This tangy lemon vinaigrette makes a quick and easy marinade or salad dressing!

It’s a homemade vinaigrette with a clean, bright, citrusy flavor. Just a hint of honey and a dash of Dijon brings it all together.

jar of Lemon Vinaigrette

A Fresh And Light Dressing!

  • This flavorful lemon vinaigrette dressing only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes to make!
  • Homemade salad dressing is cost-effective and helps reduce waste. Plus it provides an opportunity to experiment with what’s in the pantry to create new recipes!
  • Whip up this lemon vinaigrette recipe for a last-minute marinade to use on chicken or fish, over roasted or grilled veggies, and to brighten up a salad.
adding ingredients together to make Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients and Variations

The best salad dressings are an emulsification of acid and oil. This lemon vinaigrette recipe has options to switch up different kinds of fats, acids and herbs to use what’s on hand or create a signature dressing for any application!

Oil – Olive oil is light and has a ‘green’ flavor that works great in dressings, but vegetable or canola oil will also work. Depending on the application, walnut, flaxseed, avocado, or almond oils can be experimented with. Get good quality olive oil when it’s on sale.

Lemon – This is the acid part! Fresh lemon juice is always best: a medium-sized lemon will produce about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of zest. Other acids are apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, or rice wine vinegar.

Pro Tip

To get the most juice from a lemon, microwave it for about 20 seconds to warm it up.

Seasonings – Dijon mustard is the classic addition to a vinaigrette, but there is no rule to say don’t experiment with yellow, stone ground, or honey mustard.

Herbs – Oregano is versatile and its flavor makes it a good choice. Other herbs to try are basil, dill, or rosemary.

whisking Lemon Vinaigrette

How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette

  1. Grate the lemon and garlic with a microplane.
  2. Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl (as per the recipe below).
  3. Store in a cruet or mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Serving Suggestions

As A Marinade: Toss lemon vinaigrette with any cuts of meat like beef, chicken, pork, fish, salmon, or shrimp and marinate at least 3 hours before cooking.

As A Salad Dressing: Make a salad pop with flavor by using lemon vinaigrette in a shrimp salad, a tangy Greek salad, a fresh cucumber salad with radishes, or a leafy green strawberry salad. Use it to turn a creamy macaroni salad into a light lemony version, and it would be a delicious addition to this spinach tomato chicken pasta salad or even potato salad!

As A Sauce: Brush over veggies before roasting or grilling – try it on broccolini, mixed vegetables, zucchini, asparagus, or eggplant.

Lemon vinaigrette poured over a fresh garden salad

Storing Lemon Vinaigrette

The lemon vinaigrette should be refrigerated immediately and is best used within three days, or discarded after that time.

Storage Tip

This vinaigrette recipe should only be stored for 2-3 days. If stored longer, there is a risk that the garlic may produce botulism, a serious toxin, and that is not a risk worth taking.

Other Dressings And Sauces To Try

jar of Lemon Vinaigrette
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Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

Lemon vinaigrette is a simple, sweet and zesty dressing that is so easy to make and incredibly versatile.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Holly

Ingredients  

  • 1 lemon zest and juice
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • cup olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Using a Microplane grater, zest 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Cut the lemon in half and juice 2 tablespoons.
  • Grate the clove of garlic, using the microplane grater.
  • Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and remaining ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine, or to a reusable cruet or mason jar with a lid and shake well to combine.
  • Season with additional salt & pepper to taste.

Notes

  • Refrigerate lemon vinaigrette immediately and kept only for 2-3 days.
  • If stored longer, there is a risk that the garlic, which has extremely low acidity, may produce botulism, a serious toxin.
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Nutrition Information

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Salad
Cuisine American

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