Zesty Elegance: Mastering the Art of Citrus Vinaigrette

Best Homemade Citrus Vinaigrette

This Citrus Vinaigrette is refreshing and light, and perfect for brightening up your summer salad! Made with simple ingredients, like olive oil, lime, lemon, orange, and Dijon mustard and brings the perfect balance of tangy and sweet!

One of the easiest things you can do to improve your health is to make a homemade dressing using simple, fresh, and healthy ingredients. Though it might be more convenient to buy from a store, it never tastes the same as a homemade dressing. It contains many unhealthy ingredients such as preservatives, rancid oils, sugar, and many others. You can manage the ingredients and overall quality when making it at home.

This dressing is so refreshing for any salad that you won’t stop eating it. This citrus vinaigrette works in the summer and winter during the citrus season and as a light, healthy dressing.

What is vinaigrette?

Vinaigrette is a mix of acidic ingredients such as lemon juice or vinegar, oil, and some herbs or spices. You can use it as a dressing for your salad, marinade for meat, or even balance your soup flavor. 

Even though we call all salad dressings a “Dressing,” they are slightly different.

Vinaigrette’s are made with oil and vinegar and have a light runny texture.

Dressing usually has a more creamy texture and is based on mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, and other ingredients.

How to make a citrus vinaigrette

This Citrus Vinaigrette is similar to my Preserved Lemon Salad Dressing. It is easy to make; all you need is just a few essential ingredients:

  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Orange
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Honey
  • Garlic
  • Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
  • Salt

Tips for making citrus salad vinaigrette

  1. Make sure to use good quality Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Good quality oil makes the delicate taste of the dressing. If your dressing comes out too oily, try adding more orange or lemon juice.
  2. For zesting:  Zest of lemon and orange will make your dressing pop. My favorite zester……
  3. Use a juicer. It is always easier to get more juice from citrus using a good quality juicer. Another bonus of using a juicer is to keep the seeds out. (No matter how hard I try, I get citrus seeds in whatever I’m making!). Here is the juicer I use.
  4. Always add the olive oil gradually to make a creamy emulsion. Add the olive oil slowly, tablespoon by tablespoon, and whisk until it combines, then repeat. This process is the key to getting a creamy emulsified salad dressing!
  5. After you make this citrus vinaigrette, taste it. You can adjust the flavors, sweetness, and acidity by adding more juice or Dijon mustard.
  6. Keep in the fridge in a closed jar for up to a week.

Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!

Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

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Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: citrus, salad dressing, vinaigrette
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 80kcal
Author: Angie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp  fresh-squeezed limes
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 chopped preserved lemon (optional)
  • 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 cup  extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Wash lemons, oranges, and limes.
  • Zest lemon and orange.
  • Whisk together all the ingredients, slowly adding the oil in a bowl mason jar or blend it in a blender.
  • It's that easy!
  • Keep refrigerated.

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal
Yum

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