Looking for a delicious Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe? This homemade dressing is perfect for all of your favorite salad recipes. It's simple to make, with so much flavor, and a great way to dress up a simple green salad. Made with staple ingredients, and ready in no time!
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"Best lemon vinaigrette I’ve made! I’ve swapped this for all others. Thanks so much!" - Dina
Does it get better than homemade salad dressings? In our opinion, making your own salad dressing is one of the simple ways of taking your salad to the next level.
Green salads are no longer boring with delicious homemade vinaigrette dressing! You only need a few minutes and ingredients to make this simple recipe.
Try this easy lemon vinaigrette on this simple arugula spinach salad, strawberry goat cheese salad, this steak salad, or even on this keto shrimp salad. The options are endless!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Made with simple ingredients. You most likely have everything you need for this lemon vinaigrette dressing at home already. Anything you don't already have can be picked up at any grocery store!
- Quick and easy. This dressing is ready in under 15 minutes, and that's including the prep time!
- Super-versatile. The options are endless with this recipe. Use it on nearly any salad you can think of for a great pop of flavor. Make perfect spring and summer salads, or everyday salads any time of the year.
- No special equipment needed. While our preferred method for making this dressing is a food processor or a high-powered blender, it can also be made by hand with a whisk, or shaken up in a mason jar!
- Wholesome recipe that suits multiple diets. This recipe is made with just a few simple, wholesome ingredients. It's naturally free of refined sugars, since it's sweetened with honey. It's also naturally gluten free, low carb, and dairy free. It can also easily be made vegan.
🍯Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions and variations below.
- Apple cider vinegar. You could also substitute for some red wine vinegar.
- Dijon mustard. Adds a nice zing flavor to the dressing.
- Dried oregano. We like using oregano in this dressing because it's subtle and versatile. This helps the dressing pair well with a lot of different salads.
- Honey or honey substitute. Honey is what we use to make this dressing, and it adds such a lovely flavor and natural sweetness.
- Extra virgin olive oil. Use something high quality here. Again, this is the base of your dressing and will add a lot of flavor.
- Fresh lemons. Fresh lemon juice is obviously the base flavor of this dressing. Feel free to add in lemon zest, too!
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- No fresh garlic. Swap fresh garlic for garlic powder if you prefer!
- Swap the olive oil. Avocado oil or another neutral oil would so make a great choice for the dressing.
- Different vinegar. You could use white or red wine vinegar, white balsamic, or even regular balsamic.
- No Dijon. If you don't have Dijon, swap it for stone ground mustard. We don't recommend using regular yellow mustard, however. The flavor would be altered too much.
- Swap the herbs. You could also add in some other herbs like dried thyme, basil, rosemary, or whatever you'd like if you don't have oregano.
✨Variations
- Vegan. Swap the honey for a vegan alternative, or use agave or maple syrup.
- Sugar free. Use your favorite sweetener instead of honey. You can use a sugar free honey variety if you'd like.
- Add a bit of heat. Love a hint of spice? Try adding a bit of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Adjust the sweetness. Add more or less honey to taste to suit your preference.
📖Instructions
🔪Prep Work
- Mince the garlic.
- Juice the lemon.
- Measure out the rest of the ingredients.
Add olive oil (Image 1) and apple cider vinegar to a food processor (Image 2).
If whisking by hand, we'd recommend adding all ingredients to a bowl except for the olive oil. Whisk vigorously while slowly streaming in the olive oil in a thin stream. This will help emulsify the mixture better.
Now add the oregano, black pepper, salt (Image 3), dijon mustard, honey, garlic (Image 4) and lemon juice (Image 5).
Food process until smooth and completely emulsified. (Image 6)
Allow the dressing to chill in the fridge for a moment before using it if possible. This helps the flavors develop, plus it may be a bit warm after whisking or blending.
Serve and enjoy! (Image 7)
Try it with this cabbage carrot & herb salad, a simple spinach arugula salad, this blackberry salad, or this grilled peach salad, and more!
✨Tips and Tricks
- Use fresh ingredients. Using fresh garlic and lemon juice will make a huge difference in the flavor. Go for fresh whenever possible and definitely avoid bottled lemon juice.
- If making the dressing without a blender or food processor, it may help to heat the honey for a few seconds so that it emulsifies quickly and easily. Finely mincing the garlic helps it become well dispersed in the dressing.
- Adjust the sweetness to taste. The sweetness level of the dressing can be adjusted according to personal preference. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, you can add a bit more honey. Conversely, if you prefer it less sweet, reduce the amount of honey slightly.
- Emulsify thoroughly. This is key to achieving a smooth and creamy texture to the dressing. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil while continuously whisking or blending to help the ingredients emulsify properly.
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🍋What to Serve with this Dressing
- This dressing would be perfect to dress a pasta salad, check out our Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe.
- Serve it with a quick salad and some protein like chicken or fish. You may like our Lemon Herb Chicken or our Pesto Butter Salmon Recipe.
- Pair with our Green Bean Feta Salad or our refreshing Cold Asparagus Salad!
More Ideas
Tons of delicious salads and sides would benefit from this lemon honey dressing. Here are a few ideas, but use it on your favorite salads or whatever you like!
