The Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe You’ll Want to Use on Everything

With this easy recipe, you’ll have a zippy, peppery lemon vinaigrette in less than 5 minutes. The best part? It’s way more than just a simple salad dressing: use as a flavor-booster for everything from meat to roast veggies, fish, and beyond.

Lemon vinaigrette is the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to homemade salad dressings. With fresh lemon juice and dried oregano, this easy vinaigrette recipe is similar to the classic Greek salad dressing Ladolemono, but with a spoonful of Dijon mustard for a velvety quality and peppery kick.

This lemon vinaigrette recipe will keep in your refrigerator for up to a week. Make a big batch to keep on hand and use it for more than green salads. It’s also great as a chicken marinade, a sauce for roast fish, or to dress up roasted vegetables and grain salads.

Table of Contents

1. What’s In Lemon Vinaigrette?
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette
4. Best Vinaigrette Ratio 
5. Ways to Mix It Up
6. What to Serve with Lemon Vinaigrette
7. You’ll Also Like: More Vinaigrette Recipes
8. Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe Recipe

What’s In Lemon Vinaigrette?

Making homemade salad dressing means you can use high quality ingredients at a fraction of the cost. Here’s what you’ll need to make a super simple lemon vinaigrette: 

• Lemon juice is the only acid, which is fresh and bright. 
• Dijon mustard adds punchy, peppery flavor and a bit of body; otherwise, the lemon and oil won’t emulsify to become velvety as easily. Stone ground, seeded, or smooth Dijon all work well. 
• Garlic adds a savory, spicy depth of flavor. 
• Dried oregano gives the dressing a layer of complexity. You can substitute with other dried herbs if you prefer, like parsley or basil. 
• Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor. 
• Extra virgin olive oil is a major component of the flavor—use something high in quality with a pleasant taste.

Ingredient Spotlight

The biggest benefit to making homemade vinaigrette—be it this one, balsamic, apple cider, you name it–is the olive oil. Most store-bought dressings and vinaigrettes use low-quality oils, which lack both flavor and polyphenols. By making your own, you can use a high-quality, antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil, which is not only better for you, but it also tastes better!

Once you’re using a high-quality olive oil, the flavor is up to you. For example, I like to use a bold and peppery EVOO for my dressings and often opt for our Early Harvest Greek EVOO or our Spanish Hojiblanca EVOO.

But a milder, more buttery EVOO like Arbequina or a medium-bodied and somewhat fruity EVOO like Nocellara will work as well. It depends if you want your vinaigrette more bold and punchy or mellow.

• READ MORE: Olive Oil 101: Everything You Need to Know
• TRY IT: Everyday Olive Oil Bundle

How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette

Vinaigrettes are always to taste. If you prefer a more in-your-face citrusy flavor, start with less olive oil. Always taste and adjust the salt before dressing your salad. Here’s how to make this simple homemade dressing:

• Whisk. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 to 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, and a big dash of salt and pepper (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon each).
• Incorporate the oil. Continue whisking as you drizzle in 1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. Whisk until fully emulsified.
• Use or store. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Store, covered in your refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Simply give it a good whisk to reincorporate the oil. 

Best Vinaigrette Ratio 

The basic formula for vinaigrette is 1-part citrus to 3-parts oil. In this case, I do 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice to 3/4 good extra virgin olive oil. So this isn’t technically a vinaigrette since there’s no vinegar, but no one is complaining!

Ways to Mix It Up

This lemon vinaigrette recipe is really a formula that you can use to plug in what you like and what you have on hand. Here are some ideas: 

• Mix up the herbs with other dried or fresh tender green herbs, like basil or parsley. 
• Add sweetness: If you’d like to balance the tart flavor, add a drizzle of honey (I like our Greek Honey but our Italian Citrus Honey would also be great in this.)
• Once you’ve mastered the art of homemade lemon vinaigrette, try any number of healthy homemade salad dressing recipes.

What to Serve with Lemon Vinaigrette

Lemon vinaigrette is a versatile homemade salad dressing—you really can’t go wrong with greens of your choice, from endive to arugula to kale. But don’t stop at salad! Here are more ways to use this lemon vinaigrette recipe:

• As a marinade for grilled or baked chicken. Allow the chicken to soak in the marinade—ideally for at least 30 minutes, and no longer than overnight as the acid can turn the chicken rubbery. You can bake the chicken right in the marinade (use this Greek Chicken Marinade Recipe for cooking instructions) or shake off the marinade and grill. 
• Drizzle over fish or shrimp: Make a simple poached salmon and dress it up with a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette just before serving. You can do the same thing with shrimp or cod.
• As a dressing for roast vegetables. Toss roast veggies of your choice, like beets, fennel, potatoes, broccoli, blanched asparagus, and more in enough dressing to coat. 
• As a condiment for sandwiches and wraps. Drizzle on sandwiches, toasts, or wraps instead of traditional condiments like mayonnaise, aioli, or mustard.

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