This Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing is so easy to make, I bet you already have everything you need! This delicious salad dressing recipe is the perfect mix of sweet and sour. Add it to all your summer salads!
On Friday this week we had a day that felt like SUMMER! I took Piper to the park with some of her school friends and they ate snow cones, took off their socks, and ran like wild children. I went for a run in the super hot temperatures, but I didn’t even care that my skin melted into the pavement because it just felt so good to be outside. And now, more than ever before, I want to create ALL the summer recipes. If this Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing says anything to you, it definitely says: SUMMER!
THE PERFECT EASY SALAD DRESSING FOR SUMMER SALADS
This lemon salad dressing is so light, sweet, and delicious that it is really great on summer salads that are filled with berries and summer goodness. It’s also perfect because I bet you already have most (if not all) of the ingredients for it in your pantry. It is perfect to keep on hand all summer to dress up those lunch salads.
INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- sugar
- salt
- ground mustard
- poppy seeds
THE BALANCE OF SWEET AND ACID
So often in cooking, what we find ourselves in is the balance of sweet and acidic. A perfect example of this is in my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. Originally I made it without sugar, and after having it a few times, I realized that it really needed a little granulated sugar to balance all the acid of the tomatoes.
We have the same issue with this recipe. So this is what I suggest:
- start with 1/3 cup lemon juice
- add up to 1/2 cup, only adding 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have the lemon flavor that you want
- if you get the lemon flavor you want, but it is too acidic, too sour, add some honey to balance things out
HOW LONG WILL THIS KEEP
Another thing I love about this salad dressing recipe is that it has ingredients that will keep for a WHILE in the refrigerator. After you make a batch of this, you can keep it in the refrigerator for about three months. I love that about vinaigrette dressings, and this is basically a lemon vinaigrette dressing with some poppy seeds thrown in.
Store it in the refrigerator all summer long and when you pull it out, let it come to room temperature before giving it a shake to combine it again.
MAKING IT CREAMY
You can make this a creamy lemon poppy seed dressing by adding some greek yogurt to it. Not only will it make it creamier, it will stretch it out and make more dressing. Things to keep in mind:
- use a plain greek yogurt (not vanilla)
- start with 1/2 a cup and see how you like that flavor and consistency before adding more
- once you add yogurt, you can’t keep it in your refrigerator for more than a week
OTHER GREAT SALAD DRESSING RECIPES
Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice see note
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt (or just a pinch)
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon honey optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and mustard until the sugar is completely dissolved. Taste and add more lemon until it has enough of a lemon flavor for you. Add more honey if it becomes overwhelmingly acidic.
- Stir poppy seeds into the dressing.
Notes
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Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
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