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Once you try this lemon poppy seed dressing, you’re going to be so impressed with yourself. It comes together quickly in a blender and tastes like it came from a restaurant. It will have you eating more salad the rest of the week!
The hardest part of making this dressing is simply squeezing the fresh lemon juice. Don’t skip this part; it really makes the difference between amazing and mediocre-tasting salad dressing.
I think honey is the perfect sweetener to balance the acidity of the lemon juice, but if you need a vegan dressing, feel free to use agave nectar or maple syrup instead.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Made this today for the second time. My absolute favorite dressing! 100 times better than bottled!!!” – Liz
Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients
- Olive Oil. While traditional recipes call for a 2:1 oil-to-acid ratio, this one tastes better using a 1:1 ratio. It still emulsifies when you blend it (thanks to the mustard), and it doesn’t have an overpowering oily flavor.
- Lemon Juice. Fresh lemon juice really makes this recipe delicious, so don’t use the bottled kind from the store.
- Honey. This balances out the acidity from the lemon juice and mustard.
- Dijon Mustard. Adding a tablespoon of mustard boosts the flavor and helps emulsify the dressing, making it creamier without using mayo. You can use Dijon or spicy brown mustard.
- Shallot. I love adding a little fresh onion to this dressing because it thickens the consistency and adds a subtle flavor. I used to use red onion for this, but it turned the dressing pink, so a small shallot won’t.
- Poppy Seeds. Adding poppy seeds to a dressing gives it a subtle nutty flavor and a little crunch! Plus, it’s pretty when drizzled over your salad.
How to Make Poppy Seed Dressing
Step 1:
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, honey, Dijon mustard, and salt to a high-speed blender. This works best in a personal-size blender or one with a narrow base. (Check out my Vitamix review video if you want to see why this matters.)
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Secure the lid and blend until smooth, about 60 seconds.
Step 2:
Taste the dressing and make any adjustments, if needed. You can add a squeeze of mustard for a more tangy flavor, or stop, scrape down the sides of the blender, and blend again if everything didn’t incorporate smoothly.
Once you’re happy with the dressing’s flavor, stir in the poppy seeds. The dressing is ready to use right away!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Poppy Seed Dressing (The Best I’ve Tasted!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 small shallot
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt, and shallot. Secure the lid and blend until smooth. Taste the dressing and adjust any seasoning, if needed.
- Pour the poppyseeds into the dressing and stir well to distribute. Then store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to use it. It will keep well for at least 5 days in the fridge. Shake or stir well before using it each time.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Healthy Lemon Bars
- Lemon Orzo Salad
- Greek Lemon Vinaigrette
If you try this Poppy Seed Dressing, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
Great base to build on! I personally like a creamier dressing with bolder flavors so I followed your recipe I just tweaked it and used 1 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard 1 tablespoon of sweet baby rays honey mustard. I added 1 extra tablespoon of honey as well as 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. I didn’t want to cut an onion just for this so I subbed minced onion flakes. Yummy!
Lovely just marvellous
I made this last night to put over my arugula, baby kale, raw turnip, and pomegranate salad. The dressing was came out so delicious and worked great with the greens and pomegranate in the salad. I made the dressing in my vitamix and it turned slightly pink from the red onions, which worked well visually.
This is very yummy. I used 1/3 cup of this dressing with 2/3 C raspberry vinaigrette. I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries & candied walnuts, pecans & craisins. Such a nice summer salad. Thank you for this recipe.
I substituted what I had on hand for what was in the recipe. I used Vidalia onion instead of red onion and one teaspoon yellow mustard for two teaspoons of spicy brown mustard. I also used maple syrup instead of honey.
When I tasted the dressing it seemed a little sweet, but when I put it on my salad, it was fine
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I’m always looking for tasty salad dressing recipes. Thanks for this one!
I’ve never used spicy brown mustard. Does it make it very spicy?
No, not at all! I don’t think of it tasting spicy, it’s more like a blended whole grain mustard.
I substituted agave syrup for honey, 1 to 1, and the dressing was amazing.
Made this very easy delicious salad dressing today; loved it and will be making again regularly! Thanks!
Made this today for the second time. My absolute favorite dressing! 100 times better than bottled!!!
This was very good. Here are some things someone may find helpful:
I love Megan’s salad dressings but they tend to be on the sweet side for me.
#1 start with less sweetener and add more as needed.
#2 I used 3 medium lemons for a 1/2c of fresh lemon juice
#3 just FYI – my dressing was a pretty shade of pink after blending with the red onion so if you don’t want pink dressing you might want to stick with the shaking in a jar method
#4 finally, this made almost a pint mason jar of dressing which is a lot for my family so I’ll be making a half batch next time.