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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.
My 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
First, 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
There 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.
I’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!
Add 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.)
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!
Are you convinced yet?
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
- Mix all ingredients into a jar or shaker. Whirl with an immersion blender until emulsified.
- Makes about 1/2 cup.
- 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.
Pin the image below for Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing to your Pinterest board to save this recipe
Want more lemony recipes?
Lemony Baby Bok Choy, Apple and Miso Salad
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.
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At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
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This Meyer Lemon Vanilla Salad Dressing has an amazing flavor combo!! Would love to try it!
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.
Rebecca,
Love your salad ingredients! That would go perfectly with this dressing!
I am so curious to try this salad vanilla dressing. I’ve never tried vanilla flavor in salads!
This is such a great combination of ingredients. I love the little specks of vanilla bean. I cannot wait to try this recipe.
Made this for my spinach salad and it was just delightful. I love the light and fresh flavors.
Krystle,
A spinach salad for this dressing is an outstanding idea!
Wow this sounds amazing! I’ve had lemon dressing but never with vanilla.
All my salads must have lemon in the dressing. Cannot wait to try this.
Terri,
I highly approve of your rule!
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!
Lynn,
Exactly the right use for it!
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.
Marilee,
Yay! It is soooo good!
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.
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 😉
Sophia,
Yes, put in a squirt of vanilla extract!
You know I trust you implicitly, Dorothy – but vanilla? in salad dressing? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this one….
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.
….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???
Julie,
Go ahead, smear it on! Can’t hurt!
I brought back vanilla bean paste from Australia and have yet to use it… until now. Trying this tonight.
Cathy,
I predict you will love this dressing!
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!
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/
We’d like to try this out in our test kitchen someday. Wow…
Oakley,
Today is the right day! Do it NOW!
You know putting vanilla in everything is about the same as putting rum in everything… which is what I do. GREG
Greg,
We all have our flavor crutches, don’t we?
Lis,
It IS, it IS!
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
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