5 Ingredient Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

My Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is healthy, simple, and downright delicious.  This Homemade Basil Dressing celebrates of fresh summer flavors like sweet basil, garlic, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.  You'll love that this easy dressing comes together with only 5 ingredients in less than 5 minutes.

Looking for more healthy salad dressings? 15 Healthy & Homemade Salad Dressings to Love.

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is fresh, vibrant, and the perfect topping for any summer salad.  It's a delightful combination of flavors like garden-fresh sweet basil, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.  This salad dressing tastes like FRESH PESTO but in a perfect drizzly basil salad dressing form.  You are going to love this fresh flavor combination.

This bright dressing is a perfect dressing for summer salads like my Grilled Peach Caprese Salad, Marinated Cherry Tomatoes, or Avocado Caprese Salad.  Even just your favorite green salad. It's also a surprisingly versatile vinaigrette that you can use as a sauce for veggies, seafood, fish, salmon, shrimp, or even chicken if that's your jam.  You can even use this to dress your pasta salad for a bit of summer magic.

You'll be pleasantly surprised that this Easy Basil Dressing is whipped together in less than 5 minutes with only 5  simple ingredients.  Does it get any better than that?  Who needs bottled dressing when you can make something as bright and flavorful as this.

My original idea came from having a lot of fresh basil in the garden and loving the fragrant flavor of the herb in summer.  It really is like summer in a jar.

If you've been wondering how to make a Basil Dressing? I have step-by-step directions here.  You are going to love it!

Love homemade vinaigrettes? Also try my Red Wine Vinaigrette, Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, Apple Cider Vinaigrette. 

Why You'll Love This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing...

• This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is made with pantry staples!  Like most of my salad dressings, I like to keep these recipes with as few ingredients as possible. My homemade basil vinaigrette salad dressing is only five ingredients!
• It only takes 5 minutes to whip together this homemade vinaigrette.
• You can leave the Basil Salad Dressing with visible basil leaves like shown in my photos, or you can blend it into more of a green puree. Either way, you get a pretty green color and the taste is the same.
• It's versatile and goes with almost any summer salad!
• It's naturally vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, keto, whole-30, low carb, and gluten-free.
• It tastes like pure SUMMER in a jar.

Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make my Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing, but keep scrolling for the full printable recipe with amounts.

• Basil: You'll need two cups of packed garden-fresh basil leaves! If you don't grow your own, look for it in the produce section of the grocery store near the fresh herbs.  You really need fresh and not dried basil to get the effect and taste of this dressing.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the most flavor. You can substitute garlic powder, but I love the fresh garlic for the homemade salad dressing.
• Olive Oil: The secret to this Basil Dressing is simply a really good high-quality olive oil, I like this one, fresh basil a nice vinegar, lemon, and minced garlic.  I like to keep a really nice olive oil in the pantry that I use exclusively for salad dressings and other uses where you really taste the oil.  I think it makes a big difference.
• White Wine Vinegar: Same goes for white wine vinegar.  I like to use a nice one since the flavors in this dressing or so fresh.  Try this one.  You can also substitute red wine vinegar if you have but the color of the dressing will be darker.
• Lemon: I like to use freshly squeezed lemon juice to really brighten up this vinaigrette.
• Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper: To taste.  Adjust the amounts to your own personal tastes and dietary preferences.

Directions:

1. Place the basil, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon, and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Add more salt and pepper as desired.
4. Enjoy by drizzling on your favorite salad or pasta salad.
5. Serve immediately or transfer to a glass container for storage.

Variations

I like this Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing as written, but here are some fun ways to mix it up.

• Make it with Lime: Make a Lime Basil Vinaigrette by substituting lime for lemon.
• Make it Thicker: Add a squeeze of Dijon mustard for a thicker, richer dressing.
• Make it Richer: You can also have some minced shallot to the dressing for more of an onion flavor.
• Make it Sweeter: Add a touch of honey to sweeten the dressing.
• Make it Spicy: To give it a bit of a kick add a few flakes of red pepper flakes.
• Make it Cheesy: Add some grated parmesan cheese for a cheesy kick!

FAQ

Can I make this Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing ahead of time?

YES! This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is perfect for making ahead.  It keeps well in a glass container in the refrigerator.

How do I store it?

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.  The oil and vinegar will separate in the fridge again, so the dressing will need a good mix or stir before serving it again.

Can I freeze it?

Yes! Like pesto, it actually freezes well.  Pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze individual portions.

This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is So Tasty!

This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is so tasty and perfect with any type of salad in the summer.  It is light enough for delicate salad leaves like arugula, yet strong enough to hold up against crunchy leaves like romaine.  It's honestly one of my favorite things I made in a long time.  You can't go wrong with making it, especially if you have a bunch of fresh basil from the garden.

I hope you enjoy this Basil Dressing as much as I did.  As always, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.  

Here are a few ideas on what to serve it with.

Serve it With:

• Grilled Peach Caprese Salad
• Avocado Caprese Salad
• Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Bruschetta Pasta Salad
• Greek Couscous Salad
• Asparagus Salad with Tomatoes
• Marinated Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh White Bean Salad
• Hearty Vegan Cobb Salad
• Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
• Mediterranean Chopped Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

More Healthy Salad Dressing to Try:

• Homemade Lemon Tahini Dressing
• 5 Ingredient Basil Vinaigrette Dressing
• Healthy Homemade Green Goddess Dressing
• Healthy Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing
• The Easiest Homemade Salad Dressing {Video}
• Creamy & Healthy Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
• Greek Yogurt Chipotle Lime Ranch Dressing
• Healthy & Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
• Healthy Greek Salad Dressing
• Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
• Homemade Everything Bagel Greek Yogurt Ranch

See my entire collection of homemade and healthy salad dressings: 15+ Healthy & Homemade Salad Dressings You'll Love

If you make this Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Julie Wunder

My Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is healthy, simple and downright delicious.  This Homemade Basil Dressing is a celebration of fresh summer flavors like sweet basil, garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar.  You'll love that this easy dressing comes together with only 5 ingredients in less than 5 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 82 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups packed basil
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Place the basil, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon and salt and pepper in a blender or food processer. 
• Blend until smooth. 
• Add more salt and pepper as desired.
• Serve immediately or transfer to a glass container for storage.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 17mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 211IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Basil Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Tried this recipe?Mention @Julie_Wunder or tag #RunninginaSkirt!

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