Lemon Pepper Dressing
This lemon pepper salad dressing is only five ingredients, but it’s full of flavor! It’s perfect drizzled on a bed of mixed greens, massaged into kale, or poured over roasted vegetables!
I based this salad dressing recipe on a salad I had at a restaurant here in Richmond. The place, Betty on Davis, is no longer around. But this salad dressing lives on! After I tried their lemon and black pepper dressing, I couldn’t get it out of my mind! It was just slightly sweet with a subtle spiciness from the pepper. I grabbed some basic ingredients and whipped up a simple lemon and black pepper dressing recipe.
Ingredients and Substituions
- Olive oil- I recommend buying a high-quality olive oil brand like California Olive Ranch. This makes such a difference in a salad dressing. You can use cheaper olive oil for cooking but the flavor really shines in this salad dressing so quality is important.
- Lemon juice– Freshly squeezed lemon juice is recommended but there are good brands of lemon juice you can keep in your fridge in a pinch. I like the Santa Cruz brand.
- Honey– A little bit of honey helps balance out the tart flavor of the lemon juice. You can substitute with maple syrup if you prefer.
- Mustard– I recommend using Dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard.
- Salt– Don’t forget to add salt to taste!
This dressing is simple and light. It’s delicious on a bed of greens with strawberries and goat cheese! But you could also drizzle this over your favorite combination of raw or roasted veggies! Try it with kale for a heartier green! Just make sure you massage it before serving.
For the salad pictured above, I used kale, strawberries, and pine nuts! But you could also add a little goat cheese or feta if you like. The dressing was the perfect complement to the sweet & salty flavors in the salad!
Tips & Tricks
- This dressing can be stored in the fridge, but you may need to whisk it again if the dressing separates. I like to store it in a small mason jar so I can just give it a shake before serving.
- I highly recommend using freshly cracked pepper. We keep a little pepper mill around and the freshly ground pepper really does have a lot more flavor.
- I prefer Dijon mustard but you could use spicy brown mustard.
- You can double or triple the recipe if you want to make a larger batch.
You could use this lemon pepper dressing on a bed of mixed greens, massaged into kale, or drizzled over roasted vegetables like a marinade! The possibilities are endless for this simple dressing!
PrintLemon & Black Pepper Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1/4 cup 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This lemon and black pepper salad dressing is only five ingredients, but it’s full of flavor! It’s perfect drizzled on a bed of mixed greens, massaged into kale, or poured over roasted vegetables!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small container and shake until combined.
- The dressing might separate a bit if you leave it out so just shake it up!
- Drizzle over salad or dip fresh veggies in it!
- This makes enough for 2 entree sized salads.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2014. Updated in 2022.
Looking for other simple salad dressing ideas? Try this healthier honey mustard salad dressing or this red wine vinegar dressing!
What’s your favorite type of salad dressing?
TOMATO AND GOATS CHEESEEE! Oooooh maaaaannnn that sounds good! Yum! As does a lemon and black pepper dressing, simple, yet delicious I am sure! Sounds like you had a great meal out. We went to melting pot this weekend, wasnt new, but was wonderful!
That salmon looks perfect!
I love lemon and black pepper dressing too. It is one of my favourites as it is so easy to make, but really full of flavour too.
I love the sound of that dressing! It looks pretty delicious with your salad and I bet it would be great on roasted veggies too- yum!
Just judging by the ingredients to this, I think I would really like it. The dressing looks fabulous.
The newest restaurant I tried? Oh geez, that was embarrassingly a few weeks ago. I am tomorrow though 🙂
“For a second, I thought maybe I knew her because she was so genuinely welcoming, but as it turns out, that’s just how the staff is!” – what a compliment! we recently went to a restaurant where the whole staff was very aloof, and it was so, so odd! i think they were told not to make eye contact? anyway – definitely prefer friendliness! and how awesome of alex to plan a surprise date? such a good guy 🙂
Lemon pepper dressing? That’s a great idea! I always put lemon pepper seasoning on fish or chicken when I bake it so I know I would love this!
I love the name of this restaurant! Anytime a restaurant has a unique/cute name, I almost always love it!
Can your husband give my boyfriend some advice on dates? I’ve been asking for two years for a surprise date! lol. It’s not often we have alone time with the kiddos.
Mmm love the sound of your dressing…and salad for that matter! Berries + cheese + nuts is always a delish combo! Although I haven’t tried a new restaurant recently, I am off to Sri Lanka next week so I will surely be making up for that!
That restaurant sounds so cute! I keep telling myself to get to Richmond more often, especially since half my family and friends are there. I’ll definitely keep that place on my short list of ones to try. $15 wine would totally rope me in too.