How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette

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Cutting board with ingredients for making homemade Lemon Vinaigrette

If you’ve ever struggled to make lemon vinaigrette that’s not overly acidic or oily, and has a balanced flavor, look no further!

In this easy, step-by-step tutorial I’ll show you how to make perfect, 5-ingredient lemon vinaigrette every time.

Pouring oil into a bowl for our tutorial on How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette
Using a whisk to stir together ingredients for homemade Lemon Vinaigrette
Using a spoon to drizzle dressing over a simple green salad

How to Make Lemon Vinaigrette

An easy, step-by-step tutorial on how to make delicious lemon vinaigrette every time. Perfect for warm and cold salads, roasted veggies, and more!
Author Minimalist Baker
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Whisking together ingredients for our easy Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing recipe
4.25 from 4 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 (2-Tbsp servings)
Course Sauce
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

  • 3-4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup good quality olive oil (light or extra virgin)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 pinch each salt and black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp minced shallot (optional)

Instructions

  • We recommend using a small blender to emulsify the ingredients and also fully incorporate the shallot. If not using shallot, simply add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined. 
    If using a blender, add all ingredients to small blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth.
  • Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon for acidity, olive oil for richness, salt and pepper to taste, or maple syrup for sweetness.
  • Use immediately on warm and cold salads, roasted vegetables, and more! Store in the refrigerator 3-4 days. The oil can harden when cold, so shake well to reincorporate. 

Video

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amount of lemon juice and without optional ingredients. Recipe as written yields 4 (2-Tbsp) servings (about 1/2 cup total).

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 126 Carbohydrates: 1.9 g Protein: 0 g Fat: 13.5 g Saturated Fat: 1.9 g Sodium: 19 mg Fiber: 0 g Sugar: 1.3 g

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  1. Chi says

    Unfortunately I didn’t like this. Maybe it was the maple flavor or the fact that I omitted the shallots since I didn’t have any.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Chi, sorry to hear that! The shallots do add nice flavor. Did you use pure maple syrup? You could also try agave (or honey if not vegan).

    • Michaela says

      I’ve been making this for weeks now and I love it every time. I’ve added lemon zest each batch. So delicious and simple. Thank you!

  2. Madison says

    I made this and it was delicious! Seemed too lemony when I first tasted it, but put it on my salad (arugula-based) without changing it and it tasted perfect. Adding the shallots (onions would work as well) gives it a more creamy appearance and I found it enhanced the flavour perfectly!

  3. Christine says

    I liked this lemon vinaigrette- I am allergic to onions so did not use shallots and it was still great. Very simple and good.