The flavor of lemon in this easy to make Simple Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing highlights traditional salads and steamed veggies. Just measure ingredients into a glass jar, shake and serve! Keeps well in the fridge and is so much better (and cheaper!) than store brands.

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I can’t believe how long it took me to learn to make my own salad dressing.

For years I bought a particular vinaigrette which was so delicious that I decided it was worth the kind of outrageous price tag. After all, it had just the right blend of spices, the perfect proportion of oil to vinegar and came in a beautiful glass bottle. Then one day I read the ingredients… Monosodium Glutamate? Corn Syrup?

Really?

Since I no longer felt so great about that expensive dressing made from questionable ingredients, I decided to make my own. After all, I’d been cooking and creating my own recipes for decades — how hard could it be?

WHAT IS VINAIGRETTE?

A vinaigrette is made by mixing an oil with something acidic such as vinegar or lemon juice. The mixture can be enhanced with salt, herbs and/or spices. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but can also be used as a marinade.

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing ingredients

Turns out it’s super easy to make your own vinaigrette. There are just a few basic ingredients:

Oil. When we ran a café and had to make gallons of vinaigrette, I began to use a combination of extra virgin olive oil and a milder vegetable oil. (Because let’s face it, while olive oil has more flavor, vegetable oil is a LOT cheaper!) Aside from the price tag, I noticed that I and my customers preferred the milder flavor that resulted from mixing the oils. Vinaigrette can be made with most any oil, from soybean oil (used in that expensive grocery store dressing I used to buy) to hazelnut oil to sesame oil. It just depends on what sort of salad you’re planning to serve it with.
Vinegar. The tartness that highlights the flavor of your salad greens or veggies. There are so many vinegar varieties to choose from, and each has its own benefits. In this lemon vinaigrette I wanted a very sharp flavor so went with red wine vinegar (plus I noticed that a lot of my friends in France use this variety to make their vinaigrette — good enough for me!) Here’s a fairly thorough list of vinegars from Bon Appetit.
Lemon Juice. I’m using lemon juice as part of the vinegar ratio here, since it lends the same acidic note.
Salt. Speaking of my obsession with France, did you know that the SAL in SALAD means salt? So you do definitely need a touch of salt in your vinaigrette!
Emulsifier. This is just basically what holds the oil and vinegar together. Dijon mustard is an emulsifier, as is agave nectar.
Flavorings. I prefer using white pepper in this dressing as it’s a bit more potent, but feel free to use finely ground black pepper if that’s what you have. Garlic granules are one of my kitchen staples, but you may substitute fresh garlic, minced, or just leave it out altogether.

how to make Simple Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Add all ingredients to a jar or salad dressing shaker.
Shake!

You can also whisk everything together in a glass measuring cup or bowl or even stick blend it, as we used to do at our restaurant. If you have one, a small blender would be perfect to use for blending vinaigrette. Read my full review of the Ninja Fit Personal Blender.

simple Lemon Vinaigrette salad dressing notes

can i use all olive oil?

Absolutely! You can use any proportion of oils you like. Have fun experimenting to see what flavors you prefer. As always, I urge you to use start where you are and use what you have!

how long will salad dressing keep in the fridge?

Lemon Vinaigrette will keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Be sure to shake before using.

what if i don’t have agave nectar?

Feel free to use honey or maple syrup in place of the agave nectar. Honey is especially at home in a vinaigrette, as it’s an excellent emulsifier. Try to find local honey if possible or at the very least, read the label to make sure it’s harvested in the USA.

Simple Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

camptopisaw

The flavor of lemon in this easy to make vinaigrette highlights traditional salads and steamed veggies. Just measure ingredients into a glass jar, shake and serve! Keeps well in the fridge and is so much better (and cheaper!) than store brands.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Course Salad

Servings 12 ounces

Equipment

Glass jar or salad dressing shaker
Small scale
Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

1 oz lemon juice, fresh or bottled about 2 Tbsp
1 oz red wine vinegar about 2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1½ tsp Dijon mustard
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp garlic granules
¼ tsp white pepper
6 ozs extra virgin olive oil about ¾ cup
4 ozs vegetable oil about ½ cup

Instructions

Add all ingredients to glass jar or salad dressing shaker and shake well to blend.
Alternately, you can blend the ingredients in a blender or with a stick blender to get a creamier dressing. (You may still have to shake the dressing container each time you use it.)

Notes

The recipe is easily doubled.