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Home » Recipes » Condiments and Kitchen Basics

Homemade Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing

Published: May 26, 2021 · Modified: Oct 14, 2023 by Tristin Rieken · 6 Comments

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a versatile homemade salad dressing recipe made with lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar and creamy mayo. Use this lemon dressing as a salad dressing for kale, arugula, salmon, quinoa and more.

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a homemade salad dressing recipe that can be used in so many ways! | easy lemon salad dressing | lemon salad dressing recipe | creamy lemon dressing | fish marinade
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  • Versatile homemade salad dressing recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Step by step instructions
  • How to store
  • Make it your own
  • Yield
  • 📖 Recipe

Versatile homemade salad dressing recipe

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is such a versatile homemade dressing recipe! Made from only a few ingredients this bright, light vinaigrette adds a nice tart flavor to so many dishes!

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a homemade salad dressing recipe that can be used in so many ways!  | easy lemon salad dressing | lemon salad dressing recipe | creamy lemon dressing | fish marinade

A perfect lemon dressing for kale or quinoa salad. Delicious on chicken salad, greek salad, pasta salad, steak salad, coleslaw, cold potato salad, and summer berry fruit salad. Try it tossed with peas and prosciutto in a cold pasta salad. You can even use this creamy salad dressing as a marinade for salmon, an easy seasoning for campfire foil packs, or as a crudite and fruit dip! Delicious with seafood like salmon cakes, crab cakes, shrimp rolls or any baked, fried or steamed fish.

Lemon salad dressing on a cold summer salad

Once you see how easy it is to turn a few simple ingredients into such a delicious condiment you’ll be finding all sorts of ways to use Creamy Lemon Dressing!

Ingredients

two fresh lemons on a white background
  • 2 small lemons (zested then juiced)
  • granulated sugar
  • garlic clove
  • sea salt
  • white vinegar – or substitute apple cider vinegar,
  • mayonnaise –  olive oil mayonnaise preferred. Or see below for list of substitutions.
  • olive oil

Step by step instructions

  1. Zest lemons then squeeze lemon juice.
Freshly squeezed lemons
  1. Place lemon zest and juice, chopped garlic, sugar and salt in a medium non reactive lidded jar (glass, ceramic, stainless steel).
  2. Add vinegar and stir, or shake, until salt and sugar are dissolved.
  3. Add mayonnaise and stir to combine. 
  4. Slowly whisk in olive oil until thick. 
  5. Store refrigerated until ready to serve.
  6. Enjoy!
Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a homemade salad dressing recipe that can be used in so many ways!  | easy lemon salad dressing | lemon salad dressing recipe | creamy lemon dressing | fish marinade

How to store

Refrigerate salad dressing in the jar it was made in, or other airtight lidded container, until ready to serve. Will keep refrigerated up to seven days. If sour cream was substituted for mayonnaise use within two days.

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a homemade salad dressing recipe that can be used in so many ways!  | easy lemon salad dressing | lemon salad dressing recipe | creamy lemon dressing | fish marinade

Make it your own

  • Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a dash of red pepper flakes, fresh herbs like basil, tarragon or dill for extra flavor.
  • Substitute plain greek yogurt or sour cream for mayo, leave out the mayonnaise all together. You can even add extra olive oil and an egg yolk to emulsify your own mayo. Or substitute creamy tahini for a creamy lemon tahini salad dressing.
  • Switch out the sugar for honey or sweetener of your choice.
  • Trade lemon juice and zest for lime instead!
  • This is a garlic heavy lemon dressing. Trade the garlic for toum or shallots for a sweeter less garlicky flavor.
  • Skip the chopping and whisking and blend the entire creamy salad dressing up in a a mini food processor or blender.

Yield

This recipe yields around ¾-1 cup of salad dressing, or 12-16 tablespoons. The standard serving size for salad dressing is 2 tablespoons, so this creamy lemon salad dressing recipe yields roughly 6 servings of dressing.

📖 Recipe

Lemon salad dressing being poured over a fresh green salad with strawberries and blueberries

Creamy Lemon Dressing

Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a homemade salad dressing recipe that can be used in so many ways!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 162kcal
Author: Tristin Rieken

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon white vinegar
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

  • Place chopped garlic, lemon zest, sugar and salt in a medium lidded jar.
    2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 clove garlic, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • Add lemon juice and vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.
    ¼ cup lemon juice, ½ teaspoon white vinegar
  • Add mayonnaise and stir to combine.
    ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • Slowly whisk in olive oil until thick.
    ¼ cup olive oil
  • Store refrigerated until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
Made this recipe? Please share!Mention @freshflavorful or tag #FreshFlavorfulLife
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Lemon Dressing
Amount Per Serving
Calories 162 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 108mg5%
Potassium 16mg0%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 7IU0%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
love, Tristin signature

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Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing is a homemade salad dressing recipe that can be used in so many ways!  | easy lemon salad dressing | lemon salad dressing recipe | creamy lemon dressing | fish marinade

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.59 from 36 votes (33 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Sandra Bowen

    June 29, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    5 stars
    Just made it!
    Wonderful!
    Thank you!!!!

    Reply
    • Tristin Rieken

      June 30, 2022 at 8:36 am

      Thanks for commenting, Sandra, I hope you find lots of uses for this delicious creamy lemon dressing 🙂

      Reply
  2. Margit Strieter

    June 14, 2023 at 9:38 am

    5 stars
    I love this dressing; I eat several times a week. How many servings are in the recipe ? Trying to figure out how many calories I am eating.

    Reply
    • Tristin Rieken

      June 24, 2023 at 10:27 am

      Hi Margit! Thanks so much for your review and very valid question. This recipe yields around 3/4-1 cup of salad dressing, or 12-16 tablespoons. The standard serving size for salad dressing is 2 tablespoons, so this creamy lemon salad dressing recipe yields a bit more than 6 servings. The nutrition facts estimate each serving to be about 160 calories. Hope this helps. Thanks for asking! (I’ve updated the post to reflect this info too).

      Reply
  3. Linda

    April 07, 2025 at 4:34 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome dressing ~ I used it on a quinoa, tuna with chopped vegetables.

    Reply
    • Tristin Rieken

      April 08, 2025 at 2:50 pm

      Hi Linda, thank you so much for the kind review and serving suggestion! I love this lemon dressing recipe with fish and vegetables too 🙂 (and grains and everything else as well! hahaha)

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Tristin Rieken, Welcome to Fresh Flavorful where I hope to inspire you with simple seasonal recipes and ideas to eat deliciously, entertain easily and adventure often.

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