Name: Lemon Vinaigrette
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed); 2 teaspoons lemon zest; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar; ¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed); ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Lemon vinaigrette is the perfect light and flavorful dressing to toss with your favorite salad or drizzle over a delicious bowl! It's healthy, vegan, gluten free and easy to make with only 6 ingredients, in just 5 minutes!

Pour it over this Chicken Shawarma Salad or try it with this Sweet Potato Kale Salad!

lemon vinaigrette dressing in yellow bowl with small gold spoon in bowl

Garlic and lemon are a match made in heaven, which is why this dressing tastes so heavenly! The combination of crushed garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice, is balanced out with white balsamic vinegar and olive oil, to create an incredibly flavorful dressing, that's also light and healthy!

This dressing is easy to mix up in just 5 minutes and perfect for tossing on a salad, bowl or even for using as a marinade! The light and zesty flavors will have your taste buds singing! You'll never buy store bought dressing again, after you try this lemon vinaigrette recipe!

overhead image of the ingredients in lemon vinaigrette dressing

What You'll Need

Lemon - you'll use both the zest and juice, so pick out a bright, beautiful, fresh lemon with no visible marks on the skin of the lemon.
Garlic - make sure these are fresh cloves of garlic. As a main ingredient in this dressing, you want to make sure their full flavor shines through!
White Balsamic Vinegar - this can be found at most major grocery stores with the other vinegars, or you can always order it online. I use this ingredient in a ton of salad dressing recipes, so I always make sure to keep it stocked in my pantry.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - when making salad dressings, I always recommend using a high quality olive oil, since it is the main ingredient in the dressing.
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper - used to season the dressing.

Optional Ingredients

I love the simplicity of this dressing, but you can also change it up by adding one or more of the following ingredients.

Fresh Herbs - just ½ teaspoon of fresh chopped basil or thyme adds an extra flavor element to the dressing.
Maple Syrup - to add a little sweetness to the dressing, feel free to add ½ teaspoon maple syrup.
Dijon Mustard - for a creamy lemon vinaigrette dressing, add 1 teaspoon dijon mustard.

How To Make Lemon Vinaigrette

Use a garlic press to crush the garlic cloves into a small mixing bowl.
Add the lemon zest and kosher salt to the bowl. Use a fork to mash the ingredients together to form a paste.
Add the white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and black pepper, stir to combine.
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking the vinaigrette, until all of the ingredients are combined.

Easy as that, you have a delicious vinaigrette dressing! Use the dressing immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. I recommend storing the dressing in a small mason jar. When you're ready to use the dressing, simply shake it in the jar and pour it over your favorite salad!

It's easy to double the salad dressing recipe to save more for later. Simply hover over the serving amount in the recipe card below and adjust the servings from 8 ounces, to 16 ounces, to double the recipe. The ingredient amounts will automatically update to the correct amount for the serving size adjustment.

vinaigrette dressing being poured onto a salad in a large bowl

What To Do With Lemon Vinaigrette

Use it as a salad dressing - this is the most obvious use for the dressing, but it really does add a ton of fresh & zesty flavor to any salad! Try it on these recipes for Kale Beet Salad, Grilled Peach Salad or Greek Cauliflower Rice Salad.
Drizzle it over a bowl - this vinaigrette adds a burst of flavor to any bowl! Try a drizzle of it on top of these recipes for Roasted Broccoli Bowls, Harissa Shrimp Bowls or Roasted Summer Squash Bowls.
Use it as a marinade - combine ¼ cup vinaigrette with one pound of chicken, fish or shrimp. Allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour, then grill, saute or roast the meat, as desired.
Use it as a healthy coleslaw dressing - Instead of tossing coleslaw with a creamy, mayonnaise based dressing, try tossing it with this lemon vinaigrette. Serve the slaw as a side dish, or on top of your favorite bowl!

lemon vinaigrette dressing in yellow bowl with gold spoon

Try my other favorite salad dressings and sauces!

Recipe

lemon salad dressing in bowl with gold spoon

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4.75 from 4 votes