This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
You will love the taste of this homemade salad dressing with fresh lemon and basil. With all this fresh, delicious flavor, you’re going to want to put it on everything!
Featured with this recipe
You are going to love the fresh, creamy taste of this homemade salad dressing with fresh lemon and basil. I have been putting it on everything! From bowls of salad to sandwiches to Greek pitas to just dipping my bread in it! It is one of the best salad dressings I have made.
The key here is using FRESH basil. If you have a bunch of basil from your herb garden that you need to use up, this recipe is for YOU! It is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Make this for your next dinner!
Homemade Salad Dressing Ingredients
For the creamy base of this salad dressing you are going to use mayo and sour cream. The rest is all fresh herbs and a lot of flavors! This is an amazing salad dressing you will want to keep in your fridge and refill when needed.
- Mayonnaise – This is a creamy base that gives the salad dressing thickness and flavor.
- Green onion – Chop all the green and white parts of the onions into small pieces. Both will enhance the flavors.
- Basil leaves – A balance of sweet and savory will add to this healthy homemade salad dressing.
- Lemon juice – Refreshes the flavors and adds a zest of tart that balances out all the flavors when blended together.
- Garlic – Soft, sweet, and buttery garlic taste helps boost the flavor of this delicious salad dressing.
- Anchovy paste – Don’t leave this out! If you are having trouble finding anchovy paste, you will find it next to the canned anchovies, which are usually next to the canned tuna.
- Sour cream – Tangy, tart and thick to help add more thickness and creamy results when mixed together.
How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing with Fresh Lemon and Basil
This easy homemade salad dressing is far better than store-bought! You won’t be buying any more dressing. Blend together the ingredients that each come with their own powerful flavoring to make this delicious salad dressing. It is one of a kind and so simple to make and store!
- Combine –Place the mayonnaise, green onion, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Blend – Add the sour cream and process until just blended.
- Chill – Refrigerate until ready to serve. For best results, refrigerate overnight.
- If it is too thick – Add a little milk if it needs to be thinned before serving.
Tips and Modifications
This salad dressing recipe is very simple but it still is boosted with all the flavor. You will love the blend of all the ingredients together. Try a few other modifications and these tips to help make this dressing even better!
- Substitute – If you want to lighten this recipe up a bit, feel free to use some Greek yogurt instead of Mayonnaise.
- Fresh is best! Make sure that your basil is fresh as well as your lemon is freshly squeezed. This will help make this taste last even longer.
- Herbs – If you want to experiment with other fresh herbs try oregano, thyme, or rosemary.
- Savory – Instead of a sweet and tangy dressing substitute the lemon juice for apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar. This will give it more of an oily dressing rather than creamy.
- Storing – Place the jar of dressing in the middle of the shelf rather than the side of the refrigerator. This will keep the dressing cold and at the same temperature while being stored.
“My family just loves this recipe!! It has become something I make every summer with my fresh basil I grow. Thank you for sharing this recipe.”
-Rose
Frequently Asked Questions
Some people may worry that anchovy paste tastes fishy and won’t be the greatest. Don’t worry about it tasting fishy. It contains plenty of salt, oil, vinegar, and sugar, which cover up the fishiness. Plus, even after it has been opened, it will keep in your fridge for months!
Add a couple of teaspoons of jarred spaghetti sauce or homemade spaghetti sauce. It will add that rich dimension you really want in spaghetti sauce, especially if you are making a meat sauce. It really brings out the flavor of the beef. You can also add it to your beefy stews or soups for an added dimension.
There are times that dressings will solidify if not properly stored or sits out too long from the fridge. Check to make sure that none of the ingredients have a high ratio of monounsaturated fats. This will encourage the homemade dressing to solidify. If it does, simply stir the jar or blend it back together.
Eventually, over time, the homemade dressing does begin to separate. You can shake, stir, or whisk it back together. After so long, the dressing will start to separate and have a hard time coming back together.
