Easy Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2024)

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This lemon vinaigrette salad dressing is bright, zesty, and packed with flavor. It will elevate any salad that you put it on, and you will never go back to any other dressing!

Homemade dressings are the best of the best! I use them on everything, and they are always my first choice. Try out this homemade ranch dressing, this Olive Garden salad dressing, or this fantastic Greek salad dressing!

Easy Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe - The Recipe Critic (1)

What is Lemon Vinaigrette?

This lemon vinaigrette salad dressing adds a light splash of deep and bright flavor to any green salad. I love vinaigrette dressings because instead of creamy, they are thinner and add a lot of flavor to just about anything you put them on. This dressing, in particular, is especially good because it also has a tiny bit of honey in the ingredients. This balances out the tart lemon and makes a delightful taste! This dressing tastes delicious on salads, but you can drizzle it on vegetables as well!

I love making my salad dressings at home because first, they are so easy! I usually have all of the ingredients already to whip it up fresh whenever I want it. The second reason is that I can adjust the ingredients to my liking. Sometimes, I may want a bit stronger lemon flavor and other times, I might want that to be subtle. Either way, I can do that by quickly making it at home in less than 5 minutes!

Ingredients to Make this Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

This recipe uses five simple ingredients, and before you know it, you will be enjoying it on a delicious salad. It doesn’t get much fresher than that! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

  • Olive Oil: I use regular olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil brings a totally different taste.
  • Fresh Lemon Juice: You can use lemon juice from a bottle or freshly squeeze from a lemon. Fresh lemon juice will always have a brighter taste.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: This will add to the base of the salad dressing.
  • Honey: The sweetness of the honey will balance out the acidity of the lemon juice. If you don’t have honey then try using maple syrup instead!
  • Dijon Mustard: This little secret ingredient is what takes this dressing over the top!
  • Salt and Pepper: To taste!

How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette

This salad dressing takes less than 5 minutes to whisk up and pour on your salad! It’s a no-brainer, so get all the ingredients together and make this today!

  1. Whisk: In a small bowl, add together all of the dressing ingredients. Whisk well to combine.
  2. Pour: Pour the desired amount over the salad.
Easy Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2)

Variations

You can change this lemon vinaigrette dressing up as you go! Here are a few ideas on how you can change it up to fit your needs and make it a little different every single time

  • Dried Italian Herbs: Add a sprinkle of dried Italian herbs to the dressing and mix it in. It will give it a little bit more of a savory taste.
  • Garlic: Want a lemon garlic dressing instead? I like adding a little bit of minced garlic to this dressing if I am planning on drizzling it on some vegetables before I bake them up.
  • Add More Oil: If your dressing is too tangy for your taste then add more oil, a little bit at a time, until you’ve reached your desired taste.
Easy Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe - The Recipe Critic (3)

How to Store Leftovers

This lemon vinaigrette dressing is so good that you will definitely want to make some extra so that you can have some in your fridge for the weeks ahead! Luckily this stores super easily.

  • In the Refrigerator: When you are done making your dressing then put it in an airtight container and place it in your fridge. It will last for about 1 week. When you are ready to use it then stir (or shake) it up before pouring it onto your salad.

More Delicious Lemon Recipes

Lemon is so fresh and bright and brings any recipe to the next level! I hve rounded up a few more of my top lemon recipes that you must try! There are sides, entrees and desserts so there should be something for everyone!

Side Dishes

Roasted Lemon Parmesan Garlic Asparagus

13 mins

Dinner

Summer Squash Lemon Spaghetti

15 mins

Dinner

Crispy Parmesan Chicken with Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta

30 mins

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Easy Lemon Vinaigrette

5 from 2 votes

By: Alyssa Rivers

This lemon vinaigrette salad dressing is bright, zesty, and packed with flavor. It will elevate any salad that you put it on, and you will never go back to any other dressing!

Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes

3 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add together all of the dressing ingredients. Whisk well to combine.

  • Pour desired amount over the salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 1gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 40gSodium: 113mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 9IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

Read More About Me

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Easy Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making vinaigrette? ›

12 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Making Homemade Vinaigrette
  • Estimating measurements for all ingredients. inspiredbyart/Shutterstock. ...
  • Using the wrong oil. ...
  • Using the wrong vinegar. ...
  • Leaving out the emulsifier. ...
  • Skipping the mustard. ...
  • Forgetting to check expiration dates. ...
  • Not using fresh herbs. ...
  • Using vinaigrette only on salad.
Aug 18, 2022

Why is my lemon vinaigrette bitter? ›

While lemon zest can up the lemony flavor of your vinaigrette, it will also leave it with a bitter flavor. It's best to stick with just lemon juice and skip the zest.

What is the formula for vinaigrette dressing? ›

The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For my personal taste, that's a little too oily — but it's totally up to you. My simple system is: In a small screw-top jar, place vinegar and a pinch of salt; cover and shake (this helps to dissolve the salt).

Why does homemade vinaigrette go bad? ›

How Long Does Homemade Vinaigrette Last? Traditional vinaigrettes, like the balsamic version listed below, will last longer—sometimes up to a few weeks. However, anything with fresh garlic should be consumed within a few days, as the combination of garlic and oil can form harmful bacteria over time.

How do you cut the bitterness out of a vinaigrette? ›

Sweetness balances out acidity, spice, and bitterness. A salad composed of bitter greens may benefit from a sweeter dressing. But sweetness can come from sources other than one-note white sugar; consider honey, pureed dates, maple syrup, jam, or molasses as sweeteners that also add flavor and mouth-feel.

Which vinegar is best for vinaigrette? ›

In addition to white wine vinegar, red wine, sherry, balsamic and cider vinegars can all be used in the same quantities as above. It's really down to personal taste and it's great to have a selection of vinegars in your cupboard to give variety to even the simplest salads.

What is classic vinaigrette made of? ›

Put the mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a jar and season. Shake vigorously to mix. Store in a cool place (not the fridge) until ready to use. Use for all your salads or try one of our recipes, right.

What should you avoid when dressing a salad? ›

5 Ingredients To Avoid
  1. Palm Oil. Palm oil can pop up in both creamy and oily dressings, and it's a top ingredient that Taub-Dix said to avoid. ...
  2. Sugar (but it's rarely called sugar) ...
  3. Salt. ...
  4. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ...
  5. Coconut oil.
Jan 24, 2024

How do you know if homemade vinaigrette is bad? ›

According to Reader's Digest, oil-based salad dressings, such as a balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing, tend to last longer than mayo-based dressings. In general, these dressings can last for up to a few weeks (via Know Your Pantry). However, once they've expired, they will give off a noticeable rancid smell.

Why do salads wilt when they sit in a vinaigrette dressing? ›

As mentioned, moisture tends to make salads go soggier even faster. That said, it's even quicker when the dressing is made up of acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus—which, in most cases, they are. The acid in these ingredients can break down the cell structure of tender greens leading to their demise even faster.

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