Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Briana · This post may contain affiliate links.

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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!

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (1)

Please note: This recipe was originally published in April of 2018, but it has been re-photographed and updated in May 2022. We hope you enjoy it!

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!

Jump to:
  • ❤️Why we love this recipe
  • 🍯Ingredients
  • ✏️Ingredient notes
  • 📖Instructions ​
  • 🍋Other uses for this dressing
  • 💭Frequently asked questions
  • 🛒Shop this recipe
  • 🥗More salad dressings to try
  • 🥣Storage
  • 🌟Leave a review!
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Community

❤️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 quick and easy is in a food processor or high powered blender, it can also be made by hand with a whisk, or shaken up in mason jars!
  • Healthier option - This recipe is refined sugar free, since it's sweetened with just a little bit of honey. It's naturally gluten free, low carb, and dairy free. To make it vegan, you could swap the honey for your favorite substitute.

🍯Ingredients

Below are the ingredients used in this recipe. We will provide ideas for substitutions further on in the post. You can find nutritional information and full quantities in the recipe card.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (2)

✏️Ingredient notes

  • Fresh garlic - Mince up some garlic to bring the flavor of this dressing to the next level. You could substitute for garlic powder if you prefer.
  • Apple cider vinegar - You could also substitute for some red wine vinegar.
  • Dijon mustard - Adds a nice zing flavor to the dressing.
  • Honey or honey substitute - Honey is what we use to make this dressing, and it adds such a lovely flavor and natural sweetness.
  • Kosher salt & black pepper- Pretty standard seasoning wise, add to taste.
  • Dried oregano - You could also add in some other herbs like dried thyme, basil, rosemary, or really whatever you like. Oregano is perfect and versatile for us, so it suits a lot of different salads.
  • 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!

📖Instructions ​

Add olive oil and apple cider vinegar to a food processor.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (3)
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (4)

Now add the oregano, black pepper, salt, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, and lemon juice.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (5)
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (6)
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (7)

Food process until smooth, and chill in the fridge before time to use to allow the flavors to combine.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (8)

Serve and enjoy! Try it with this , a simple spinach arugula salad, this blackberry salad, or this grilled peach salad, and more!

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (9)

🍋Other uses for this dressing

  • To dress a pasta salad.
  • As a quick marinade for fish or chicken.
  • Use it on proteins in the slow cooker to season it.
  • Cook it with proteins on the stovetop for extra flavor!

💭Frequently asked questions

Can I make this dressing with a whisk or mason jar?

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.

Here are a few tips:
- Mince the garlic up really fine before adding it to the dressing.
- You could potentially heat the honey for a few seconds to help the dressing emulsify easier.
- Whisk or shake vigorously until emulsified.

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (10)

🛒Shop this recipe

Need supplies for this recipe? We've linked our favorites above andright here in our Amazon Store! You don't pay anything extra if you shop using our link, but we get a small percentage of the sale.

A Full Living is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate program, an affiliate advertising program designed to promote a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking products to amazon.com. We only share products we use and love. It doesn't cost you anything extra to shop using our links, but we earn a small commission that helps us keep this site going!

🥗More salad dressings to try

  • Wingstop ranch dressing
  • Creamy balsamic dressing
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (11)

🥣Storage

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Do not freeze.

🌟Leave a review!

Make sure to leave a 5-star review below! This helps other readers find our recipes via Google, and encourages them to try them. Also be sure to leave a comment with your experience!

Take a photo and share with us by tagging us onInstagramor follow along onPinterestfor more ideas!

📖 Recipe

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (12)

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Briana

Looking for a delicious salad dressing? This homemade dressing is perfect for all of your favorite salads. 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!

5 from 29 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 ounces olive oil
  • 1 whole lemon (juiced)

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor.

  • Food process, whisk or shake in a mason jar until everything is emulsified.

  • Now, simply taste, adjust seasonings if need be, then serve with whatever salad you want. You can store this dressing in the fridge for about 7 days in an airtight container.

Notes

  • Feel free to swap honey with your favorite substitute to suit your preference.
  • Use as a marinade, in the slow cooker or on the stovetop with proteins, or on pasta salad!
  • Use a food processor, whisk, or a mason jar to make this dressing.
  • Champagne or red wine vinegar can be used in place of apple cider vinegar.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 125mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @AFullLiving on social!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Ellen says

    What type of greens and toppings are suggested with this dressing?

    Reply

  2. Jennifer says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (13)
    This is amazing!! I will be making this again and again. Yum!

    Reply

    • Briana says

      Thanks so much for your review, Jennifer! We're so glad you enjoy it so much! 🙂

      Reply

    • Briana says

      That is so awesome to hear, April! Thanks so much for your review! 🙂

      Reply

  3. Tan says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (15)
    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!

    Reply

    • Briana says

      That sounds delicious Tan, thanks so much for your review! 🙂

      Reply

  4. Veronica says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (16)
    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.

    Reply

    • 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! 🙂

      Reply

  5. Chellie Lynn says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (17)
    Absolutely delightful! I am on a keto diet so this is perfect for a healthy diet, PLUS it's truly delishous!

    Reply

    • Briana says

      Aww yay!! We're so glad to hear this, Chellie! Thanks for the comment 🙂

      Reply

  6. Heather B says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (18)
    This is absolutely delicious and my go to dressing for pasta salad…. well any salad!

