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lemon vinaigrette

Jump To Recipe by Katie on January 1, 2016 (updated 4/3/21) // 34 Comments »

Today I am sharing a simple lemon vinaigrette. It is vegan-friendly, paleo and naturally gluten-free. It is a basic salad dressing recipe to share on the first day of the year.

Happy new year! Wooohoo 2016! And helloooo there new friends and old. Glad to see you here on this day of new beginnings and healthy resolutions.

By now you know I am not about to go off and declare that I am going on a New Year’s diet or anything crazy like that. You know I am a firm believer in finding the balance with eating tabbouleh instead of cake most of the time, having chocolate every day, getting plenty of exercise and intuitive eating. Somewhere in there it all works out for me. I am not saying this is the right thing for you and I’m not going to judge if you do want to go on a diet. But I am not going on a diet anytime soon.

Echoing what I said last year in January, I am planning on cheerleading all of you who are choosing to take the time and effort to cook from scratch. I know how hard it is and I am so glad you’re here and we’re in this together. Go team! Go you!!

So for this New Year’s day, I am sharing one of the most basic, beginning of it all, type recipes. A simple lemon juice salad dressing. It’s a basic. This is also one of those recipes that is so simple that you don’t really need a recipe for it.

Just put some ingredients in the blender. Whirl them up. Taste. Adjust if necessary. You’re done. Lemon vinaigrette. Viola!

I’ve gone through the exercise of actually measuring out the ingredients for you so you don’t have to do the step of taste and adjust.

How To Make Lemon Vinaigrette

: 1. Combine lemon juice and shallot

: 2. Add honey and Dijon

: 3. Add Olive oil and avocado oil

: 4. Blend until smooth

I started with fresh lemon juice. Using fresh squeezed makes all the difference! I use a citrus reamer, but really you can just use a fork to help get all of the juice out of the lemon!
Because it is so acidic, I used one part lemon juice to two parts oil. Normally I follow a slightly different ratio that I explained when I shared my cider vinegar salad dressing recipe. In this case I stray from my usual formula so that the dressing isn’t too bracingly acidic.
I also use shallot in this dressing as per my general instructions for using allium in dressings. See more here in my Lemon tahini dressing recipe!
I blend it all together with an immersion blender or a mini prep to make it ultra creamy and make it hold it’s emulsion longer.

Best Salad Combinations For This Dressing

This dressing is a good multi-purpose vinaigrette. It is great at this time of year when greens are on the bitter and robust side.

The tartness of the dressing pairs well with the bitter greens as they balance each other.
Try it with bitter sweet and tender Belgian endive with chopped egg and radishes.
Drizzle it over a blend of dandelion greens and romaine hearts.
Simply toss it with some earthy baby spinach and cherry tomatoes.

Feel free to add fresh chopped dill or tarragon to jazz it up.

This Recipe is Part of the Meal Prep Menu:

One more thing! This recipe is part of my Meal Prep Menu which also includes five make ahead dinners! In this plan, I give you the prep list, shopping list and plan to prep on the weekend, so you can have all your weeknight meals ready to go with 20 minutes (or less) of time in the kitchen!

Monday: Stuffed Shells with Spinach and salad with this Lemon Juice Salad Dressing
Tuesday: Cod Fish Tacos with refried black beans
Wednesday: Sloppy Joes and Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Cheese
Thursday: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Friday: Greek Pizza and lemony green beans

To get the full details, print your shopping list and get started, head over to the Meal Prep Menu to check it out!

More Salad Dressing Recipes:

Blue Cheese Dressing, a much lighter version than what you find on a salad bar!
Light Creamy Italian Dressing, a creamy old school dressing- lightened up!
Kalamata Olive and Basil Vinaigrette, here’s one that will liven up even the simplest salads! Try it on cukes and tomatoes! Amazing.
Maple Sherry Vinaigrette, one of my favorite dressings ever! Do not miss it!
Carrot Ginger Dressing, this is my take on Japanese steak house dressing (aka Benihana dressing.)

More Simple Lemon Recipes

My Lemon Blueberry Bread is To-Die-For! Do not die- just make the bread!
How about some Healthy Lemon Bars from Monique! Yes please!!
How To Make Lemon Curd from my friend Ally! She knows her stuff!
Just looking at this Lemony Bucatini Carbonara makes me salivate! It is off the hook delish!
Do not miss my supremely lemony Chicken Piccata or my Hollandaise made with Greek Yogurt- both are top notch!

Thanks so much for reading! If you’re new here you may want to sign up for my email list or follow me on instagram to keep up with the latest posts. If you make this lemon juice salad dressing, please come back to let me know by leaving a star rating and review!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie