This lemon salad dressing has been my go to summer salad dressing. It is zesty, refreshing, and cleansing. I love serving it over crisp romaine with julienned beets, fresh dill, creamy feta, and crunchy tamari almonds for the most delicious and liver healthy beet salad.

A small glass jar filled with homemade lemon salad dressing set on a slightly textured light grey surface, with two whole lemons and green leaves in the background.

The inspiration came from one of my mom’s salads. Her version was loaded with fresh vegetables, regular cheese, and an olive oil based dressing. While it tasted fresh and vibrant, I wanted to create my own oil-free variation that is lighter, lower in calories, and filled with nutrients.

Instead of olive oil, I use cashews to create a creamy lemon salad dressing. Cashews add whole food fats, a silky texture, and minerals without the calorie density of refined oils. Tamari almonds provide a salty crunch and healthy fats, balancing flavors and textures in the salad.

This homemade lemon salad dressing is incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, and the entire recipe contains only 197 calories. Depending on how much you drizzle on your salad, it yields about 4 servings, which is perfect for smaller beet and dill salads or a large bowl to share.

Beets have always been one of my favorite vegetables for supporting liver health and keeping my fasting blood sugar in check. Pairing them with lemon creates a powerful combination.

Both foods are naturally cleansing, high in antioxidants, and rich in vitamin C and manganese to support detoxification and antioxidant defenses. Serving this lemon juice salad dressing over a beet salad is one of the most delicious and easy ways I have found to enjoy beets regularly.

If you are looking for a healthy, low calorie, low-fat, and zesty salad dressing that is perfect for a summer salad with lemon dressing, this recipe is it.

Flat lay of lemon salad dressing ingredients on a light grey surface, including fresh lemons, Dijon mustard, garlic clove, cashews, maple syrup, tamari, salt, and cracked pepper in small containers with labels.

Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe

1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (ground)
1 tsp reduced sodium tamari
1 tbsp raw cashews
1 clove garlic (raw)

How to Make the Lemon Salad Dressing

Juice the lemon: Squeeze fresh lemons to yield ⅓ cup of lemon juice. Strain to remove seeds and pulp.
Add ingredients to a jar: Place the lemon juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, sea salt, ground black pepper, tamari, raw cashews, and garlic clove into a wide-mouth mason jar.
Blend until creamy: Use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients together until smooth, creamy, and well combined.
Serve and store: Pour over your favorite salads, like a beet and dill salad with feta and tamari almonds. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for up to 3–4 days. Shake or stir before serving.

A small glass jar filled with creamy lemon salad dressing on a wooden surface, with a halved lemon, striped towel, and wooden salad bowl in the background.

Macronutrient and Caloric Information per Full Recipe:

Calories: 197 kcal
Protein: 4 g
Fat: 5 g
Net Carbs: 37 g

Top 5 Highest Vitamins and Minerals per Daily Value

Sodium
Manganese
Riboflavin (B2)
Vitamin C
Copper

The lemon salad dressing is naturally high in manganese, an essential cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), which helps neutralize damaging free radicals. This makes it a fantastic choice for an anti-inflammatory diet. It is also a good source of vitamin B2, the cofactor for the MTHFR gene, which plays a critical role in folate metabolism and is especially important for individuals with an MTHFR gene mutation.

Fun fact: In a mouse study, researchers found that giving mice lemon juice every day helped protect their livers from alcohol damage. It lowered signs of liver stress, reduced fat buildup, and boosted the liver’s natural defenses, suggesting that lemon juice may have powerful liver protecting benefits.

This easy lemon salad dressing is proof that healthy can also be simple, flavorful, and satisfying. Use the healthy lemon dressing to serve over a simple beet salad with dill, feta, and tamari almonds as a side salad to accompany your main meals. It’s such a healthy and refreshing salad dressing to serve over a simple green salad with beets.

Be sure to save the pin image below to Pineterst so you can come back to this lemon salad dressing anytime you want a zesty and refreshing salad dressing. For more inspiration to make healthy salad dressings, you can also check out my oil free salad dressing recipes that are just as delicious!