    Reply

    • Briana says

      This is so great to hear Heather! Thanks so much!! 🙂

      Reply

  7. Dina Alley says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (19)
    Best lemon vinaigrette I’ve made! I’ve swapped this for all others. Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Briana says

      You made our day, Dina! So glad you enjoy it and thank you so much for the kind review! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Elena Murphy says

    Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (20)
    I wanted a special dressing for my homegrown lettuce and this was perfect! It will be my new favorite!

    Reply

  9. Jaime says

    How big is a serving if it makes 12 servings? Looks so good!

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  10. Penny says

    Love it!

    Reply

    • Briana says

      Thank you so much Penny!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

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Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe — A Full Living (2024)

FAQs

How long does honey vinaigrette last? ›

We recommend consuming dressings and sauces within 3-4 days to be safe. Food safety aside, we tend to prefer the taste of freshly made dressings, especially when using citrus, yogurt or garlic, and find that 3-4 days is the sweet spot.

What is the shelf life of lemon vinaigrette? ›

This lemon vinaigrette will keep in an airtight container or jar for up to 1 week in the fridge.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making vinaigrette? ›

12 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Making Homemade Vinaigrette
  • Estimating measurements for all ingredients. inspiredbyart/Shutterstock. ...
  • Using the wrong oil. ...
  • Using the wrong vinegar. ...
  • Leaving out the emulsifier. ...
  • Skipping the mustard. ...
  • Forgetting to check expiration dates. ...
  • Not using fresh herbs. ...
  • Using vinaigrette only on salad.
Aug 18, 2022

What is house vinaigrette made of? ›

The standard house dressing is a combination of vinegar, oil, garlic, herbs, and a touch of sugar, but each restaurant has its own method, proportions, and add-ons.

Do you have to refrigerate homemade vinaigrette dressing? ›

Homemade salad dressing usually is supposed to be kept only a very few days, unlike commercial salad dressing, which keeps refrigerated for weeks. It spoils faster than store bought, so, yes, absolutely refrigerate it.

How do you keep homemade vinaigrette fresh? ›

If you are using the dressing on a regular basis, there is no need to refrigerate. The acidity in the vinegar should be enough to keep the dressing stable. However, if you add raw garlic or raw herbal leaves (chopped or otherwise), then I would refrigerate because these lower acidity and can spoil.

Does oil and vinegar go bad? ›

A good long time. The oil doesn't spoil for a few years, and the vinegar is exactly what it claims to be, sour wine. Now, if you've blended in various herbs and spices, they can start to decay (although honey never will — we've found completely edible honey in Egyptian tombs from 3000 years ago).

What is the best vinegar for salad dressing? ›

Red wine vinegar

Sometimes just called red vinegar, this vinegar is a byproduct of fermented red wine. It has a sharp tang and a relatively strong flavor profile, making it a good choice for more robust salads as well as meat marinades.

What salad dressings are the healthiest? ›

8 Simple and Healthy Salad Dressings
  1. Sesame ginger. This simple salad dressing doubles as an easy marinade for meat, poultry, or roasted veggies. ...
  2. Balsamic vinaigrette. ...
  3. Avocado lime. ...
  4. Lemon vinaigrette. ...
  5. Honey mustard. ...
  6. Greek yogurt ranch. ...
  7. Apple cider vinaigrette. ...
  8. Ginger turmeric.
Jul 27, 2023

Why is my lemon vinaigrette bitter? ›

While lemon zest can up the lemony flavor of your vinaigrette, it will also leave it with a bitter flavor. It's best to stick with just lemon juice and skip the zest.

How much olive oil and lemon juice do you mix together? ›

For the best possible effect, the ingredients should always be freshly put together. First 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice is squeezed out and mixed with 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil in a glass.

Does homemade lemon vinaigrette need to be refrigerated? ›

If the dressing loses its emulsification, simply whisk it again (or shake it in the jar). Storing leftovers: Keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. Freezing: You may freeze for up to 2 months, but will not taste as fresh.

What is the most basic formula in making a salad vinaigrette? ›

The Basic Vinaigrette Formula

The most basic ratio for making a salad vinaigrette is: one part vinegar (or other acid) three parts oil.

What is the ratio of oil to vinegar when making a vinaigrette? ›

Culinary Tips for a Basic Vinaigrette Dressing (with Variations) This is a standard vinaigrette recipe, so we use the traditional oil to vinegar ratio: three parts oil to one part vinegar/acid, but this ratio can vary depending on your choice of vinegar/acid and personal taste.

What's the difference between balsamic dressing and vinaigrette? ›

Balsamic vinegar is pure vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is dark brown in color and has a very robust, slightly sweet flavor. Balsamic vinaigrette is a mixture made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and/or other spices. It is typically used as a salad dressing but has other uses in the kitchen as well.

What's the difference between balsamic vinaigrette and regular vinaigrette? ›

A balsamic vinaigrette typically involves adding oil, sugar, and/or mustard to balsamic vinegar, along with seasonings like garlic, salt, and pepper. While it can be made in a way that makes it healthier than several other salad dressing options, it can't compare to simply using the vinegar and oil.

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