Parmesan Lemon Vinaigrette

Put this Parmesan Lemon Vinaigrette recipe together in minutes with real lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and parmesan cheese. Shake in a jar, whisk in a bowl, either way, it elevates any green salad into something special.

With a few simple ingredients, you can make a basic vinaigrette. The ratio is 3 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon juice or vinegar. The Dijon mustard acts as a natural emulsifier to bind the dressing together. All the other ingredients add the pizzazz to this simple Dijon vinaigrette...

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How To Make Parmesan Lemon Vinaigrette

My dear friend Kim fell in love with a mustard vinaigrette recipe where the Chef added good parmesan cheese! Once home, I created my best recipe version testing it over and over for a dinner party. I love to serve this dressing on a simple green salad, with white lasagna, and cheese toast.

I bet you have most, if not all, of these things in your kitchen pantry right now...

• 1 cup good extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 whole lemon zest (zest first!)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (regular or Meyer lemons)
• 2 tablespoons shallot (peeled and minced)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ cup parmesan cheese grated 
• ½ teaspoon salt (Kosher sea salt)
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• optional: add a clove of crushed or minced garlic

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Step 1: In a clean mason jar with a tightly fitted lid, add all the extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, shallot, Dijon mustard, parmesan cheese, sea salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, and optional addition of a clove of crushed garlic.

Step 2: Place the lid on tight, and shake for about a minute. That's it! Or whisk in a measuring cup or small bowl with a wire whisk. You can mix in a food processor or use an immersion blender in a cup.

Step 3: Re-shake jar with the lid on to recombine, drizzle over salad. There are several ways to make your own lemon dressing, but I found the best way is to mix it right in a jar.

Then pop this simple mustard vinaigrette in the fridge right in that jar to chill and enjoy all week...

PRO TIP: You can use any blender, a Vitamix, food processor, or immersion blender and mix away. Or whisk in a bowl, but a common mason jar is so fast and easy, stores perfectly in the fridge, and makes for easy clean-up!

Easy Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe Top Tips

• It is full of real, fresh simple ingredients. No hard-to-pronounce preservatives, chemicals, and additives inside. Commercial dressings are full of canola oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil. It is much better to use good olive oil in your homemade dressings.
• It's a versatile dressing. This lemon dressing with parmesan will go well on almost any salad and is terrific with Italian dishes. You can sprinkle in a bit of oregano to make it more Italiano!
• I like to serve this on a big dinner salad with things like cucumbers, cauliflower fresh spinach, chickpeas, and other crunchy vegetables I have on hand.
• Once you mix this vinaigrette, leave it at room temperature before dinner. Pull it out an hour before dinner, give it a good shake or whisk and drizzle on your salad.
• Easy Prep. This lemon salad dressing couldn't be easier. Make it by putting all of the ingredients in a small jar like a mason jar, and shaking the jar to combine. The Dijon mustard works as a natural emulsifier. Then serve and enjoy. No mason jar on hand? A blender works or whisking in a small bowl will work too.
• It stores perfectly in the fridge. If you can keep from using it all as soon as you make it, the leftovers will store perfectly in the fridge right in that jar.
• It's a low carb dressing recipe. In fact, it is a no carb keto dressing recipe too. If you are following a low-carb or keto diet, this is the perfect salad dressing to pair with your salads, it tastes amazing to make your own and is a fantastic healthy eating recipe.
• You can bring up the sweetness if you like with a dash of honey or maple syrup. Sometimes I make it that way, but that is optional.
• Fresh herbs will go great in this dressing, and depending on the time of year, I sometimes add some fresh thyme, rosemary, or sage.

Once you see how simple this lemon vinaigrette is, you'll make this over and over, and skip bottled dressings.

This Meyer Lemon Citrus Vinaigrette is a fresh light new twist for salads and oh-so-good...

And speaking of lemons, take a look at my collection of 15+ Lemon Recipes.🍋🍋🍋 This has been so popular with readers!

Some Swaps & Variations

Vinegar: You can substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar. White wine vinegar is milder than regular white distilled vinegar and better for dressings.

Honey mustard vinaigrette: Make this into a honey-mustard vinaigrette simply add 2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons of honey to this recipe and leave out the parmesan cheese.

Vinaigrette FAQ

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More Homemade Salad Dressings

These are some ideas for salad recipes for light lunch or fancy dinner. It is so easy to make your own homemade salad dressing, and I promise you it is worth your time, people ask me for these recipes all the time when I entertain at home.

Green Goddess Dressing bursts with fresh herbs and flavor. Serve this famous great dressing on a delicious salad, as a crudite veggie dip, with shrimp, or toss it into hot pasta.

Serve this ice-cold Wedge Salad with a super creamy Avocado Dressing. Get my trick for chilling the iceberg wedge, you will love it with a classic salad dressing drizzled on top, like my recipe for Buttermilk Ranch!

Mix up some tangy Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, a homemade dressing made in minutes with Meyer lemons that is absolutely delightful.

With just 5 simple ingredients, this Blue Cheese Dressing is an easy recipe made in minutes. It also works great as a dip for Cauliflower Buffalo Wings or a chip dip.