Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
All you need is three minutes of prep time to make this Lemon Basil Vinaigrette. The fresh herbs paired with the fresh lemon juice make the best homemade dressing in no time at all. Top your favorite greens, or pair with other salad ingredients to jumpstart your healthy eating!
I love finding new ways to top my salads. When I’m not in a rush, I try to take the time to make my own dressing. This lemon-basil vinaigrette is better than any store-bought dressings out there!
I love that you can use simple ingredients to make homemade salad dressing in mere minutes! If you’ve been curious about making your own salad dressings, now is the perfect time to try. The fresh flavors will have you NEVER buying a dressing from the grocery store again – and that’s a good thing!
Be sure to try my Pesto Salad Dressing and this Dill Pickle Salad Dressing for two of my other top salad dressing choices.
Ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves – The star of the show! You can’t make this lemon basil vinaigrette dressing without the fresh basil. If you grow your own basil plants, this recipe is perfect!
- Lemon juice – I use regular lemons to make this perfect dressing.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – This helps to achieve the right texture for the dressing, making it perfect for adding to salads and other dishes.
- Water – This helps to keep the dressing thin and pourable.
- Salt & black pepper – You can season the dressing to taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Step One: Add all the ingredients into a small blender or food processor.
Step Two: Blend until the mixture is smooth.
Top Tip💡
If you’re low on lemon juice or want to add more lemon flavor, you can also add some lemon zest to this recipe. Tasty salad dressings like this are versatile!
Substitutions
- Lime juice – If you want to change the flavor, you can use a lime instead. You’ll still get that citrus flavor! Swap in cilantro for the basil for a great cilantro lime dressing.
Variations
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper are great, but you can also add garlic powder, fresh garlic, or any other additional herbs that you want.
- Dijon mustard – Adding a little bit of mustard into the mixture is a fun way to add a new flavor.
See this Peach Vinaigrette for a sweet and yummy dressing.
Equipment
Healthy salad dressings aren’t complicated to make! All you need for this lemon herb vinaigrette dressing recipe is a blender, measuring cup, and a storage container.
Storage
Vinaigrette recipes are so simple to prep and store. Once you have the mixture blended well, you just store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it. I keep mine in a mason jar so I can give it a good shake before using.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe because of the added oil and lemon juice ingredients. It’s best served fresh!
Common Questions
Sure! If you want prefer creamy dressings just swap out the oil for mayo and add a spoonful of Greek yogurt.
I recommend that you use the dressing within 3-4 days of making it. And since it’s so easy to make, you can literally make it right away once the craving strikes. Just be sure that you shake it before each use!
I think that this recipe is most commonly used to top salads. You can add this to a spinach salad, kale salad, and any of your other favorite greens. I also think that this vinaigrette would be delicious with a caprese salad, pasta salad, or even as a drizzle over the top of grilled vegetables.
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Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in small blender.
- Blend until smooth.
Nutrition
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Looks delicious but 7 carbs for a dressing?? Don’t see how it could be that many carbs?
There was an error in the nutrition calculator. It actually has less than 1 carb. I just fixed it.
I am a big fan of lemon dressings, and this is one of the tastiest I have ever made.
Light, fresh, delicious!