Lemon Dill Vinaigrette For Pasta, Salad, Chicken or Fish

Name: Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coarse black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 2 cloves garlic (finely minced); 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar; 1/2 cup lemon olive oil; 2 tablespoons fresh dill (finely minced)

Lemon Dill Vinaigrette

Flavorful lemon dill vinaigrette dressing is perfect for pasta, marinades on fish or chicken, or as a salad dressing.

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ingredients whisked together in glass bowl with spoon

This savory lemon dill vinaigrette is perfect on pasta, salad, as a lemon dill chicken marinade, salmon marinade or a lemon vinaigrette dressing. Whip this delicious lemon dill dressing or marinade up in minutes.

Lemon dill marinade in a glass bowl with a large silver spoon

Table of Contents

WHAT IS VINAIGRETTE?

A vinaigrette is a mixture of oil and something acidic. It is often used as a marinade or a dressing for salad or pasta. The oil is usual olive oil. The acidic ingredient is usually vinegar or lemon.

This vinaigrette uses lemon, no vinegar. And dill is one of the main seasonings that flavors this recipe. You could substitute the dill for any of your favorite herbs.

corkscrew pasta with cucumbers, fresh spinach and salmon (with salmon marinade) on top. Silver spoon pouring lemon vinaigrette on top. — Spoon some lemon dill vinaigrette on top of a salmon pasta salad.

HOW TO USE LEMON DILL VINAIGRETTE

Salmon: To make it a salmon marinade, pour this vinaigrette into a ziplock bag or a container with a lid. Add the defrosted salmon. Shake to cover. Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes.
Chicken: As with the salmon, this lemon dill chicken marinade should be poured into a ziplock and then add the defrosted chicken. Marinade for at least 2 hours up to overnight. You can also pour it over chicken in a crock pot or Instant Pot. My favorite is to marinade overnight then cook using this chicken method.
Pasta: Use this pasta salad recipe. It’s full of fresh cucumbers, pasta and salmon.
Veggies: Toss your favorite vegetables in this sauce and grill or roast them.

Lemon dill marinade in a clear glass bowl with a large silver spoon ready to spoon lemon vinaigrette on to meat for a salmon marinade or lemon dill chicken marinade.

INGREDIENTS

For ingredient measurements and printable instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

Herbs: Use fresh garlic and fresh dill, when you can.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is best. Use either meyer lemons or any type of lemon.
Sugar: A little sugar makes a big difference.
Salt + Pepper: I love using fresh ground.
Oil: Use a good extra-virgin olive oil. If you don’t have that you can use a grapeseed oil, avocado oil or even a vegetable oil or canola.

VARIATIONS

Parsley: Add 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley in place of the dill. This is great as a marinade on chicken, fish and salmon marinade or even on beef. It’s also excellent tossed with a pasta.
Make it cheesy: Stir in 1-2 tsp of freshly-grated Parmesan into the vinaigrette.
Add capers: If you love capers this is a fun ingredient to add to your lemon vinaigrette.
Add dijon: Whisk in a teaspoon dijon mustard. Dijon flavors the dressing very mildly. It helps bring out the other flavors.

overhead image of lemon dill vinaigrette ingredients including whole garlic in a bowl, sugar in a small bowl, pepper in small bowl, cut lemon, fresh dill — Lemon dill vinaigrette ingredients.

INSTRUCTIONS

Full ingredients and printable instructions are in the recipe card below.

Combine the sugar and spices. Combine pepper, salt, minced garlic, zest, and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Whisk in fresh lemon juice. Add fresh squeezed lemon to the dry sugar and spices. Whisk to combine.

Add extra virgin olive oil. Continue whisking vigorously while slowly drizzling the olive oil into the mixture. The vigorous whisking causes the vinaigrette to emulsify, which means that it combines together and doesn’t separate.

Add fresh herbs. Whisk in the fresh dill, or whatever herbs you prefer.

Serve immediately or use as a salmon marinade or lemon dill chicken marinade right away. If you aren’t using, store in a container with a lid so you can shake and mix again before using.

STORAGE

There’s a general misconception that you can’t store or freeze salad dressing but you can! Follow these guidelines for storing it safely.

Refrigerate: Store the lemon dill vinaigrette dressing in an airtight container for up to one week. Shake well to combine before using.

Freezer: Store the vinaigrette dressing in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and whisk well before serving.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH LEMON DILL VINAIGRETTE

Enjoy lemon dill vinaigrette with a full meal with these other recipes:

Bread: Pizza Dough Garlic Knots – These are tasty with everything. YUM!
Drink: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – You can never go wrong with this.
Dessert: Apple Pie – This needs no introduction!

MORE SAUCE RECIPES

If you love to make your own dressings and sauces you’ll love some of our other favorite sauces!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long can you refrigerate lemon vinaigrette?

A fresh lemon vinaigrette or lemon dill vinaigrette can be refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-5 days.

Is lemon vinaigrette gluten free?

Yes, this lemon vinaigrette is gluten free.

Is lemon vinaigrette dairy free?

Yes, this lemon dill vinaigrette dairy free and vegan.

How do you store vinaigrette?

Store vinaigrettes with lemon in a jar or other container with a tight lid. Shake before using again.

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