Name: Fresh Basil Vinaigrette
Prep time: 12 min
Ingredients: 2 c fresh basil leaves (packed (stems removed)); juice of 2 lemons; 2 tbs apple cider vinegar; 4 cloves of garlic*; ½ tsp dried onion; Pinch of salt; ½ c extra virgin olive oil

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This Fresh Basil Vinaigrette recipe is super refreshing and perfect paired with a seasonal salad! This simple dressing comes together in the blender and lasts all week in the fridge. Think pesto sauce in dressing form – with extra brightness from lemon juice and apple cider vinegar!!

Need a way to use up your fresh herbs? This Fresh Basil Vinaigrette is a great way to use up all that extra basil in your garden or make the most out of the bounty at the farmer’s market!

When basil is in season, I can’t seem to get enough of it. At the end of summer, I even buy up a bunch just to make big batches of pesto to store in the freezer or I chop it up + freeze it in olive oil in ice cube trays. When it’s not in season, it’s difficult to find. The quality isn’t the same, and the price is jacked up to the moon because they’ve had to grow + import it from somewhere where it is in season.

So when this herb is plentiful, abundant, and at it’s peak – definitely savor the season and be ready to make the most of it.

This super simple salad dressing is like classic pesto in dressing form – but nut-free, dairy-free, even lighter, and more refreshing!

With the tart flavors of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar mixed in, this healthy salad dressing adds a bit of brightness to every bite.

This recipe actually came about because I needed to use up some fresh pesto we had made, but I didn’t feel like making pasta or zoodles to use it up. So I stretched it out with a little lemon juice and ACV – and we liked it so much that it’s become a summer staple recipe in our house!

While this would make an excellent marinade or dipping sauce for fresh veggies, my absolute favorite way to eat this is on top of a big seasonal salad - like my Avocado Quinoa Power Salad or subbed in for the maple vinaigrette recipe on this Strawberry Pepita Salad.

As with fresh pesto – the way to make sure this dressing really shines is to do these two things:

Use local, in season basil (for peak freshness and flavor) and…
Choose a super flavorful, high quality extra virgin olive oil

This doesn’t necessarily mean the olive oil you choose has to be expensive but make sure it says “extra virgin” on it. You can taste the difference - extra virgin olive oil that is fresh and high quality should smell and taste green, earthy, and slightly peppery.

One of the best ways to make sure you’re getting really fresh oil is to visit a specialty olive oil shop – you can often taste them beforehand and make sure you’re going home with a really great one. It doesn’t mean you always have to get your olive oil from this source, but you’ll at least learn a bit about how it should taste so that when you’re sourcing ones from the grocery store you know which varieties are your favorite (my personal favorite is Arbequina).

The shop owner at the olive oil shop local to us told me to focus on just one thing...

When picking out an olive oil - check for freshness by tasting it. Look for a slight peppery “burn” after swallowing the oil (you’ll feel it in the back of your throat).

Maybe not at first but a few seconds afterwards and sure enough, you might feel a peppery sensation start to build. It might even make you feel like you want to cough. If this happens, don’t be concerned - it’s a good thing! And here’s why…

Phenols, which keep the oil from going rancid and have antioxidant properties, are responsible for this signature peppery kick – so if you feel that characteristic throat burn then it’s a good indicator that it is pretty fresh.

Olive oil is rich in one phenolic chemical in particular, called oleocanthal – which has anti-inflammatory properties similar to ibuprofen. The anti-inflammatory nature of fresh olive oil is thought by some to explain why traditional Mediterannean diets can be so healthy.

A few quick notes about this recipe before you dive in…

This is easy to make in a blender, but I find that my full size Vitamix is a little too large for this smaller batch. So I make this in a smaller blender cup (Vitamix actually makes a smaller cup with an adaptor so that it’s closer to that single-serve-smoothie size you'd see in a Nutribullet blender) and I find that it works really well. Less stopping and starting, less scraping down the sides between blending.

If you don’t have a smaller blender, then consider doubling the batch or just use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between to make sure you get all the herbs incorporated into a smooth dressing. If you're worried about it spoiling before you can use it, don't! The oil and refrigeration will keep it preserved for longer than you think.

If you don't love raw garlic (which has a ton of health benefits ranging from immune-boosting to potential cancer-fighting effects) then either cut the recipe down from four cloves to two...or consider omitting it altogether. As someone who hates raw onions, I totally get it that if you're not into something...you're just not into it. So don't be afraid to customize this to suit your own tastes.

When juicing the lemons, the easiest way I've found to get the most juice out of it is to use a citrus squeezer. I didn't even own one of these until this year, because I tend to shy away from single-function kitchen gadgets. But this one is totally worth it and it gets way more juice out than I ever did using my own two hands.

A little trick I use for getting the most out of a lemon is before I put a lemon half into the squeezer, I cut off both ends of the lemon first, then I cut it in half. This makes it less likely to roll around in the citrus squeezer and lets some juice escape right from the bottom too.

Don't let your basil stems go to waste! Store those babies in the freezer (I hoard mine in a bag filled with other veggie scraps and use it to flavor my Instant Pot Bone Broth).

And my last recipe note for you is to not be surprised if this dressing firms up in the fridge when you store it. Since it is a homemade dressing with no unnatural emulsifiers or preservatives, the oil in this will solidify a bit when chilled. This is totally normal. Just take the dressing out before you intend to use it and let it come to room temperature OR spoon it on top of your salad before tossing it together. You can also thin it out with a little bit more lemon juice or vinegar OR zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if you're really in a pinch and want it to be pourable.

P.S. - here's the easiest way to clean your blender after using it...

The easiest way to clean your blender is actually to give the blender cup a quick rinse in the sink, then add warm water and a little bit of dish soap to it. Put the lid back on securely. And blend again.

This will help you clean the blades easily instead of having to stick a sponge or dish brush down in there (which can snag and get stuck, or risks cutting your fingertips). If you do this right after you make something in your blender, it’ll prevent your dressing or smoothie from “crusting” onto the sides (making it a nightmare to clean). Then just rinse out the soapy water and let dry in your dish rack. Simple enough, right?

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HERE’S A LIST OF THE TOOLS + INGREDIENTS I USED IN THIS RECIPE:

FYI these are affiliate links – which means if you use these links I will make a small commission of whatever you purchase. The price of the item remains the same whether or not you use this link and it’s at zero additional charge to you. All commissions support this blog.

Vitamix Blender
Vitamix Personal Cup with Adapter
Nutribullet Pro (alternative to using the Vitamix with smaller adapter cup)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer

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MORE HEALTHY DRESSING + SALAD RECIPES:

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