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Home » Salad » Lemon Vinaigrette

Published: Jun 10, 2021 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Lemon Vinaigrette

Jump to Recipe
A bottle filled with a lemon salad dressing.

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.

A yellow salad dressing in a glass canning jar.
Table of Contents
Why make this dressing
Key ingredients
Step by step directions
Variations
Recipe tips
Recipe Faqs
More delicious salad dressings
Lemon Vinaigrette

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 next to garlic, thyme and a bottle of olive oil.
  • 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
  • A jar filled with olive oil and herbs.
  • A glass jar with a white lid.

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.
Removing thyme leaves from the stem.

Recipe Faqs

How long will this dressing last?

This dressing will last for 1 week when stored covered in the refrigerator.

How do I make this dressing less tart?

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.

A green salad with tomatoes and onions.

More delicious salad dressings

You might also want to check out these delicious dressings

  • Raspberry Vinaigrette
  • Blue Cheese Dressing
  • Avocado Dressing
  • Creamy Caesar Dressing
  • Cilantro Lime Dressing
A carafe filled with a yellow dressing.

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!

  • Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
  • Tortellini Pasta Salad
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette
  • Italian Pasta Salad
A yellow salad dressing in a glass canning jar.

Lemon Vinaigrette

Kathy
An tangy salad dressing perfect for adding to your favorite lettuce salad.
5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 5 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Servings 1 cup
Calories 125 kcal

Equipment

  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
Prevent your screen from going dark

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.
    ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Taste dressing. Add additional salt, if needed.

Notes

Tips:
  • 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.

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 2TablespoonsCalories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 88mgPotassium: 14mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 25IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
Keyword how to make blue cheese salad dressing, lemon dressing
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Comments

  1. Valentina says

    June 18, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      June 19, 2021 at 5:16 am

      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! 🙂

      Reply
  2. David @ Spiced says

    June 14, 2021 at 5:52 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      June 14, 2021 at 6:54 am

      I love adding fresh herbs and thyme is one of my favorites - especially in this dressing! Enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  3. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    June 10, 2021 at 9:45 am

    5 stars
    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! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      June 10, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      This is the time of year when I enjoy salads too and having a light vinaigrette is just the perfect touch!

      Reply

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I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

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