Easy lemon vinaigrette is light, fresh, lemony and perfect for salads, pasta salad, potato salad and more. It’s just a few basic ingredients and minutes to mix together.

It has been a week.

Work has been slammed, we had two evening swim meets for my daughter, been running my son to golf camp, and I don't know, it just feels like it should be Friday, like, yesterday. 😒

Oh well, it's coming tomorrow. And then we've got a weekend stretched out with pretty weather and next to nothing planned, except maybe some pool time and movie nights. Yay for some summer fun!

But let's move right along to the food.

Two of my go-to dressings are this homemade Italian dressing and homemade soy ginger dressing. Super flavorful and super versatile, for everything from veggie salads to grain bowls to rice and pasta salads.

But I also do some fun, seasonal dressings, like this blender balsamic blueberry vinaigrette in the summertime or this cranberry vinaigrette around the holidays.

I’m also slightly obsessed with this gorgeous, creamy cilantro lime dressing.

Today though, I’m sharing another favorite, this easy lemon vinaigrette.

It’s just a few basic ingredients, shakes up in minutes and is ready to use!

And it's super versatile.

It’s delicious as a light, fresh and lemony dressing for salads, but you can also mix it into pasta salads, potato salad, quinoa or grain salads, or even use it as a marinade for grilled chicken.

Those bright flavors will add such a punch to so many of your foods!

Plus, I love that I can recognize all of these ingredients.

It’s just a few simple things needed, and we can skip all those crazy additives and unknowns in store-bought bottled dressings. 👍

OK, let’s get going.

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up on how to make lemon vinaigrette. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making homemade lemon vinaigrette:

• Extra-virgin olive oil is the only oil I’ve tested this with. It may work with an avocado oil or canola oil, but I haven’t tried it. (If you decide to experiment, let us know in the comments below how it goes.)
• A fresh lemon is a must here. We’re using the zest of the lemon as well as the juice, so don’t substitute a bottled lemon juice.
• You can adjust the quantity to suit your needs. The recipe can be halved, doubled, tripled, etc., depending on how much dressing you need. As is, this is plenty for a decent size salad for 4-6 people.

OK, let’s talk about storing this dressing.

You can make it and use it immediately, which is what I often do, but you can also prep it ahead if needed.

Or if you end up with extra, keep it on hand. You may want to add it to another dish later in the week.

Leftover lemon vinaigrette will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week. Shake it or whisk it really well again before you use it because it may separate back out as it sits.

Speaking of shaking it…

I use, prefer and highly recommend making your homemade dressing in small jars.

You measure your ingredients into it, cover it with a lid, and shake really well for a minute to get it all combined.

Plus it’s ready to store right away and re-shake as needed. No need for a whisk or a big bowl.

I use these 8 oz. (half-pint) canning jars that I got as a set from Amazon. They are great for dressing and also for overnight oatmeal jars.

I also like these plastic lids because they’re easier to clean than those metal ones that come with the jars. (Especially cause it’s all one piece and I can just throw them in the top rack of the dishwasher. I'm lazy like that...)

But of course, you can also make your dressing in a bowl and just whisk it really well with a whisk to mix it up.

There you have it! An easy, delicious, homemade dressing is just minutes away and with ingredients right at your fingertips in your kitchen.

It doesn’t get easier than that!

I hope you give this lemon vinaigrette a try soon. I think it’ll add such a bright, fresh flavor to your salads. (Like this quinoa salad with spinach, tomatoes and goat cheese that I just shared. 👌)

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn