Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing is the dressing I would serve on the House Salad if I were to open a restaurant. It is the most bright and zesty vinaigrette, and goes with everything! It combines a handful of ingredients like lemon juice, olive oil, and dijon for a fresh, tangy taste that effortlessly elevates any salad. Even better, it only takes 5 MINUTES to make, it’s so easy!

A clear glass filled with creamy yellow golden milk, topped with a sprinkle of black pepper, sits on a white surface. The background shows blurred ingredients, possibly nuts or spices.

The other night Eric and I were doing our nightly routine of falling asleep in front of Netflix. (anyone else?) All the sudden we heard noises upstairs. We investigated to find our kids just…hanging out. Truman was working on writing a book of spells, and Charlotte was tinkering with a build-your-own-radio kit. It was past midnight.

I said, “what are you guys doing? Do you know how late it is??” They both looked totally unfazed. “Are you guys just…hanging out?” Truman explained, “I was working on this thing, and Charlotte provided essential companionship.”

Welp. There you go guys. I guess I’ve officially graduated. Teen and tween kids who are voluntarily hanging out together: is there anything after this? I’m basically dusting my hands off over here. I’m done. I’m going to finish out this whole parenting thing on a high note. You guys are on your own from now on, keep up the good work. 😂

In other news, I’m here today to share my FAVORITE salad dressing of all time. I’ve been holding out on you. This is my go to dressing that we make all the time. I’ve been tinkering with it for years, and finally have it just right.

A hand pours creamy yellow dressing onto a fresh green salad topped with shredded cheese and sliced almonds. Lemon slices, a pepper grinder, and a salad bowl are visible in the background.

My go-to salad dressing is EASY

Have you ever had a salad dressing so good you wanted to drink it? No? Am I weird? Ok, I haven’t *actually* taken a straight swig of this vinaigrette, but I’ve come pretty close.

It’s basically the dressing I want on every salad, ever. Salad is a tough sell for me to begin with, not gonna lie. (I’m a meat and potatoes girl at heart.) But a homemade dressing, especially this zippy lemon one, makes any salad a gourmet experience.

It is the dressing that I turn to time and time again, whether it’s for a simple side salad with romaine and tomtoes, my favorite House Salad (Arugula Salad), or a dressed up super fancy salad with all the fixins.

A close-up of a fresh green salad with chopped lettuce, shredded cheese, slivered almonds, creamy dressing, and cracked black pepper, garnished with lemon slices in the background.

Here’s why you’ll love it:

it’s EASY! We’re talking less than 5 minutes here people. If you own a blender, the hardest thing you’ll have to do will be zesting the lemon.
flavor! It’s the perfect balance. A little sweet, a little tart, with fat and umami adding depth and richness. You’re going to love it!
no specialty ingredients! If you have a stocked pantry like I do, there’s a chance you can make this on any given night. Which is probably why I make it so often, because there’s rarely a time I don’t have everything already at home.

A close-up of a bowl of creamy soup, garnished with chopped herbs, with a spoon dipped inside. A lemon slice is visible in the foreground. The soup appears smooth and pale, possibly a lemon or herb-based soup.

Star ingredients

lemon juice and zest add tons of flavor and that important kick of tartness to the dressing. You can swap out the lemon for lime or orange, or do a combo of citruses if you’re trying to match the vinaigrette to specific salad toppings!
light olive oil is a better choice than extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. Light olive oil doesn’t mean that it’s low fat or anything (I wish 😂) it just means that it’s light in flavor, as opposed to the more strongly flavored Extra Virgin olive oil. We want the oil to be as neutral as possible to really let the lemon and other flavors shine. Avocado oil is a great substitute if you don’t have light olive oil, or you can even use canola or vegetable oil if that’s all you have!
parmesan cheese Just trust me on this one! It adds so much richness and depth of flavor to the vinaigrette. You can use Pecorino Romano cheese if you prefer. (or if you’re in a hurry, you can leave it out no prob. It’s so good though and makes the dressing more creamy.)

How to make creamy lemon vinaigrette

Here is everything you need to make this recipe! It’s stupid easy. These are all mostly pantry ingredients!

Two images: The top shows ingredients for salad dressing—olive oil, Dijon mustard, sugar, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemons. The bottom shows a lemon being juiced with a food processor.

