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.
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.
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.
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.
How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette
- Grate the lemon and garlic with a microplane.
- Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl (as per the recipe below).
- 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.
Storing Lemon Vinaigrette
The lemon vinaigrette should be refrigerated immediately and is best used within three days, or discarded after that time.
Other Dressings And Sauces To Try
Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
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.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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