Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

An easy and delicious dressing perfect for sandwiches, wraps, and salads. This Lemon Basil Vinaigrette is a great way to upgrade your meal! It is bright and crisp and the perfect dressing for a summer salad.

This dressing goes perfectly with our Mediterranean Chicken Wrapand Cast Iron Chicken Breast!

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Making your own Dressings

Making your own dressing gives you control over what ingredients are in the dressing. Buying Caesar salad from the store is going to be nothing like a Traditional Caesar Dressing. Most dressings include refined oils like canola oil or vegetable oil. This 5-minute recipe will be better and fresher than anything you can buy in the store.

Learning the ratios of oil to acid can be a great tool to keep in mind. When you don't have all the ingredients for a specific recipe, you can still make a halfway decent dressing to upgrade your dish. You can start to make dressings that complement your salad like our Cilantro Mango Vinaigrettewith our Grilled Shrimp Salador Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressingwith our Easy Chipotle BBQ Chicken Salad!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Apple Cider Vinegar. An easy substitute for apple cider vinegar is white vinegar. Although they have slightly different flavors, you'll still enjoy a delicious flavor.

Parmesan Cheese. Parmesan cheese makes the vinaigrette extra creamy, but it is not a necessary ingredient. Leave it out if you can't eat dairy.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is important in dressing to use a high-quality olive oil. Most of the flavor is in the oil, and a generic olive oil won't do you any favors. The right olive oil can make or break the recipe.

Step-by-Step Directions

Step 1: Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, dijon, basil, garlic, and salt in the food process. Process until the basil has a fine texture.

Step 2: Slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor while processing to emulsify the fat. Combine with the rest of the ingredients. Once the oil is completely combined, stir in the parmesan cheese.

Serve the dressing over a salad with some Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons, or use it as the dressing in a Traditional Panzanella Salad or Italian Green Bean Salad. It's also a great marinade for chicken! I love to use it on the salad under my Classic Pork Chop Milanese!

Pro-Tips

1. Don't add the olive oil all at once. It won't emulsify and you will have an oily dressing. You want to slowly add the oil so you break down the fat into tiny particles that won't separate from the rest of the dressing. 

Recipe FAQs

What oil should I avoid using in a vinaigrette?

Any oil that is refined, like canola or vegetable oil. I would only use avocado or extra virgin olive oil in a vinaigrette.

What does drizzling the olive oil in vs. pouring it in all at once do?

You can't emulsify the olive oil if you pour it in all at once. Slowly drizzling it in will give you a preferred texture because the oil won't separate from the vinegar for a while.

Storing Dressings

Refrigeration: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When ready to use, remove from the refrigerator and let the oil become liquid. Mix thoroughly and serve.

Freeze: Do not freeze this vinaigrette.

More Dressings and Sauces

• Creamy Lemon Sauce
• Avocado Lime Crema
• Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
• Cilantro Mango Vinaigrette