Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette With Fresh Herbs

I've been making my own salad dressings for years. It's a no-brainer because it's super quick and easy, budget-friendly and tastes so much fresher and better than most bottled dressings.

This lemon and garlic vinaigrette is one of my go-tos, especially during the summertime. It's the perfect match for the in-season greens and veggies, and I put it on all of them...and a few other things as well (read on to see what)!

Love homemade vinaigrettes and dressings? Be sure to try my Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette and Homemade Italian Dressing too.

Why I Love This Recipe (And You Will Too)

• You know exactly what's in it. There are no mystery ingredients here, and all of the ingredients are easy to get (you may already stock most or all of them).
• It's quick and easy. Put everything in a jar, shake to combine, and you're done in about 5 minutes.
• You make it in the same jar you store it in. So there's no extra dishes to wash.
• It's packed with flavor. You can really taste the freshness of the lemon juice, garlic and herbs. And you know that it's homemade.
• It's versatile. You can use it for more than just salad (see Serving Suggestions below for ideas).

Ingredients

Here are all of the ingredients you need to make this garlic lemon vinaigrette, along with notes and tips on some of the items to help you make the best selections.

Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Fresh lemon juice - it's the star of this dressing, so you need freshly-squeezed juice; don't substitute bottled juice, as the flavor will be different
• Extra-virgin olive oil - it's got a great "fruity" flavor that adds to the deliciousness; regular or light olive can be used instead, but note that they have a much more neutral taste
• Fresh garlic - freshly minced garlic can't be beat, and there really is no substitue; if you use jarred garlic (which you can), the flavor may not be quite the same
• Dijon mustard - in addition to adding a hint of flavor, the mustard mainly acts as an emulsifier helping to keep the vinaigrette combined for longer before the ingredients separate; don't skip it
• Fresh thyme and parsley - again, it's all about the flavor, and fresh herbs have it; dried herbs don't taste the same and don't work as well here

How to Make Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette With Fresh Herbs

This is a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Place all of the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Shake until well combined. Enjoy!

Top Tips

• Finely mince the garlic so that the pieces are nice and small and distribute evenly throughout the dressing. Grating the garlic on a Microplane grater/zester or using a garlic press is a fast and easy way to achieve this (and, of course, a good-ol' knife works well too).
• No jar? Mix the vinaigrette in a bowl with a whisk instead.
• If the vinaigrette is too tangy for your taste, add more olive oil and/or honey. If it's not tangy enough, add more lemon juice (or even some of the lemon zest).

Serving Suggestions

This vinaigrette is great on any salad, from a simple green salad to a tossed salad to a composed salad like Tuna Niçoise Salad (one of my favorite things to pair it with). But here are some more things you can do with it:

• Use it as a dressing for pasta salad or a no-mayo potato salad.
• Toss it with cooked vegetables. I especially love it with grilled or roasted broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, and potatoes.
• Brush it on grilled shrimp or fish.
• Use it as a marinade (it's great with both chicken and veggies).
  • Quick Tip: Marinate meat for only an hour or two, tops. Too long, and the lemon juice starts to break down the proteins, which could cause a mushy texture.

I hope you try this Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette With Fresh Herbs recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!