Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Dressing with Dried Herbs
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Transform your everyday salads with this refreshing and tangy lemon honey dressing! It’s the perfect vinaigrette for spring or summer salads. This dressing pairs beautifully with dark leafy greens and is a great way to help you eat more healthy salads.
Every person in my house loves lemons. From lemon desserts to lemonade to salad dressings, we love to work lemon into anything we can. My kids get so excited when I slice up lemons for their water, too!
Recently, my six-year-old son decided that he will *only* eat chicken if he gets lemon dressing to eat with it. My lemon vinaigrette recipe is comprised of nourishing, wholesome ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice, so how could I say no?
I love making my own salad dressings. Not only can I control the ingredients by using high-quality healthy oils and minimizing refined sugars, but I can also create them exactly to my tastes to make green salads I enjoy eating!
This salad dressing whips together quickly with simple ingredients you likely have on hand. Mason jars are the perfect utensil for homemade salad dressings– you can mix and shake the dressing together right in the jar, and the jar goes into the refrigerator. But you can also use a small bowl to whisk this dressing together.
Ingredients
To make this honey lemon vinaigrette, you need the following basic ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Olive oil is the base for this dressing. You can also use avocado oil if you prefer.
- Fresh Lemons – Lemon juice is a great source of vitamin C. We use the lemons to squeeze the juice and add some lemon zest for flavor. You can use bottled lemon juice if needed.
- Garlic – One clove of garlic grated into the dressing gives so much flavor!
- Honey – Use whatever kind of honey you have on hand. I use a local raw honey for the possible benefits as reported by the NIH.
- Dijon Mustard – This adds a beautiful depth and tang to the dressing.
- Spices and Dried Herbs – Salt, black pepper, ground ginger, and dried basil, thyme, rosemary add delicious fresh, different flavors to this dressing.
Instructions
To make this lemon honey dressing, follow the steps below.
1. Add Olive Oil
Add olive oil to a mason jar. I use a 1-cup jar, but a pint jar also works.
2. Zest & Juice Lemons
Wash the outer peel of one lemon and zest the clean lemon into the olive oil. Then squeeze the juice out of that lemon with a juicer or your hands. Slice the other lemon and squeeze the juice into the jar as well. You want about 1/4 cup total lemon juice.
3. Grate Garlic
Grate the clove of garlic into the jar. You can also use a teaspoon of minced garlic, or 1/4 tsp garlic powder. I love the potent flavor of raw garlic, so I always grate mine into the dressing using my zester.
4. Add Other Ingredients
Add the honey, dijon mustard, and dried herbs and spices to the jar. Put a lid on the jar and shake it vigorously to mix, until the honey and mustard are fully dissolved and the dressing looks creamy.
Tips & Variations
This creamy dressing can be customized to your liking! If you want less sweetness, you can cut the honey in half. If you don’t have some of the dried herbs and spices, you can omit them. Try swapping some of the lemon juice for a bit of lime juice.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this easy honey lemon dressing with your favorite salads. We love a simple green salad with things like kale, fresh herbs like parsley and basil, red onion, cucumbers, and red bell peppers.
If you’re like my son, you’ll love this as a topping for grilled chicken.
Nutritional Information
This dressing makes about 6 servings. For one serving, the nutritional information is as follows:
- Calories: 95
- Protein: 0
- Fat: 9 g (1.3g saturated)
- Carbs: 4g
Recipe Notes
Store this dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is best eaten within 3-4 days. The cold temperature in the fridge may cause the olive oil to solidify, however, you can gently warm the dressing to room temperature to shake and remix.
Other Homemade Dressings
Try some of my other homemade dressings, such as my Blood Orange Vinaigrette Dressing or my healthy protein ranch dip!
We love this Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette. My winter kale salad also has a fabulous apple cider vinaigrette, as does my copycat kale crunch salad.
Did You Make This Lemon Honey Dressing?
This recipe is so much better than store-bought dressings. You’re going to love it! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments, and if you make it, I’d love to hear how it went!
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Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Citrus Juicer optional–you can also hand squeeze
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small lemons or 1 large
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a mason jar.1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Wash the outer peel of one of the lemons and zest the clean lemon into the olive oil. Then squeeze the juice out of that lemon with a juicer or your hands. Slice the other lemon and squeeze the juice into the jar as well. You want about 1/4 cup total lemon juice.2 small lemons
- Grate the clove of garlic into the jar.1 clove garlic
- Add the honey, dijon mustard, and all of the herbs and spices to the jar. Put a lid on the jar and shake it vigorously to mix.1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Video
This is a perfect dressing for a little dinner side salad. I love that I always have what I need on hand for this and it’s so rich and somehow refreshing at the same time!