5 Fabulous Lemon Salad Dressings to Take Your Greens from Ho-hum to Extraordinary

By Chris Scheuer | Updated on May 12, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.

Five of our favorite salad dressings, each one fresh, vibrant and totally unique yet all of them with the delicious common denominator... lemon! For salads that are extraordinary, try all of these fabulous Lemon Salad Dressings!

If you enjoy the fresh vibrant flavor of lemon, you're going to LOVE this collection of Lemon Salad Dressings. They will take your salads from "everyday ho-hum" to extra special delicious.

If you haven't tried making your own salad dressing, you're going to be shocked at how easy it is. Most of these recipes have super simple instructions like, "Throw all the ingredients in a jar and give it a good shake, shake, shake." That's a lot easier than running to the grocery store, standing at the checkout then returning home with a bottle of mediocre dressing - you will never want to purchase dressing again once you try these homemade lemon salad dressings!

Ready? Here we go!

 

With bright, fresh flavor, this Lemon Dill Dressing (is super easy to throw together and is delicious on greens and veggies as well as chicken, fish and shrimp!

One of our favorite ways to enjoy the Lemon Dill Dressing is on this Israeli Couscous Salmon Salad. Whether you serve it warm or  at room temp, it's light, fresh and super delish. It comes together in right around 40 minutes!
Here are a few comments from readers:

This is absolutely delicious - tastes like spring - which I am so ready for. Didn't change a thing and can't wait to make it again!

I made this for dinner last night and it was scrumptious! The lemon dill dressing really makes it work. For lunch today I warmed some of the leftover couscous and topped it with beets, avocado, scallions, tomatoes and dressing for a wonderful bowl of goodness.
Lemon Ginger Salad Dressing - this super easy dressing transform boring greens to bright fresh and delicious salads.
This Lemon Ginger Salad Dressing is bright, fresh and so pretty. It takes any green salad up a notch and is also delicious drizzled over fish, chicken, shrimp and salmon!

Vertical close up picture of Arugula Orange Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing

We love to serve the Lemon Ginger Salad dressing on this Arugula Orange Salad but it pairs nicely with any green salad.

 

Add a little delicious sunshine to your life with this bright, fresh Whole Lemon Thyme Salad Dressing (yes, you use the WHOLE lemon!). There are tons of other ways to use it too - check out the post for lots of ideas.
Here are a few ways that our readers have used it:
I'm making a BBQ plank salmon tonight with grilled peaches, thyme and lemon-zested ricotta. Wanted a dressing for the salad that would pair nicely with it and came across this one. Holy! Is it ever yummy! I was skeptical at first thinking that the pith would make it bitter but it hasn't. So fresh and beautifully balanced. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that will become a staple in my kitchen.
A neighbor gave me some just-picked Meyer lemons, and I've had this recipe pinned for a while. . . so it was time!
This is incredibly delicious over roasted cauliflower, and I can't wait to use it on grilled chicken!

This lemon dressing is so great - it's why I subscribed. I just used it for a post covid treat for someone suffering with no taste/smell. Some puff pastry (from the store) added spices, feta, and the yummy/tang of this lemons dressing. Delicious!

 

Vertical picture of Lemon Basil Poppyseed Dressing in a glass jar with fresh basil leaves

This beautiful Lemon Basil Poppy Seed Dressing is bursting with vibrant flavor. It's fabulous drizzled over salads, entrees and veggies!

 

Vertical close up picture of Strawberry Spinach Salad in a white bowl

We've used the Lemon Basil Poppy Seed Dressing on this pretty-as-a-picture Strawberry Spinach Salad and lots of other salads. It adds a pop of pizzazz to anything you drizzle it on!

 

Photo of a Ball jar filled with Lemon Basil Buttermilk Dressing. Lemon wedges and basil leaves are leaning against the jar.

A thousand times better than boring ranch, this Lemon Basil Buttermilk Dressing is the perfect way to add pizzazz to salads, baked potatoes, french fries, veggies, etc.

Here are a few thoughts from our readers regarding this dressing:

Hi, this is my first time dropping a comment! I just want to shout that THIS DRESSING IS AMAZING!!!!!!! Even my kids love it!!! They've been munching vegetable sticks and chunk dipping into this dressing AND they're still asking for a bowl of salad!!! Thank you so so much for this recipe!!

This dressing is out of this world!!!! All I needed to buy was the buttermilk. I make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays, pop the cubes out and store them in a freezer bag. I can toss one in soup or sauce or on a panini and in this fabulous dressing.

 

So pick up a sack of lemons and try out some of these recipes. All who gather around your table will be happy you did!

Thought for the  day:

Whom have I in heaven but You?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-28

What we're listening to for inspiration:

My Portion

Square text box for subscribing to The Café Sucre Farine food blog posts.

If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations.

Shop Our Café Loves

We’ve gathered our favorite kitchen tools, tableware, and entertaining treasures in one place, the Café Loves store. It’s a wonderful spot to find something special for yourself or the cooks and hosts you love!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments