This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is a refreshing, easy salad dressing! Healthy, vegan, paleo, gluten free, and absolutely delicious!
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This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is one of my favorite easy salad dressings! It is super light and fresh, loaded with flavor, and perfect on salads!
If you’ve never made your own salad dressing, I promise it is nowhere near as difficult as you might think. For more ideas, check out these Easy Salad Dressings!
Even though it’s nice to just grab something quick at the store… it’s SO worth taking a few extra minutes to make your own!
Adding just a touch of something like this Healthy Lemon Basil Vinaigrette recipe gives a salad giant burst of flavor, and only take a few extra minutes to make!
Now – I do want to say, I’m thankful some nights for the pre-made salad dressings at the store. Over the past few years brands like Tessemae’s (I used their honey poppyseed dressing in these Honey Poppyseed Pineapple Chicken Skewers) and Primal Kitchen Foods have popped up with really tasty, better-for-you, pre-made dressings that I actually love.
But as delicious as they are, I still love making my own dressings!
I’ve found there a few things that can help you make your own killer homemade dressing
Ingredients for Lemon Basil Dressing
To make this lemon basil dressing you’ll need:
- olive oil
- fresh lemon juice & lemon zest
- fresh basil
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
It will also be helpful to have a citrus juicer, citrus zester and a food processor.
How to Make a Good Homemade Dressing
Making a homemade dressing is so easy!
- Good Quality Oil – I typically use good quality olive oil or avocado oil in my dressings as a base.
- Acidity – You need some sort of acidity to cut the fattiness of the oils. Citrus juices or mustards typically work great, as well as vinegars
- Spices – Premade spice mixes like these are great, but a teaspoon or two of Italian Seasoning will also work great. Truthfully, you can’t go wrong.. so mixing in a little bit of garlic power and your favorite fresh or dried herbs will also do the trick
- Sweet – I’ve found that occasionally adding something sweet like a bit of honey, jam, or juice can really add a lot of flavor to a dressing as well.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR LEMON BASIL DRESSING
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil in place of olive oil.
Lemons: I haven’t tried subbing lemon juice/zest for limes but I think it would be good! Do NOT use jarred lemon juice, fresh lemon juice is best.
Basil: This recipe is meant to be made with fresh basil. If you don’t have fresh herbs it will not taste the same. Fresh parsley or cilantro would work in place of the basil.
What to serve this Lemon Basil Dressing on:
The dressing goes great on pretty much anything, but I love it on this Strawberry Avocado Goat Cheese Salad. Here are other ways to use it:
- On top of Spinach Strawberry Salad
- On top of Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- On top of Blueberry Salad
- Marinating chicken or fish
- On Grilled Vegetables in Foil
- As a marinade for Vegetable Kebabs
How to Store Basil Dressing
Storing: This basil dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, after that the basil will start to deteriorate and the lemon may taste too acidic.
Separation/solidifying is normal in the refrigerator! Just sit the dressing out on the counter at room temperature for 5 minutes and stir it up before serving.
Freezing: Don’t freeze this dressing. It will not freeze will
Lemon Dressing FAQ
Lemon dressing is simply made of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, some dried spices and fresh basil.
Citrus dressing will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. It’s best eaten fresh.
Other healthy dressing recipes:
Looking for other homemade dressings? Check out these Healthy Dressing Recipes.
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup packed fresh basil
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Pour over your favorite salad + enjoy!
Tim Owen says
I made this and added some other fresh herbs from my garden (basil, spicy oregano, Greek oregano, and English thyme)!! Very easy to make and very delicious!!
Erin Loescher says
This is a perfect blend of favors and very easy to make. A family favorite
Liz Kane says
OMG! All the money I spend on primal kitchen or Tessamae dressings and this was so easy and delicious!!! My son an his fiancé were over for dinner and they loved it! My new go to dressing for sure!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you like it, Liz! Thank you!
Tiffany says
Does this store well in the fridge if I were to premake it for the week? How long would you say it stays good?
Looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try!
The Clean Eating Couple says
This basil dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, after that the basil will start to deteriorate and the lemon may taste too acidic.
This dressing is best enjoyed same day!
LKrantz says
I’ve been using this as well for a marinade for chicken and it’s incredible. Also makes a great dipping sauce for steak kabobs!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you enjoy it, Lana! It is the perfect marinade or dressing!
Liz says
Delicious! I used 2 T lemon juice this time instead of the 3T,, and I liked it better. It’s a really quick, easy, and refreshing dressing.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Liz! Glad you enjoyed it!
Johnna Kresge says
Do you
Think it would be as good with lime instead of lemon?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I think it would be!
Kayla McCormick says
I make something similar with lime and cilantro instead of lemon and basil and it’s delish!
Barbara Corbett says
Under nutritional facts, why would you use 1 oz. instead of how many tablespoons per serving? Who is going to measure out 1 oz? Commercial dressings use tablesppons
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Barbara – I updated it to include both ounces and tablespoons. If you use google you can easily find that 1 oz = 2 tablespoons. Thanks for the feedback!
Linda says
Made this and we loved it. Very fresh tasting.
No reason for lemons to just sit in the bin. Thanks for the recipe!❤
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you Linda! This is definitely a great way to use up lemons if you have a bunch on hand!
Lana says
This was super easy to make and absolutely delicious. I used it on arugula with fried eggs and blueberries for breakfast.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m glad you liked it Lana! That sounds delicious!
Ellen Theede says
Try it and loved it! Loved how easy it was to make!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Ellen 🙂