Lemon Vinaigrette

This lemon vinaigrette recipe is bright, delicious, and easy to make at home in less than 10 minutes. Made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and Dijon mustard. This homemade dressing recipe delivers a punchy citrusy flavor that is significantly better than any bottle you can find it at the store. 

Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe 

Store-bought salad dressing is fine but once you start making your own, it’s hard to go back especially when a batch takes less than 10 minutes and the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.

My house is an ingredient house. Which means we always have good olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon and a variety of fresh herbs (in my porch herb pot!) on hand always. That means this lemon vinaigrette is never more than 10 minutes away. 

Homemade salad dressings are significantly easier to make than we give them credit for and this one has that delightful pop. The lemon has its fresh, bright, and acidic way that the bottle just cannot replace. Once you taste it, you’ll understand why my lemon-obsessed kid requests this particular recipe.

Why I love this recipe:

I’ll be honest with you: I would dip French fries into this lemon vinaigrette if I could. It is just that delicious.

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It’s bright, herby, zesty and fresh. While it was technically made for salads, it has a way of making everything it touches taste a little bit better. The combination of fresh oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme gives this dressing an herbaceous depth that you simply are not getting from a bottle of store-bought dressing. 

And because we’re using freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest, the flavor is genuinely bright and citrusy in a way that store-bought lemon salad dressings just don’t deliver on. The pop of that acidity and brightness is the whole point and something that you will want again and again once you try it.

More favorite salad dressings to try: Red Wine Vinaigrette | Hot Bacon Vinaigrette | Strawberry Vinaigrette | Creamy Honey Vinaigrette

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Larger mason jar with a lid
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Salad dressing storage container 

Here is what you need to get at the store to make this recipe:

• Lemon juice —freshly squeezed, please and thank you. This adds a lovely bright acidic note to the homemade salad dressing. The shelf-stable bottled kind does not taste the same or impart the same lemony flavor.
• Extra virgin olive oil —or another neutral oil.
• Lemon zest —use this from the lemon used to juice. Zest it before you juice it or it’ll be complicated. Lemon zest adds awesome brightness.
• Fresh herbs —the combination of oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme give a beautiful brightness to our lemon vinaigrette. You can use dried herbs. However, those are more concentrated in flavor, so use half. You could also add fresh basil or mint, too.
• Kosher salt and black pepper —these are the final pieces of the vinaigrette. I prefer medium-grain kosher salt (Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand) and freshly ground black pepper adds a pop to the dish, too.

Customizations and substitutions

You can use dried herbs instead of dried. Finely chop them, then measure out 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh.

Add a minced clove of garlic (or roasted garlic) to the mix for some garlicky punch.

Add a little sweetness, like agave, maple syrup or a pinch of granulated sugar, to balance things if this tastes bitter to you.

How to make Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Here’s how to make this easy dressing recipe: 

Mise en place. Juice the lemon. You can juice it directly into a mason jar to make life easier. Chop those fresh herbs too.

Make the dressing. Add the olive oil directly to the mason jar. Measure in the fresh herbs. 

Give it a vigorous shake, then taste. Add salt and pepper, if necessary. You could also mix this in a small bowl.

It’s ready to use right away or you can refrigerate it for later. Drizzle over a simple green salad or vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to making the best Lemony Vinaigrette

• No shortcuts! Use fresh lemon juice and zest. Bottled lemon juice and dried lemon zest are not going to give you the same bright, punchy flavor that fresh does. This is the whole point of making it from scratch, so do it right.
• Shake it up in a jar. A mason jar is the easiest vessel for this. Measure all the ingredients in, seal the lid and shake. No whisk required and the jar doubles as your storage container.
• Use quality olive oil. Since olive oil is one of the main ingredients here, its flavor will come through. Use one you like the taste of.
• If using dried herbs instead of fresh, use less. The ratio is roughly one tablespoon of fresh herbs to one teaspoon of dried since dried herbs are more potent.
• Let it come to room temperature before serving if it’s been in the fridge. The olive oil will solidify slightly when chilled, so letting it sit out for a few minutes and then giving it a good shake will bring it back together beautifully.
• Taste and adjust as you go. Every lemon is a little different in terms of tartness and juiciness. Give the dressing a taste before serving and adjust the salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed. You can add a squeeze of honey in here, as well, if it’s too tart for your palate.

Here’s how to make this vinaigrette at home…