Lemon Salad Dressing (Lemon Vinaigrette)

Here's an easy-to-make lemon salad dressing that's bright and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Use it to dress up a simple green salad, as a marinade for chicken or fish, or drizzled over your favorite roasted veggies. This versatile lemon vinaigrette uses mostly pantry ingredients, and is ready in just a few shakes!

If you love the bright, fresh taste of lemon, also try our lemon chicken orzo soup or lemon poppyseed banana bread.

This recipe was originally published in 2015. We've updated the post with some new photos and more information, but we've left the delicious recipe the same.

This is one of our favorite homemade dressings because it's tasty, versatile, easy to make, and leftovers store well in the fridge. It will brighten up anything you drizzle it on from green or grain salads, to roasted veggies, chicken and fish dishes, and more.

You'll find this zippy lemon vinaigrette is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of honey and bold depth of flavor from dijon mustard and garlic. Shake it up and store it in your fridge for a delicious dressing you can use all week long!

How to make lemon salad dressing

This versatile lemon vinaigrette recipe is easy to make by following just two simple steps:

1. Add all the ingredients to a 2-cup mason jar. Make sure to tighten the lid.
2. Shake it vigorously for about a minute until it looks creamy. That's it!

Any unused dressing will store well in the fridge for up to 10 days. Give it another good shake before using.

Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this delicious homemade lemon vinaigrette:

• Lemons – fresh is best for all the bright flavor!
• Avocado oil – this neutral-tasting oil makes a great base for dressings. Bonus that it doesn't harden in the fridge like olive oil!
• White vinegar – adds some slightly sweet acidity to balance the lemon.
• Honey – rounds out the tart flavors with a mild sweetness.
• Dijon mustard – for a bold depth of flavor.
• Garlic – the garlic adds its kick.
• Minced chives – herbs make everything better, and here they add a bit of complexity.

Lemon Salad Dressing: FAQS

When to use this lemon vinaigrette

This lemon salad dressing will brighten up simple greens (like our spring mix salad), but there are so many delicious ways to use up this lemon salad dressing. Here are our favorites:

• Drizzled over roasted veggies like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, or brussels sprouts.
• As a marinade for chicken or fish. Try it in place of the Italian dressing in our Italian dressing chicken!
• Use it in place of any of the salad dressings in these recipes:
  • Wheat Berry Salad
  • Spring Mix Salad
  • Italian Potato Salad
  • Grilled Potato Salad
  • Greek Pasta Salad
  • Healthy Breakfast Salad
• Salads with tender leaves like spring mix or arugula, or massaged into heartier greens like kale.

Popular salad dressing recipes

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Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe (Lemon Vinaigrette)

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 0 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

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Here's an easy-to-make lemon salad dressing that's bright and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Use it to dress up a simple green salad, as a marinade for chicken or fish, or drizzled over your favorite roasted veggies. This versatile lemon vinaigrette uses mostly pantry ingredients, and is ready in just a few shakes!

1 cup

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lemons (about ½ cup lemon juice )
• ▢ ½ cup avocado oil (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced chives (optional)

Instructions 

• Add all the ingredients to a 2-cup mason jar.
  2 lemons, ½ cup avocado oil, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon minced chives
  
• Shake it until the dressing begins to look creamy, about 1 minute. Store the dressing in the jar in your fridge for up to 10 days.
  

Notes

We like to use avocado oil in this recipe as it doesn't harden in the fridge. If you choose to use olive oil, you'll need to let the dressing warm to room temperature then shake it well before you use it. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 tablespoon, Calories: 66kcal (3%), Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 7g (11%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 4mg, Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 5IU, Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.