This easy Zesty Lemon Pepper Dressing is vegan, made with eight ingredients, and ready in five minutes. Perfect on salads or as a marinade!
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As I’ve mentioned before, I am firmly in the homemade salad dressing camp. There’s simply no comparison between a freshly emulsified dressing or sauce compared to the gloopy, overly sweet stuff from the supermarket. With a blender and 5 minutes, this too could be your journey. Perhaps this incredible Zesty Lemon Pepper Dressing could even be your conversion story.
Lemon Pepper Dressing Ingredients
Lemon Juice and Zest: I beg you to use fresh lemon juice. Seriously. This is the first rule for creating amazing homemade dressings. The zest amps up the lemon flavor even more for a true citrus experience.
Olive Oil: In this type of recipe, I do believe a quality olive oil is important. I encourage you to purchase the nicest one you can afford. One of my favorite budget-friendly options is the trusty Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Costco.
Honey: Use maple syrup if you’re vegan! Otherwise, I really love honey for this dressing.
Dijon Mustard: For a bit of zip and tang.
Garlic: But of course.
Salt and Pepper: Emphasize on the pepper! It’s a big part of this dressing’s flavor profile. It adds such a nice bit of earthy spice to the whole thing.

How to Use This Dressing
- Salads: This dressing obviously shines on salads packed with leafy greens and crunchy vegetables. I recommend it with this Cherry Feta Salad or my Ultimate Spring Salad.
- Grains: You could easily use this dressing on a number of grain bowls or salads, such as this Strawberry Mint Quinoa Salad.
- Marinade: I am imagining this as a marinade for chicken or fish. Yum!
If you make this Zesty Lemon Pepper Dressing, be sure to leave a rating and review and let me know what you end up using it for! I love hearing and getting new ideas from you. You can also always find me on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok.
More Sauces and Dressings
- Super Simple White Wine Vinaigrette (Vegan!)
- The Only Tahini Sauce You’ll Ever Need (Vegan!)
- Ingenious and Simple Vegan Dill Pesto (7 Ingredients!)


Zesty Lemon Pepper Dressing
Equipment
- Blender or Food Processor (optional)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey (sub maple syrup if vegan)
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Place all dressing ingredients in blender or food processor and blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute to ensure everything is well-combined and emulsified. Alternatively, you could place all ingredients in a mason jar with lid tightly shut and shake until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Serve on your fave salad or bowl and enjoy!
Notes
Photography by Hope Agresti