This lemon vinaigrette recipe is SO easy to make! With its zingy, bright lemon flavor, it'll blow any store bought dressing out of the water.
How is it possible that in 8+ years of writing Love and Lemons, I havenβt shared a basic lemon vinaigrette recipe until now?! Often, I post salad recipes with a dressing included β a kale salad with carrot ginger dressing, a watermelon salad tossed with lime juice. But a few weeks ago, as I was whisking together this lemon vinaigrette, I realized that tying a dressing to a specific salad recipe can sometimes sell it short.
This lemon vinaigrette is one of my favorite salad dressings. Itβs zippy, fresh, and bright, it comes together in minutes, and it keeps well in the fridge. With its vibrant lemon flavor, itβs a dressing that youβll use for so much more than salad. Sure, it peps up greens, but it also makes roasted veggies more exciting, adds life to grain bowls, and more. So whisk it up, pop it in the fridge, and start drizzling it over everything. Easy, versatile, and delicious, this lemon vinaigrette recipe is one youβll make again and again.
Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients
This lemon vinaigrette dressing recipe is super simple to make. Hereβs what youβll need:
- Fresh lemon juice β To make it zippy and bright!
- Extra-virgin olive oil β It gives the dressing body and richness.
- Garlic β It adds a nice kick.
- Dijon mustard β For tangy depth of flavor.
- Honey or maple syrup β I list it as optional, but its sweetness perfectly balances the sharp garlic, lemon, and Dijon mustard.
- Fresh or dried thyme β Again, itβs optional, but if you ask me, herbs make everything better. With its fresh, aromatic flavor, it adds something special to this lemon vinaigrette.
- And salt and pepper β To make all the flavors pop!
When youβre ready to make the dressing, add the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper to a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Then, add the olive oil. As youβll see in the recipe below, I make my lemon vinaigrette with varying amounts of oil. If Iβm tossing it with raw greens and vegetables, I want it to have a mellower flavor. Then, I use 3 parts acid to 4 parts oil. If Iβm dressing heartier ingredients like roasted vegetables or potatoes, I want it to taste sharper, so I use a 1:1 ratio. I recommend starting with a 1:1 ratio and adding more oil as needed.
As you pour in the oil, whisk continuously until the dressing is emulsified. Stir in the thyme, and season to taste with more oil, salt, and/or pepper. Enjoy!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Use Lemon Vinaigrette
This lemon vinaigrette will keep in an airtight container or jar for up to 1 week in the fridge. Of course, itβs a great way to dress up a simple green salad, but there are so many other delicious ways to use it. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Toss it with a cooked grain like farro, couscous, or quinoa and fresh herbs to make a hearty side dish.
- Use it as a marinade for cooked white beans, chickpeas, or French green lentils.
- Drizzle it over roasted veggies like potatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, fennel, or cauliflower.
- Or use it in place of the dressing in any of these salad recipes:
How do you like to use lemon salad dressing? Let me know in the comments!
More Favorite Dressings and Sauces
If you love this lemon vinaigrette recipe, try one of these homemade salad dressing recipes next:
- Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Ginger Miso Dressing
- Easy Peanut Sauce
- Tahini Sauce (4 ways!)
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Basil Pesto (+ Variations)
Lemon Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- ΒΌ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ΒΌ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Β½ teaspoon honey, or maple syrup, optional
- ΒΌ to β cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Β½ teaspoon fresh or dried thyme, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, and honey, if using.
- Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking and continue to whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Alternatively, combine everything in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.
- If your dressing is too tangy, add more olive oil, to taste.
- Add the thyme, if desired, and season to taste. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. The olive oil will solidify a bit in the fridge. To soften, let the dressing sit at room temp for a few minutes and stir before using.
great dressing on Simple Green Salad which was so delicious!
Perfect! Thank you.
Perfect balance of olive oil and lemon. Once again we have found a winner from Love & Lemons!
Hi Melissa, Iβm so glad you loved the dressing!
I just had this tonite on a baby spinach and kolrabi greens mix .. tossed in about 4 strawberries! And I was so so surprised!!!
Great dressing β I eyeballed this and it was great. I love the 1/2 tsp of thyme. So good.
Very good dressing. I thought the tanginess of the lemon combined with sweetness of the honey made for a wonderful taste.
Hi Debbie, Iβm so glad you loved the dressing!
Iβve been eye-balling proportions for this dressing , but itβs never quite right. The 1:1 ratio of EVOO to lemon was perfect for my taste, and all the other proportions are spot on for a perfectly balanced dressing. The only thing I tweaked was the thyme β since I only had dried, I just used a tiny pinch as the intensity of dried thyme is a lot stronger than fresh, in my opinion. Thanks for a great recipe.
Do you have the nutrition label for this?
Hi Alexa, we donβt calculate nutrition info for our recipes, but you could use an online nutrition calculator to get an estimate!
This recipe is DELICIOUS! My partner keeps raving about how fresh and light it taste. We put it on avocados and in our quinoa salad too. The ratios are absolutely perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Anna, so great to hear! Iβm glad youβre loving the dressing.
This is my go to dressing recipe. I am a huge fan of lemons, EVOO and garlic. So refreshing!
Hi Shirley, Iβm so glad you love the dressing!
So yummy! Thank you. I was looking for a Red Lobster Lemon Vinaigrette dressing, and this was really close. So tasty. I did not at any thyme. ?
how long can this be stored?
Soooooo good. Tried it because I kept getting stained teeth with balsamic vinegar. This is voila amazing!
Iβm so glad you loved it! Itβs my go-to dressing π
Perfect for many purposes. I whizzed mine in the blender!
Hi Terrie, so glad you loved the dressing!
Delightful! I omitted the honey because Iβm a fan of tangy salads. Easy to make with a punch of flavor. 5 star in my book!
Iβm so glad you loved it!
What a delicious light, sweet and sour dressing. Super easy to whip up. My daughter (8) loved it and so did we. β€οΈ
Hi Steph, so glad it was a hit!
Great little dressing! Iβm new at making them and usually just buy one from the supermarket but I thought Iβd try it. Lovely flavour and I used it to toss through my three bean salad (chickpea. Kidney bean and green beans) My new favourite. Thank you
Hi Kristy, so glad you loved the dressing!
Made this tonight and LOVED IT!!!!! So super yummy and balanced flavors.
Iβm so glad you loved it!
I wanted to replicate an amazing salad I had on a recent holiday. Your delicious lemon vinaigrette was perfect as the lemon dressing ingredient I needed in the recipe.
Weβve only been home for 3 days and Iβve already made it twice! Thank you?
I have been making this recipe for 3 weeks itβs so good I have to make a double batch every one love itβs and ask for the recipe thanks for a wonderful dressing.
Hi Timothy, Iβm so glad the dressing is a hit!
Loved this. After tasting though, I did bump up the maple syrup to 2-3 tsp. I also mixed it all in my mini Cuisinart. The thyme version is good, as thyme is my standby. However, this time I threw in a bunch of fresh tarragon and two small sprigs of mojito mint. It was fabulous. This is definitely a keeper, especially given the fact that you can switch up the herbs to match your meal. Great recipe.
Hi, Iβm so glad you loved the dressing! These herbal variations sound wonderful.