A tangy salad dressing that's quick and easy to make. Whip this up in just 5 minutes and you'll have a delicious lemon vinaigrette dressing perfect for adding to your favorite salad.
Made with fresh herbs, lemon juice and garlic.
Why make this dressing
Making your own salad dressing isn't difficult. In fact, it's easy peasy!
When making your own, you control the ingredients and you can add your favorites or use what you have on hand. The cost of making your own dressing is just a fraction of the price you'd pay for buying a jar of dressing at the store.
Key ingredients
- A fresh lemon - bottled lemon juice just doesn't have the same taste
- Olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh herbs - I use fresh thyme
Step by step directions
- Place all ingredients into a jar with a lid
- Shake vigorously until well mixed
- Taste dressing - add additional salt, if needed
Variations
- Use canola or vegetable oil instead of olive oil. This will give a lighter taste to the dressing.
- Use you favorite fresh herbs - add chopped rosemary, parsley, basil or dill
- Add a combination of herbs - no need to add just one, if you love them all!
- Add dry herbs - if you don't have fresh herbs available, add dry herbs. Reduce amount of dry herbs by half the amount of fresh
- Finely chop a shallot and add a tablespoon to the dressing
Recipe tips
- For easy mixing, use a glass jar with a lid. I use a small canning jar with a reusable lid. If you don't have a jar available, the dressing can also be combined in a blender or food processor. You could also whisk your olive oil into the other ingredients.
- Store dressing in the refrigerator. The dressing will thicken when cold. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving so the oil will become liquid again.
- I use a bit of honey to help balance the tangy lemon and vinegar. Adding honey is optional.
- An easy way to remove thyme leaves from the stem is to grab one stem and slide your fingers from the top to the bottom of the stem.
Recipe Faqs
This dressing will last for 1 week when stored covered in the refrigerator.
The lemon and vinegar do make this dressing tart and tangy. If you want to tone this down a bit, add an additional teaspoon of dijon mustard.
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If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my delicious salad recipes!
Lemon Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic (finely minced, about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon honey (optional)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (leaves removed from stem)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a glass jar. Place lid on jar and shake vigorously.
- Taste dressing. Add additional salt, if needed.
Notes
- I use a small canning jar with a reusable lid. If you don't have a jar available, the dressing can also be combined in a blender or food processor. You could also whisk your olive oil into the other ingredients.
- Store dressing in the refrigerator. The dressing will thicken when cold. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving so the oil will become liquid again.
- I use a bit of honey to help mellow the tangy lemon and vinegar. Adding honey is optional.
- An easy way to remove thyme leaves from the stem is to grab one stem and slide your fingers from the top to the bottom of the stem.
Valentina says
What a lovely vinaigrette for almost any salad (and even a drizzle in a sandwich). I just squeezed all oft he remaining lemons from my little tree and froze the juice for recipes like this one. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
Thanks, Valentina! And lucky you to have a lemon tree! Freezing the juice is such a great idea. My parents freeze tons of juice every year and use it all year long. Enjoy the dressing! 🙂
David @ Spiced says
Homemade dressings truly are the best! We recently had a bottled Greek dressing that left a lot to be desired. We whipped up a homemade version, and it was SO much better. Now I need to put this lemon vinaigrette on the menu - the additional thyme in there sounds so good!
Kathy says
I love adding fresh herbs and thyme is one of my favorites - especially in this dressing! Enjoy 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I love lemon so I know this lemon vinaigrette would be a hit, especially this time of year with all the yummy salads! Sounds like a must try for sure! 🙂
Kathy says
This is the time of year when I enjoy salads too and having a light vinaigrette is just the perfect touch!