This basil pesto salad dressing recipe features the rich flavor of basil pesto, bright notes of lemon, and more. It's a rich, delicious salad dressing that will give your salad a huge kick of flavor.
I'm a big fan of homemade dressings. They allow me to load my salads up with delicious flavors without a ton of unhealthy fats and additives. This particular recipe is one of my favorites thanks to its basil and lemon flavors.
Basil Pesto Salad Dressing with Lemon
This was inspired by my pesto mayo recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing asparagus salad recipe. As a matter of fact, this pesto salad dressing recipe tastes great with everything.
Why You Will Love this Recipe
- It's quick and easy to make using only a few ingredients.
- It can be served chilled or at room temperature
- It uses natural and homemade ingredients with no artificial emulsifiers added.
- It features the fresh, delicious flavors of lemon juice and basil.
Top Tip:
As this is a natural, homemade vinaigrette with no artificial emulsifiers, it will separate. Before serving, be sure to shake the dressing well.
Basil Pesto Dressing Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe, and you'll find them all at your local grocery store. The main ingredients are listed here, but you'll find the complete list along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Shaved parmesan
- Fresh lemon juice
- White wine vinegar
- Fresh basil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Pine nuts
- Garlic
Substitutions
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Use avocado oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or another vegetable oil.
- Shaved Parmesan - Use grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese instead.
- White Wine Vinegar - Use red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Fresh Basil - Use parsley, mint leaves, dill, oregano, tarragon, thyme, rosemary sage, or cilantro leaves if you prefer instead.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - Use orange or lime juice instead.
- Zest of 1 Lemon - Use orange or lime zest instead.
- Pine Nuts - Try walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Clove Garlic - Use garlic powder, granulated garlic, chives, or shallots if necessary.
Variations
- Make it Creamy - To make creamy pesto salad dressing add ¼ cup greek yogurt, sour cream, or mayo or anywhere between ¼ to ½ of heavy whipping cream. Add ¼ cup and taste your dressing to see if you prefer more cream.
- Make it Sweeter - To add sweetness, use a little honey or a ½ teaspoon of sugar or other sweeteners to taste.
- Spicy: Add a teaspoon of chili pepper flakes, jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to the mixture to imbue heat into the dressing. I will also occasionally add a teaspoon of our homemade hot pepper sauce, or use your favorite hot sauce, to the mixture.
Instructions
Normally, this is where we would tell you that the highlights for the recipe are below, but since this recipe only has 1 step, let's just take a look at it.
1: Blend all ingredients until smooth in a blender. Serve immediately or chill for an hour and then serve.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store for up 7 to 10 days in an air-tight container.
Freezer: Store for up to 6 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
Make Ahead: This recipe is delicious served cold. Feel free to make it a day or 2 before using it.
What to Serve with Pesto Salad Dressing
This delicious Lemon Pesto Dressing goes well with many dishes such as salads, roasted veggies, sandwiches, pasta salads, crackers, pita bread, wraps, burgers and grain bowls. It also pairs nicely with fresh seafood like grilled salmon or fish tacos!
Tips
- Shake or stir the dressing before each use
- Use fresh ingredients whenever possible for the best flavor.
- Make sure to blend all the ingredients together until it has a smooth consistency.
FAQ
Yes! If you don't have pine nuts on hand you may use walnuts, almonds, macadamia, or cashews as a substitution.
Yes! Simply omit the parmesan cheese and replace extra virgin olive oil with avocado oil or coconut oil instead.
Yes! If you plan on using the dressing immediately after making it there is no need to chill first. Simply serve as desired!
Blend all of the ingredients together until they have reached a smooth consistency. This could take anywhere from 20-30 seconds up to a minute depending on your blender's power level.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
If you like pesto try our Salsa Pesto. Do you like salad dressing and dips? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
Pesto Salad Dressing
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Pesto Salad Dressing
Equipment
- mason jar to hold dressing if needed
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup shaved parmesan
- juice of 1 lemon about ¼ cup
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil ~½ inch pieces
- zest of 1 lemon about 2 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place extra virgin olive oil, shaved parmesan, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, basil, lemon zest, pine nuts, garlic clove, black pepper, and salt into a blender.
- Blend ingredients until smooth.
- If serving chilled, place the dressing in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Shake well, then serve. Otherwise, you may serve immediately.
Notes
- Shake or stir the dressing before each use
- Use fresh ingredients whenever possible for best flavor.
- Make sure to blend all the ingredients together until it has a smooth consistency.
- Yields: About 1 ½ cups Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Nutrition
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