This lemon basil vinaigrette is bright, flavorful and perfect for topping your favorite veggies, drizzling on your favorite grilled meats, or tossing into a pasta salad. It’s packed with a ton of flavor from ingredients like fresh basil, tangy lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.

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Why you’ll love this

This lemon basil vinaigrette dressing is one of my favorite dressings to make all summer long with fresh basil. It’s perfect when basil is inexpensive and plentiful at the grocery store or your garden is overflowing with basil.

If you’re new to making your own dressing, I promise the tiny bit of extra effort is worth it. This dressing has the perfect amount of flavor from citrus and fresh herbs and truly takes your salad to the next level! The fresh flavors make it the perfect dressing for:

• Your favorite summer salads, grain bowls or favorite green salad dishes- it would even be a delicious addition to my Italian Bean Salad.
• Drizzling on grilled veggies, meats and seafood
• Dressing your favorite pasta salads- try it on my Tortellini Caprese Salad!
• Using as a dressing for sandwiches or sliders
• Using as a delicious marinade for your favorite protein or veggies for grilling.

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make your own vinaigrette and it takes less than 5 minutes. And I can’t say it enough- homemade salad dressing is just so much more delicious than store-bought dressings.

Let’s get into what you need to make this fresh lemon basil dressing next.

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil is a must when it comes to homemade dressings for the flavor and healthy fats. This one is my favorite!
• White wine vinegar: White wine vinegar is a great base for this dressing, but you can also use other vinegars that you enjoy in dressings, like red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar.
• Fresh lemon juice: Lemons add the perfect amount of bright citrus summer flavor! You can also add a bit of lemon zest for a bigger lemon punch of flavor.
• Fresh basil leaves: Fresh sweet basil is a must! I love growing basil plants in my garden but if you’re not a garden-fan, grab some from your local grocery store or farmer’s market. You can use additional herbs like parsley and dill too.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is one of my favorite ingredients for homemade dressing. It adds a zesty garlic punch to any recipe! To make your life easy use a garlic microplane! If you don’t have fresh, you can use garlic powder too.
• Honey: You can use any sweetener that you enjoy. I like a touch of honey or maple syrup in dressings because they blend easily.
• Salt + black pepper

How to make lemon basil vinaigrette

How to store

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Olive oil will naturally solidify a bit in the fridge, so some separation is normal. Let the dressing sit out at room temperature for a few minutes and shake up before serving.

I like to store mine in a mason jar with a lid so that it’s easily shaken up!

Variation + substitutions

• Use lime juice instead of lemon juice for an equally delicious vinaigrette with a different citrus flavor.
• If you like creamy dressings, add a scoop of Greek yogurt, sour cream or mayo.
• Use avocado oil instead of olive oil.
• Use different vinegars like balsamic, white balsamic, apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
• Add more fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro for a different flavor profile.
• Add 1 teaspoon or two of dijon mustard for a creamier, tangier dressing.
• Blend parmesan cheese or feta cheese for a creamy cheesy flavor.

More easy salad dressings you’ll love

Making your own salad dressings is truly so simple and levels up any dish compared to pre-made salad dressing- here’s a few more of my favorites:

• Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Greek Yogurt Cucumber Ranch Dressing
• Balsamic Date Vinaigrette
• Honey Lime Vinaigrette
• Sherry Shallot Dressing
• Maple Balsamic Dressing