Sweet, sour, sharp and punchy flavors come together effortlessly in no time to create this bright and creamy lemon dressing – a perfect balance of flavors! Simply combine, blend and enjoy. No weird preservations or sweeteners needed – only simple ingredients and a blender.

🍋Creamy Lemon Dressing🍋

You just can’t beat homemade salad dressing. With it’s bright flavor and silky texture this recipe is further proof!

A few more reasons to make this homemade dressing ASAP:

• Healthy & Delicious: It’s made with healthy, wholesome ingredients that really pack in a POP of mouthwatering flavor.
• Easy To Make: Simply combine everything in a blender and blend on high. It’s ready in minutes!
• Allergy Friendly: No nuts, seeds, dairy or eggs needed to make this creamy dressing. It’s also Vegan friendly and even Whole30 approved.

Ingredients

• olive oil – For a more intense, peppery flavor and addition health benefits, choose extra-virgin olive oil (un-refined) over standard olive oil if you can.
• lemon juice – Use fresh lemon juice – about 2 lemons worth.
• dates – If your dates feel a little dry, soak them in hot water for a few minutes to plump them back up.
• garlic – Feel free to adjust the garlic amount to suit your preference.
• mustard – Dijon mustard adds sharpness and spice and helps to stabalize the ingredients as they emulsify.
• cumin – A little bit of cumin adds a toasty, Earthy flavor that balances out the more punchy notes.
• salt & pepper – An iconic duo for a reason – salt and pepper makes food taste better!

Additions or Substitutions

• Swap the olive oil for avocado oil.
• Use 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey in place of the dates.
• Add 1 tablespoon fresh herbs like parsley, chives or basil. Add before blending or still in to the dressing after mixing.
• Try it with garlic powder instead of fresh garlic (1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp).

Do I have to use a Blender?

If you want a creamy salad dressing – yes.

The high speed blending works to emulsify the lemon juice and olive oil together which creates the smooth, silky texture.

Alternatively, you can also make this in a food processor or with a stick blender. Just keep in mind that you need to add the oil slowly as you mix.

Shake It

If you’re happy to end up with something more like a slightly creamy lemon vinaigrette over a super creamy dressing then you can absolutely make this using a mason jar.

• Chop up the dates into small pieces (as small as you can make them) or use honey/maple syrup instead.
• Grate the garlic to break it up as much as possible.
• Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a fitted lid and give it a good shake for a minute or so.

More Dairy Free Dressings and Sauces

• Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe
• Caesar Salad Dressing
• Aquafaba Vegan Mayo 
• Rocket Pesto (Arugula Pesto)
• Pistou (A Provençal Pesto)
• Roasted Red Pepper Miso Dressing

Enjoy!

The creamy texture and bright flavor is great on crunchy veggies with a lot bite – think cabbage, brussels sprouts and kale salad.

It’s also a great option to use in place of mayo in some recipes like in a creamy chicken salad.

Let me know if you try this creamy lemon dressing recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Creamy Lemon Dressing

Yield: about 1 cup Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes

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Fresh lemon juice, dates, mustard, garlic and oil blended together into a silky, smooth and delicious creamy lemon salad dressing!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (120ml)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (60ml)
• 2 dates, pits removed and chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons water (30 ml)

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Add everything except the water to a blender and blend on high for about about 1-2 minutes until the garlic and dates have fully blended into the dressing.
2. If the mixture is too thick, add the water and blend for 10 seconds or just long enough to mix.
3. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed then transfer to an airtight container or jar and keep stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Keep refrigerated for a week.

Notes

• If your dates feel a bit dry, soak them in hot water for about 5 minutes before blending to plump them back up.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Sauces & Condiments Cuisine: Gluten Free