This lemon pepper vinaigrette is my go-to salad dressing. It's salty, tangy, and so delicious on fresh, crisp greens. It's also a cinch to whip up in minutes from staple ingredients found in most kitchens. It's keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-iron.
QUICK REFERENCE
📋 WHY THIS LEMON PEPPER VINAIGRETTE RECIPE WORKS
- Five staple ingredients: nothing exotic, likely already in your kitchen.
- Ready in minutes: no cooking required.
- Fits nearly every plate: keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, and dairy-free. If you skip the pepper, you can even make it AIP-friendly.
- Made from real, unprocessed fats: none of the manufactured oils found in most bottled dressings.
🥘 INGREDIENT NOTES
Liquid Fat: For this lemon pepper vinaigrette, you can use any fat that is liquid at room temperature. The standard fat would be extra virgin olive oil, but I tend to get creative and use duck fat, MCT oil, or avocado oil as well. Any of these work great!
Let's talk about fat for a minute. Did you know that the fats you eat literally turn into your cell walls? Yup. Cells in human tissue can live anywhere from 2 days to 10 years depending on the type of cell. You can be stuck with your cells for a while, and I don't know about you, but I want my cells to be made of the best ingredients to ensure they are working properly!
So when it comes to fat, I make sure to eat the best quality fats from natural sources that I can find. That means fat sourced from naturally oily animals and plants. Most people aren't going to collect fats as I do, but I do this for a living, and I really enjoy variety in my diet and experimenting with new things.
My fat collection currently includes
- Beef Tallow
- Duck Fat
- Bison Tallow
- Lamb Tallow
- Goose Fat
- Pure Pork Lard (leaf lard is the premium baking version)
- Bacon Grease (I use this cute grease keeper to save mine on my stove top)
- Chicken Schmaltz
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Virgin Coconut Oil
- MCT
- Butter
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Red Palm Oil
- Pecan Oil
- Macadamia Nut Oil
- Walnut Oil (do not heat this)
- Sesame Oil (I use a tiny drizzle to finish asian dishes)
- Camel Fat (Yeah, I know, right! My husband thinks it's gross)
Just like conventional mayonnaise, conventional salad dressings are usually full of manufactured oils from canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, etc. These plants are not naturally oily, and I don't want my cells made of something that took a serious amount of processing to create. So, I make my own mayonnaise and salad dressing!
Dr. Cate Shanahan, MD, has a great resource about the types of fats you want to avoid. If you want a deep dive, I would visit her website or check out her book Dark Calories.
Lemon Juice: Fresh is best here for the brightest flavor. But you can also do a bottled organic lemon juice if that's more accessible. I always keep this on hand, and I buy it at Costco for the best price. I also use a ton of lemon juice!
Garlic, Black Pepper & Salt: These round out the flavor and give the dressing its lemon pepper kick.
📋 SUBSTITUTIONS
This recipe is already keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, and dairy-free as written. If you need help with different dietary accommodations, let me know in the comments, and I'll try to help!
Need to Substitute an Ingredient?
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🔪 INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Combine ingredients in a bullet blender or regular blender. If you prefer to shake or whisk to combine, either method is fine.
Step 2: Blend until smooth.
Step 3: Let it stand for a few minutes and use it however you like.
🍽 EQUIPMENT
Glass salad dressing shakers make it easy to mix, store, and pour this vinaigrette straight from the fridge.
🍴 HOW TO SERVE
This vinaigrette is great for topping anything from greens to fish. It's the dressing I use for my Lemon Pepper Romaine Ribs, and it's just as good drizzled over roasted vegetables or used as a quick marinade for chicken.
🥣 STORAGE
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Depending on the fat used, it may solidify when chilled. See the Top Tip section for instructions on bringing it back to a pourable consistency.
💭 TOP TIP
Fats like duck fat and coconut oil solidify at cold temperatures, so if your vinaigrette firms up in the fridge, just let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes, or give the container a quick warm-water bath until it's pourable again.
👩🏻🍳 RECIPE FAQS
Oil and vinegar (or lemon juice) don't naturally bond together, so it's completely normal for a fresh, unprocessed vinaigrette like this one to separate as it sits. Just give it a good shake or whisk before using.
Homemade vinaigrette typically stays fresh for about a week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Fresh lemon juice is best for both flavor and texture. Bottled lemon juice often contains preservatives and lacks the same brightness, which can affect the final taste.
🍳 MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE!
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. Liquid Fat I use duck fat or avocado oil
- 2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
- ½ Tsp. Minced Garlic
- ½ Tsp. Black Pepper
- ½ Tsp. Salt
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in bullet or blender. If you prefer to shake or whisk to combine, either method is fine.
- Blend until smooth.
- Let stand for a few minutes and use however you like.
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