Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing

by Dorothy Reinhold on May 25, 2021


Print This Post Print This Post Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing Recipe on Shockingly Delicious

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing: A hint of sweetness, a perfume of vanilla and the tang of Meyer lemon create a flavorful and versatile dressing for salads, grilled vegetables, fish or fruit.

I put vanilla in almost everything.

  • a splash in oatmeal while it cooks
  • 1 teaspoon in nearly every baked good even if the recipe doesn’t call for it
  • whirled into smoothies

The trick of it is vanilla increases the perceived sweetness, so very often you can use a bit less sugar, or perhaps no added sugar, in your recipe.

Easy Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing spilled on a white plate with a white ceramic spoon alongside itDelicious.comMy proof that vanilla goes in everything? This salad dressing. My beloved Meyer lemons marry an intense vanilla paste in the presence of a super premium California olive oil, with awesome results.

How to make Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing

Lemons, brown sugar in a spoon, vanilla paste and olive oil displayed on a white marble counter topnilla Salad Dressing on ShockinglyDelicious.comFirst, assemble your ingredients. For this recipe, I’m using

  • Meyer lemon juice
  • vanilla bean paste
  • brown sugar
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • kosher or sea salt

Heilala Vanilla Paste on a teaspoon resting on the jarHeilala Vanilla Bean Paste jar against a white backgroundThere are several companies that make vanilla paste, but the one I like best is from Heilala Vanilla, a company in New Zealand that is king in the vanilla world. It’s a super premium, wonderful flavor made by combining vanilla seeds and vanilla bean extract to get the best of both — an exceptionally concentrated vanilla magic. Heilala Vanilla paste has won – deservedly! — several highly coveted foodie awards, and is prized by some of the best chefs and bakers in the world. The company ethically supports growers in Tonga who tend crops of Tongan Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans. 1 teaspoon of this paste equals the flavor and seed equivalent of 1 vanilla bean.  I mail-order mine from Love From New Zealand, a start-up that reps several high-quality News Zealand products.

Many yellow and green-tinged Meyer Lemons hanging from branches on a small treeI’m lucky enough to have a dwarf Meyer lemon tree growing in a whiskey half-barrel in my back yard, so I head out to pick a couple of lemons, in season. This recipe will work fine with regular lemons, as well, so use what you have and can get. If you can get Meyers, use them!

Hand holding a jar with salad dressing ingredients in it, ready be blended, with a white marble counter in the backgroundAdd all the ingredients to a jar with a mouth wide enough to fit your immersion blender. I enjoy the way it looks a bit like abstract art. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can make this in the regular blender.)

shot on left shows dressing with bubbles, shot on right shows dressing with no bubbles Whirl it all together. The initial bubbles will soon dissipate, as you can see in the photo above on the right. The black specks are vanilla bean seeds from the vanilla paste!

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing dribbled on a white plate with a lemon alongside it, and branch in the backgroundglyDelicious.com

Are you convinced yet?

Reader rave superimposed on cut glass pitcher of Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing

Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing: A hint of sweetness, a perfume of vanilla and the tang of Meyer lemon create a flavorful and versatile dressing for salads, grilled vegetables, fish or fruit.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (it might take 2 lemons to get enough juice)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste (I use Heilala Vanilla brand)
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons super premium extra virgin olive oil (I used Garcia de la Cruz)
  • Pinch kosher salt (or sea salt)

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients into a jar or shaker. Whirl with an immersion blender until emulsified.
  2. Makes about 1/2 cup.
  3. Use to dress a green salad, grilled vegetables, or even a fruit salad.

Notes

Recipe source: Slightly adapted from a recipe by Ben Mills, executive chef at Dine by Peter Gordon.

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/meyer-lemon-vanilla-salad-dressing/

pin this please!Pin the image below for Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing to your Pinterest board to save this recipe

Collage of Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Want more lemony recipes?

Lemony Baby Bok Choy, Apple and Miso Salad in a white bowl on a white marble counter topLemony Baby Bok Choy, Apple and Miso Salad

6 roasted chicken thighs in yellow sauce in a glass baking dishSticky Lemon Oregano Chicken

This recipe/post for Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing was originally published on ShockinglyDelicious.com April 11, 2013, and has been refreshed and republished today. Here (below) are a couple of the photos from the earlier post, because it’s fun to see how far I have come, and to remember back to that time. 

Collage of Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing from 2013

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{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }

Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert May 27, 2021 at 9:15 am

This Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing has an amazing flavor combo!! Would love to try it!

