any salad, roasted veggies, salmon, pasta salad, grain bowls, or even in these marinated white beans. You can also use it as a marinade - it's particularly delicious with chicken!
Pairing
Looking for ways to use up your lemon vinaigrette?
Did you make this simple lemon vinaigrette? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!
Print📖 Recipe
Bright and Sunny Simple Lemon Vinaigrette
This simple lemon vinaigrette bright, sunny and versatile. Use it in veggie salads, pasta salads, grain salads, or as a fish/meat marinade.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
- Category: Salad Dressing
- Method: Shake in Jar
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh juice from lemons (usually 2-4 lemons, depending on how juicy)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ small shallot, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (whole grain or regular both work)
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add to jar. Add all ingredients to a jar that can be sealed tightly (I love Weck or mason jars), and seal the lid.
- Shake. Shake the jar vigorously to combine the ingredients.
Notes
- Blender method. If you want a smoother consistency, you can also blend the ingredients together. When I don't feel like cleaning a blender (which is usually :)), I opt for a jar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 134
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 178.6 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.5 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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