Storing Homemade Salad Dressing
The best way to store homemade salad dressing is to use a mason jar with a lid or an airtight container to open and close. Always store the dressing in the refrigerator. Store on a shelf instead of on the refrigerator door. It is known that the door is not as cool as the shelves.
More Amazing Sauces
If you’re into the best sauces and dips, there is plenty to enjoy. You might want to check out some of these great recipes like our favorite greek salad dressing, caesar dressing, ranch dressing, and honey mustard dressing.
Creamy Basil Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise I prefer Best Foods.. or Hellmann’s for you East coasters
- 1 cup green onion chopped, white and green parts
- 1 cup basil leaves chopped, FRESH
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons garlic chopped, 2 cloves
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place the mayonnaise, green onion, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the sour cream and process until just blended.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. For best results, refrigerate overnight.
- Add a little milk if it needs to be thinned before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
*adapted from Barefoot Contessa
I see the calories – however what is the serving size for that amount of calories? Thank you true dressing is sooo very delicious
Thanks for asking! The nutrition information on this recipe was incorrect, but now it is right. This recipe yields 2 cups of dressing. For a standard 2 tablespoon serving size, there is 141 calories.
Absolutely delicious! Made it and couldn’t wait to get it cool in the fridge, and ready to put on my salad!
My family just loves this recipe!! It has become something I make every summer with my fresh basil I grow. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
My family loved this dressing, they couldn’t get enough of it. Thank you for sharing
When I make this, I add some jalapeños to give it a kick. I love the original recipe as well.
Great idea adding jalapeños! Yum!
This looks great! I LOVE basil, so I’m printing this right now to make this weekend. Found you on Pinterest!
So glad you found us! Hope you keep coming back for more recipes! 😀
I do not have anchovy paste made it without it! This is best new dressing recipe I have tried from Pinterest. I put it in a gluten free spaghetti salad.
My picky husband loved it????
So glad that you liked it! I like the idea of using it in a spaghetti salad, yum!
Sounds great but we hate anchovies. Can we do without or would you recommend a something else?
you can definitely leave it out.
Sounds great but we all hate anchovies. Can we do without or would you recommend something else?
you can leave it out.
Hi Erica, I love the sound of this recipe, thanks.
How long does it keep?
It will probably keep a week.. two at the most. It is SO good! You are going to love it! 🙂
What does the anchovy paste “do” or “add” – NOT a fan of anchovies – so wondering at a substitution as all the other ingredients sound like a great mix?
You can’t even tell they are there as far as fishy-ness goes.. it just adds a great depth of flavor. There is anchovies in Caesar dressing.. if you can’t tell it’s there in Caesar dressing you should be fine using it– if you CAN tell it is in Caesar dressing and don’t like it, feel free to leave it out
How long will this stay good in Refrig?
This should stay good at least 4-5 days. Probably up to a week would be fine. Hope this helps!
Excellent recipe! I’m flawed at following recipes
To a T… Added about 5 sprigs of fresh dill and
3 tbsp chopped Anaheim pepper. Delish, definitely
A keeper !
Can this recipe be canned? Or is this only good as fresh dressing?
You can put it in a jar and it lasts in the fridge for about 3-5 days. Hope this helps!
Just made this. I have been wanting to make my own dressings for some time now and I am happy I tried this one! So simple and yummy. I forgot to get the sour cream, but it tastes fine just the way it is! Thanks for the recipe!
I have anchovies but not anchovy paste – can I just mash them up and use less? or do I need to add something as well?
You might want to look that one up…. I am not sure exactly how you would do that. I would imagine you could just mash them up but maybe double check just to make sure!
Happy birthday, E!!!! And I promise to finally try the paste that has been scary to me. Eeeek! Wish me luck!
Thanks Carrian! And your bday is just around the corner!
Hello! I saw this on Pinterest so I had to click over to see the recipe. I have never used anchovy paste, but I like anchovies. Thanks so much for this recipe. I just planted my basil in our garden today!