Reply

Rebecca May 27, 2021 at 9:05 am

I’m drooling over this recipe. Made a salad of mixed greens with a little fresh lettuce. Added some sliced mushrooms and cheese. It was fantastic.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 27, 2021 at 10:59 am

Rebecca,
Love your salad ingredients! That would go perfectly with this dressing!

Reply

Catalina May 27, 2021 at 2:44 am

I am so curious to try this salad vanilla dressing. I’ve never tried vanilla flavor in salads!

Reply

Kathy May 27, 2021 at 12:51 am

This is such a great combination of ingredients. I love the little specks of vanilla bean. I cannot wait to try this recipe.

Reply

Krystle May 26, 2021 at 8:07 pm

Made this for my spinach salad and it was just delightful. I love the light and fresh flavors.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 26, 2021 at 8:56 pm

Krystle,
A spinach salad for this dressing is an outstanding idea!

Reply

Hezzi-D May 26, 2021 at 6:48 pm

Wow this sounds amazing! I’ve had lemon dressing but never with vanilla.

Reply

Terri A Steffes May 26, 2021 at 5:07 pm

All my salads must have lemon in the dressing. Cannot wait to try this.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 26, 2021 at 5:28 pm

Terri,
I highly approve of your rule!

Reply

Lynn @ Fresh April Flours May 26, 2021 at 12:31 pm

I’d never have thought to put these flavors together, but I have ONE Meyer lemon left and I think I need to make this tonight!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 26, 2021 at 5:28 pm

Lynn,
Exactly the right use for it!

Reply

Marilee Reyes May 3, 2019 at 10:19 am

Hey Dorothy
Found this recipe in a collection of “40 Delicious Homemade Condiment Dressings” on Pinterest. Going to try it in a slaw this weekend.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold May 3, 2019 at 12:03 pm

Marilee,
Yay! It is soooo good!

Reply

Cathy May 4, 2018 at 6:10 pm

I don’t know how many times I have left a comment on this recipe, but every time I make it I am so grateful. Hands down my favorite salad dressing EVER.

Reply

Sophia March 28, 2014 at 9:58 am

This sounds wonderful! But since I don’t have any vanilla paste at hand, could I just use plain vanilla extract instead?
Thanks so much!
-Sophia 😉

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 28, 2014 at 10:01 am

Sophia,
Yes, put in a squirt of vanilla extract!

Reply

Erika {In Erika's Kitchen} April 15, 2013 at 7:48 pm

You know I trust you implicitly, Dorothy – but vanilla? in salad dressing? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this one….

Reply

Cathy May 4, 2018 at 6:19 pm

Erica, let your head go. This is the best dressing I have ever made and make different ones weekly. Every guest I have made it for raves about it.

Reply

Julie Grose April 12, 2013 at 4:56 pm

….I just noticed my Meyer Lemon tree ripe with heavy fruit and was wondering how best to put my precious harvest to use! I think this sounds fabulous as a topper to fruit salad with fresh strawerries – can’t wait to try! Thank you! Now if only this dressing could be used as facial conditioner as well???

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 12, 2013 at 5:35 pm

Julie,
Go ahead, smear it on! Can’t hurt!

Reply

Cathy @ She Paused 4 Thought April 12, 2013 at 9:45 am

I brought back vanilla bean paste from Australia and have yet to use it… until now. Trying this tonight.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 12, 2013 at 10:26 am

Cathy,
I predict you will love this dressing!

Reply

Cathy @ She Paused 4 Thought April 12, 2013 at 12:11 pm

OMG, OMG!!!!! I can drink this dressing! I put it on a garden salad for lunch and now thinking I am going to put it on my salmon tonight. Salad dressing does not get better than this!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 12, 2013 at 12:18 pm

Cathy,
I totally agree. I could sip it like a cocktail! I have another dressing for you to try, that is also in this league: https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/shockinglydelicious-saturday-cooking-class-basil-honey-dressing-the-little-black-dress-of-salad-dressings/

Reply

Oakley @ Friedas April 12, 2013 at 8:29 am

We’d like to try this out in our test kitchen someday. Wow…

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 12, 2013 at 10:27 am

Oakley,
Today is the right day! Do it NOW!

Reply

sippitysup April 11, 2013 at 5:28 pm

You know putting vanilla in everything is about the same as putting rum in everything… which is what I do. GREG

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 11, 2013 at 9:14 pm

Greg,
We all have our flavor crutches, don’t we?

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 12, 2013 at 10:27 am

Lis,
It IS, it IS!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold April 12, 2013 at 5:36 pm

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Reply

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