A bright and vibrant vinaigrette dressing infused with fresh Italian basil and tangy lemon flavors. This recipe is based on the classic french vinaigrette.
TL;DR
A vinaigrette is a French salad dressing made of vinegar, oil, and seasoning. These are much lighter dressings that uplift your food palette and your homemade cooking game.
At home, we prepare vinaigrette regularly, as it's the most basic dressing that we pour over all our salad.
Emulsions such as the Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette are other varieties that we like to prepare, and this lemon basil vinaigrette, is just another flavor creation.
Acidity is added with lemon juice instead of vinegar, and the basil herb compliments the other ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
- Salt — Your favorite salt. I opt for pink or fleur de sel, whenever possible, but regular salt is fine too.
- Black Pepper — I like freshly ground black pepper.
- Lemon Juice — use only freshly squeezed out lemon juice.
- Oil — I use vegetable oils such as canola oil, sunflower oil or olive oil.
- Basil — Fresh Italian basil leaves. Smaller leaves are more tender and preferred, but larger ones are ok too. I don't recommend using Thai or Holy basil because that would change the flavor profile in this dressing.
- Lemon Zest — To intensify the lemon flavors.
Tip: Use only untreated (no pesticide) lemons to zest. In some countries, these are marketed as Bio or organic, but organic isn't always pesticide free.
Process Overview
Step 1
Chop fresh basil fine. Zest the lemon and then squeeze out the fresh lemon juice.
Step 2
Add to a jar, bottle, dressing shaker or bowl the salt and black pepper.
Pour the lemon juice to that. Shake everything well.
Step 3
Now pour in the oil and toss in the chopped basil and the lemon zest.
Shake or mix it all well so that your dressing is well incorporated (Mix/Shake every time before using).
📖 Recipe
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅓ Cup Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Basil
- ½ Teaspoon Lemon Zest
Instructions
- Rinse your fresh basil leaves and pat them dry. Chop basil leaves fine. Keep aside.
- Zest your lemon and collect the zest. Cut the lemon in two and squeeze out the juice. Keep both ingredients aside.
- Add to a jar, salad shaker, bottle, or bowl the salt and black pepper.½ Teaspoon Salt, ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- Pour the lemon juice to that and combine all the three ingredients first.⅓ Cup Lemon Juice
- Now, pour the oil into the seasoned vinegar and toss in the chopped fresh basil and lemon zest.½ Cup Oil, 1 Tablespoon Basil, ½ Teaspoon Lemon Zest
- Mix the dressing well in a bowl or shake it in a jar/bottle/salad shaker. The dressing will remain well combined for a few minutes before it separates again, which is normal. Just shake or mix it again before pouring it over your food.
Nutrition
Serving
Add it to your salad as needed. I put about one to two tablespoons of this dressing on a medium-sized salad.
We typically apply this dressing to a green salad; however, it can also be used to improve the flavor of most French side salads.
Storing
The dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.
I typically recommend purchasing a glass bottle that can be conveniently stored in your refrigerator. Steer clear of plastic and odd shapes. I work with a small 8 oz/ 236 ml bottle.
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