This lemon ginger vinaigrette has just five ingredients and mixes up in the blender (or smoothie maker). Fresh lemon juice and fresh ginger combined with sweet agave make a dressing that will add a tangy, zingy flavor to your favorite salad.
Be sure to check out more of my vinaigrette dressing recipes including my pomegranate vinaigrette, 5 minute lemon shallot vinaigrette and easy, creamy mango vinaigrette.
Blender Vinaigrette
The blender is a super fast and easy way to mix up a vinaigrette. Simply put all the ingredients in and blend on high. The blender whips a little air in and makes vinaigrettes a little creamy and keeps them from separating so quickly.
If you don’t have a blender, a smoothie blender (like the NutriBullet) works as well, or even better. I use the smoothie cup on my Ninja blender with great results.
Ingredients
Fresh ginger is a great way to add a pungent and sweet pop to a salad. I absolutely prefer fresh ginger over the powdered stuff. Fortunately the blender will do most of the work. You’ll just need to peel the ginger and cut it in a few pieces.
Lemon and ginger work wonders together. The tart lemon balances the slight bitterness of ginger. I highly recommend using freshly squeezed juice. The stuff in a jar just doesn’t taste the same.
Agave, maple syrup or any sweetener you prefer balances the tart and bitter flavors in the dressing and makes it a party for your taste buds.
The recipe card calls for 2-3 teaspoons of sweetener. I prefer my dressings on the sweeter side, especially when they include something bitter. You can taste it and add more sweetener if you prefer.
Normally I use olive oil in my salad dressings. But for this one, I prefer a a neutral flavored oil. The lemon and ginger are a perfect combination and I didn’t want to add another flavor to get in the way – olive oil can be bitter). I use avocado oil but canola, sunflower, safflower or any other neutral flavored vegetable oil will work.
And of course salt brings out all of the flavors in this dressing while also balancing the bitter, sour and sweet elements.
Summer Salads
The bright, zingy and fresh flavors in this lemon ginger vinaigrette are a great compliment to a summery salad like my summer Persian cucumber salad with mango, summer fresh peach mint salad and my chard and cantaloupe salad.
7-Minute Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger Should generously fill a tablespoon)
- β c lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
- 2-3 tsp agave or other sweetener
- ΒΌ tsp + 2 pinches salt
- ΒΎ c oil – avocado, sunflower, canola or other neutral flavored vegetable oil
Instructions
- Juice the lemons to get 1/3 cup juice. I place a strainer on my measuring cup and juice the lemons right into it.
- Peel the fresh ginger using a spoon. Press the edge of the spoon down firmly and scrape off the skin. The spoon works best to get around the ridges.
- Cut it into a few pieces.
- Add 2 teaspoons of the agave and the remaining ingredients to the blender and run on high for 20-30 seconds. This should be enough to liquefy the ginger.
- Ginger is fibrous and gives texture to the dressing. If you prefer it smoother, run it through a fine mesh strainer. Press it through with a spoon to make sure the all the liquid is extracted.
- Taste and adjust the flavor if needed.β’ I prefer this dressing on the sweeter side and add another tsp of sweetener.β’ If you prefer it less tart, add a tablespoon of oil and ΒΌ tsp sweetener. β’ If it's too bitter add a couple of pinches of salt and ΒΌ tsp sweetener.
- This dressing will stay fresh when refrigerated for at least 10 days. Always shake well before using
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