💭Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can definitely make this dressing with a whisk or in a mason jar, but you will just need a bit more elbow grease. A dressing made with this method will probably separate in the fridge, and you will likely need to re-shake or whisk it each time before using.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Do not freeze.
To emulsify the dressing properly, whisk the dressing vigorously, shake well, or blend/process thoroughly to combine the ingredients until smooth.
After the dressing sits in the fridge for a while, it may separate. You can shake or whisk again quickly until the ingredients combine again.
If you're still struggling to get the dressing to come together, you can add a small amount of mustard or honey to the broken dressing can help re-emulsify the mixture. Whisk in the emulsifier slowly until the dressing starts to come back together.
More Salad Dressings Recipes to Consider
Please note: This recipe was originally published in April of 2018, but it has been re-photographed with better instructions and updated in May 2022. We hope you enjoy it!
Did you try this recipe? Make sure to leave a 5-star review below! 🌟 This helps other readers find our recipes and encourages them to try them. Also, be sure to leave a comment with your experience. Follow along, and tag @AFullLiving on Instagram with your photos!
📖 Recipe
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Equipment
- food processor (or a blender, mason jar, or just a whisk!)
Ingredients
- 4 ounces olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
If using a food processer, blender, or in a jar:
- Add 4 ounces of olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, to a food processor or blender.
To use a whisk:
- Add the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, to a food processor or blender.
- Slowly stream in 4 ounces of olive oil while whisking vigorously until the dressing comes together into a smooth, totally emulsified mixture.
To serve:
- Chill in the fridge before serving for about 30 minutes if possible. Serve with your favorite salad and enjoy!
- You can store this dressing in the fridge for about 7 days in an airtight container. Do not freeze.
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Notes
- Use fresh ingredients. Using fresh garlic and lemon juice will make a huge difference in the flavor. Go for fresh whenever possible!
-
- Adjust the sweetness to taste. The sweetness level of the dressing can be adjusted according to personal preference. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, you can add a bit more honey. Conversely, if you prefer it less sweet, reduce the amount of honey slightly.
- Emulsify thoroughly. This is key to achieving a smooth and creamy texture to the dressing. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil while continuously whisking or blending to help the ingredients emulsify properly.
- If the dressing separates. After the dressing sits in the fridge for a while, it may separate. You can shake or whisk again quickly until the ingredients combine again.
If you're still struggling to get the dressing to come together, you can
add a small amount of mustard or honey to the broken dressing can help re-emulsify the mixture. Whisk in the emulsifier slowly until the dressing starts to come back together.
SUSAN HURWITH says
Very simple and very tasty!
Briana says
So glad to hear you love it Susan! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Sara says
I don't like the taste of olive oil, do you have suggestions for alternative?
Briana says
Hi Sara,
Yes, as stated in the substitutions section, avocado oil or any neutral oil would work great. Enjoy! 🙂
Chris says
I didn’t have honey, so I swapped out and used real maple syrup. Delicious!
Briana says
So glad to hear about the swap you made, and so happy you enjoyed it!
Trudy says
This is my go to dressing for every day salads. Awesome!
Briana says
That is so awesome to hear Trudy! Thanks so much for letting us know how much you like it! 🙂
Lindsey Blanks says
Absolutely delish and so simple! Made it just as the recipe stated 🤌 This will def be in our rotation.
Briana says
So happy to hear this Lindsey! Thanks so much for trying it and for letting us know what you think!! 🙂
Mary Ellen says
What type of greens and toppings are suggested with this dressing?
Jennifer says
This is amazing!! I will be making this again and again. Yum!
Briana says
Thanks so much for your review, Jennifer! We're so glad you enjoy it so much! 🙂
April says
A flavorful dressing that I have made over and over again since I found this recipe!
Briana says
That is so awesome to hear, April! Thanks so much for your review! 🙂
Tan says
It’s very tasty dressing. I like spicy so I put in 5 big cloves of garlic and 1 tablespoon of spicy vinegar with 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. It turned out great for me. Thank you!
Briana says
That sounds delicious Tan, thanks so much for your review! 🙂
Veronica says
This is a fabulous recipe. The only thing I do different is add fresh basil instead of oregano. It’s so fresh and everyone asks for the recipe.
Briana says
Fresh basil sounds so good in this! We're so happy you enjoy it so much, thank you so much for the awesome comment! 🙂
Chellie Lynn says
Absolutely delightful! I am on a keto diet so this is perfect for a healthy diet, PLUS it's truly delishous!
Briana says
Aww yay!! We're so glad to hear this, Chellie! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Heather B says
This is absolutely delicious and my go to dressing for pasta salad…. well any salad!
Briana says
This is so great to hear Heather! Thanks so much!! 🙂
Dina Alley says
Best lemon vinaigrette I’ve made! I’ve swapped this for all others. Thanks so much!
Briana says
You made our day, Dina! So glad you enjoy it and thank you so much for the kind review! 🙂
Elena Murphy says
I wanted a special dressing for my homegrown lettuce and this was perfect! It will be my new favorite!
Jaime says
How big is a serving if it makes 12 servings? Looks so good!
Briana says
Hey Jamie, We're not exactly sure, but to find out, you could weigh the entire amount of dressing with a food scale, and then divide by 12. We didn't actually do it ourselves, but we feel like it's a very solid amount of dressing when we make it!
Penny says
Love it!
Briana says
Thank you so much Penny!