Do you love a simple lemon and olive oil dressing for your salad? This easy, flavorful lemon olive oil dressing takes just minutes to mix together. Made with just 5 ingredients, this lemon olive oil salad dressing is great for topping just about any salad.
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Are you a vinaigrette person? Do you tend to gravitate to dressings that are simple with just oil and acid? If so, then this simple lemon and olive oil dressing is definitely for you.
Made with both lemon juice and lemon zest, this homemade dressing recipe really maxes out on flavor. In this post, I’ll also give you some options for customizing this dressing with fresh or dried herbs. Additionally, I’ll show you the best way to make and store the dressing.
What you’ll need to make this homemade dressing recipe:
- Olive oil – a good quality extra virgin olive oil is essential for a homemade oil-based dressing. Choose the best quality of oil you can afford.
- Fresh lemons for juicing – you’ll need approximate 2 medium fresh lemons for juice. If you don’t have fresh lemons, you can use bottled juice.
- Lemon zest – this will really enhance the lemon flavor in this dressing.
- Garlic – you can use either whole cloves and do the mincing yourself OR use jarred, pre-minced garlic. I like to keep a jar of this in my refrigerator to help save time when cooknig and prepping.
- Lemon pepper seasoning – this seasoning can be found in the spice section at your local supermarket.
- Fresh dill or dried basil or oregano {optional} – I’ve made this dressing with both fresh dill or dried oregano. Both are great and really enhance the flavor of the dressing. Choose one – I don’t recommend adding all three.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!
How do I make homemade lemon olive oil dressing?
In a bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and lemon pepper seasoning. If desired, add in fresh dill, or dried herbs. Whisk together well and immediately pour over salad and toss together to coat. Serve right away.
If you are making a salad in advance, make and store your dressing in a separate container. Dress the salad just before serving. If you add dressing to a salad and then refrigerate it for later, it will become soft, wilted and unappealing.
This lemon olive oil dressing is fantastic for hearty salads like this Quinoa Chickpea Salad. The lemon flavors pair beautifully with the vegetables, grains and chickpeas.
Need some other salad ideas? These would be fantastic with this lemon and olive oil dressing:
- Grilled Salmon Salad
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- Easy Greek Tortellini Salad Recipe
- Blueberry Spring Mix Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Italian Tortellini Salad
- Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
- Mango and Chicken Salad
- Cranberry Apple Salad
Ingredient Substitutions and Recommendations:
- Herbs – add in dried basil or oregano for an Italian-inspired salad. Fresh dill is also a great addition to this dressing.
- Lemon juice – if you don’t have fresh lemons, you could also use a good quality bottled lemon juice. You can find bottled lemon juice in the juice section in your supermarket.
- Oil – I recommend a good quality olive oil for this dressing. You could also substitute avocado oil as well. I don’t recommend using vegetable or canola oil, as these are heavily processed, very unhealthy and not ideal for homemade salad dressing recipes.
Dressing storage
When kept refrigerated, your dressing will last for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. There are a few good options for storing your dressing. Here are the containers I recommend:
- Ball Mason Jars – these are ideal for storing dressings in your refrigerator. The lids stay tight, so if they fall over, the contents won’t spill or leak. I store my Chick fil A Creamy Salsa dressing in a mason jar.
- OXO Oil and Dressing Dispenser – this container is designed specifically for oil-based dressings and vinaigrettes. The lid includes a pour-spout which keeps pouring dressing easy and clean. It will also fit easily in the door of your refrigerator.
- SnapLock Individual Dressing Containers – these are ideal for keeping individual servings of dressing for lunches. A fantastic way to pack and transport dressing for a salad that you’ll eat for lunch later. These are also a great way to keep your servings in-check. These are great for my Yogurt Dill Dressing.
Frequently asked questions about making homemade salad dressing:
A good ratio for lemon juice to olive oil is 1:2. You’ll need one part lemon juice (1/4 cup) and two parts olive oil (1/2 cup) for making dressing. For additional flavor add lemon zest, garlic and other seasoning or herbs to enhance the dressing.
Refrigerate your lemon olive oil salad dressing in an airtight container. The oil will harden slightly when refrigerated. Let the dressing come to room temperature and shake slightly to bring it back to its original liquid state.
When kept refrigerated in an airtight container, olive oil salad dressing will last up to two weeks.
If you loved this homemade salad dressing recipe, check out our other easy dressing ideas:
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Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Equipment
- Citrus Juicer This hand-held citrus juicer is fantastic for fresh lemon & lime juice!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed (just of 2 medium lemons)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh dill minced
Instructions
- To a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, add the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, lemon pepper seasoning and dill (if using).
- Whisk together well. Pour dressing over large salad and toss together to coat.
- For an individual salad, add 2 tablespoons of the dressing (a single serving), and toss to coat.
- Store any leftovers in a mason jar or this OXO dressing container and refrigerate. Will keep for up to 2 weeks, refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
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