Although store bought dressings can be convenient making your own is surprisingly easy! I find that I enjoy homemade dressings more and I like knowing exactly what goes into them. If you are like me and your tastes and desires change like the wind, homemade dressings are also nice as you can make as much or as little as you want. If you always make small batches, they stay fresh and tomorrow you can switch to whatever dressing you are craving then without cluttering you fridge with half a dozen open bottles of dressing. Or, if you prefer less work then you can make large batches as they store well in a jar in the fridge.
For my next recipe, I needed a lemon inspired dressing and I was immediately thinking about a vinaigrette with freshly squeezed lemon juice as the base. I like my vinaigrettes to be a bit on the tarter side so I use a one to one ratio of oil and vinegar, or in this case lemon juice. Mustard works as an emulsifier allowing the oil and vinegar to bond so it is a common ingredient in dressings and in this dressing I often like to use a mixture of dijon and grainy mustard to add a bit of texture. Next up is some locally sourced honey to tame the mustard and to balance out the tartness of the lemon juice and some salt and pepper for seasoning.
Lemon Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
A bright lemon vinaigrette with a touch of mustard for bite and honey to mellow everything out.
ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard (optional)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic, grated (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
directions
- Mix everything.
I really enjoy making my own dressings, too. This is a great combination with ingredients I almost always have on hand. I have found that canola oil often makes a good base (more neutral tasting than olive oil) and agave nectar is a nice sweetener too.
I agree that making your own dressings is super easy. I've been playing around with flavored vinegars and oils lately. This one looks easy and delicious!
and soooo much cheaper too.
those store dressings are filled with chemicals. homemade is the best. get the right glass jar with a good lid and you're good to go. next time try this with dark balsamic. sooo good, it will produce an ugly color but very tasty.
Making dressings is super easy. I make a great homemade ranch by mixing mayonnaise and buttermilk together in more or less equal parts and adding in a decent amount of Penzey's ranch dressing mix (we buy a lot of spice in bulk), but I'm sure that could be cobbled together quite easily in and of itself.
That sounds really yummy. I will have to tell my mom about this.
Mmm honey mustard dressing is one of my favorites, I bet this is great!
I simply LOVE home-made salad dressings. This looks fantastic! I can already see loads of ideas with this. My fresh asparagus would love a drizzle of this as would my Heirloom tomatoes. I love all your posts. Thank you for this!
these are some of my favorite flavors and sounds really easy with many uses. perfect for me. i'm not the "best" in the kitchen 🙂 but i try.
This sounds so seriously yummy! Thanks for the recipe. Going to have to try it!
Delicious. Made it and dressed a Cobb Salad with it, it was just perfect.
Thanks for the recipe. I used lemon balsamic in place of lemon juice and it came out pretty tasty. Perfect for a quick summer salad.
Anonymous: Lemon balsamic would be a nice twist!
Your recipe says 1 t dijon/grainy mustard and 1 t grainy mustard. Is there to be a total of 2t mustard?
MDmomof3: It is 1 tablespoon Dijon and 1 teaspoon grainy mustard. I like the texture that the grainy mustard adds to the dressing but you could omit it if desired.