I like to use my electric juicer for this recipe, because I’m almost always doubling it, and that’s a lotta lemons. Do you have an electric juicer? One of my favorite little tools. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors, so I add lemon juice to stuff all the time. This makes it so easy.

A close-up of a hand pouring a yellow liquid from a measuring cup into a blender, with the blender blades visible inside the container.

Add all the juice to a blender, plus all the other ingredients (except the oil).

Top view of a blender with garlic, mustard, oil, pepper, and other ingredients inside; below, the blender is blending a creamy mixture, with measurement markings visible on the container.

Blend it up! Then with the blender running, add in the oil.

This is a process called emulsifying. If you add the oil all at once without blending, the oil will stay separate from the other ingredients and it won’t turn into a dressing. It will just be some oil with lemon juice on the side. No thanks. We need to use force (blender, or whisking vigorously) to MAKE the lemon juice and oil be friends, so you end up with little molecules of oil broken up and suspended in the lemon juice. Which makes for a nice creamy dressing. Science!

A person pours liquid into a Blendtec blender with a creamy mixture inside. The second image shows a close-up of the smooth, blended mixture from above. Bottled ingredients are visible in the background.

Voila! Creamy dressing! This takes 5 minutes. It’s so easy, and SO much better than a store bought dressing. Guys don’t worry, I’m a real human. I eat store bought dressing (my kids basically live on Hidden Valley Ranch 😂), but like I said, sometimes salad is a tough sell for me. A homemade dressing can really be the difference between “meh” and “wow.”

A creamy yellow sauce is being poured from a blender into a white bowl, surrounded by lemon halves, a striped towel, a pepper mill, and sprinkled herbs on a white surface.

Pour into a bowl or a mason jar, and serve with your salad. YUM. It keeps in the fridge for…ever? I’ve never had it go bad on me, even after weeks. Secret weapon!! Double, triple the batch!

A close-up of a fresh green salad topped with shredded cheese and almonds, while creamy dressing is being poured over it from a glass container.

Salads to serve with this lemon vinaigrette recipe

There are so many choices! I mean, think of a salad with just about any topping combination, and chances are this vinaigrette will be great. Lemon goes with everything. Here are some of my favorites!

The Food Charlatan House Salad >> if I ever opened a restaurant *this* would be the salad I would serve to all my guests. It’s SO good, and versatile, and goes with every main dish.
Green Salad with Feta and Beets (The Fanciest No-Chop Salad Ever) >> this is a great salad to throw together when you need your side to be as easy as possible
How to make a Cobb Salad with Chicken and Bacon >> this dressing would be amazing on a Cobb if you’re not a fan of traditional red wine vinaigrette or just looking to try something new!

TIP: This dressing is not just for salad! Try it as a finishing sauce over veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or brussels sprouts. YUM!

A close-up of a fresh salad topped with shredded cheese and slivered almonds, with creamy yellow dressing being poured over it. Sliced lemon and wooden salad utensils are visible on the side.

How to store leftovers

Easy peasy! After I make my dressing, I immediately transfer it to a glass jar. Just make sure it has a lid! After using the dressing, pop the lid on and stick the jar in the refrigerator. You can use any airtight container if you don’t have a jar. The dressing will stay good for about 5-7 days. (Or weeks? I’ve never had it go bad on me.)

When you want to use the dressing, be sure to take the jar out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes before you’ll need it. The oil in the dressing will solidify in the cold, so you need to give it time to come down in temperature. Once the oil is no longer solid, shake the container really well, then serve!

Can you freeze lemon vinaigrette?

No way Jose. Technically, it can be done. But, this dressing is an emulsion, which is basically the magic that happens when two liquids that normally won’t mix (like the oil and lemon juice in this recipe) are blended to form one stable liquid. That beautiful, creamy consistency of the dressing will NOT hold up in the freezing and thawing process and you’re likely to end up in a separated, goopy mess. If you don’t think you can get through the full amount of dressing in a week, you can always halve the recipe or share with friends and neighbors! (Orrrrr just leave it in your fridge and follow your nose ;)

A close-up of a fresh green salad with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, slivered almonds, and creamy dressing, served in a bowl with lemon slices and wooden salad tongs.

Dressings and salads for days!

I have a salad almost every day, even though we have a rough history, haha! These days, I love them. IF they have the right fixins and dressings. There are some ideas on the Salad Recipes page you can check out, but here are a few top choices.