Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Name: Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 large garlic clove (smashed with the flat side of a knife's blade, then minced); 3/4 cup olive oil; 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 10-12 large basil leaves (sliced thinly); 1/2 tsp. salt (to taste); several grinds of black pepper

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Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is a delicious, healthy salad dressing made with fresh basil, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. This recipe is super easy to make and ready in only 5 minutes!

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Lemon Basil Vinaigrette came together because my basil plants were growing out of control and I acquired a ton of lemons recently (thanks, dad!).

After brainstorming all the delicious ways I could use both ingredients, I ended up making several different items including this wonderful lemony salad dressing.

This beautiful yellow and green vinaigrette really does taste as good as it looks.

The lemon juice gives it a slight tartness that the olive oil helps smooth out, and the fresh basil adds a fabulous freshness.

Even my ranch-loving kids liked it! In fact, we blew through this dressing so fast, I had to make another batch a couple days later.

What you need to make this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):

Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Fresh basil
Garlic
Salt & pepper

How to make this vinaigrette:

Simply throw everything in a mason jar and shake it vigorously. If you don’t have a mason jar, just whisk it really well in a bowl and stir it again right before serving.
After you mix all the ingredients together, let it sit for about 20-30 minutes so the flavors can meld. That’s it! You now have a healthy, homemade salad dressing that doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients, sweeteners, or weird preservatives that store-bought dressings have.

How to serve Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

My favorite greens to use for this vinaigrette is a combination of arugula and romaine.

Arugula has a fabulous, peppery bite to it and romaine is nice and crunchy, so they make a great duo. However, this dressing would be great on any of your favorite greens!

Besides a salad dressing, Lemon Basil Vinaigrette would be great drizzled over grilled veggies, or spooning some on top of a Mediterranean style burrito bowl with rice or quinoa.

How long is a homemade vinaigrette good for?

Keep the vinaigrette in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Looking for another homemade salad dressing? Here are some favorites:

Dijon Chive Vinaigrette
Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (shown below)

NOTES:

I wouldn’t use dried basil in place of the fresh basil in this recipe. Dried basil imparts a sweet flavor, and you really want the herbaceous basil flavor that you can only get from the fresh leaves.
I can’t stand paying $2.00 for a tiny plastic case of basil leaves, so if you don’t already have a basil plant, I highly recommend you get one. Just stick it in a window, water it when the soil starts to look dry or the leaves seem droopy and you’ll always have fresh basil whenever you need it.
Please only use fresh lemon juice! The “juice” from the plastic, squeezable lemons is not the same thing and the end result will not taste the same.

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