Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette (Vinaigrette à l’échalote)
A classic French shallot vinaigrette combining finely minced shallots, fresh lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil for a delicate, bright salad dressing.
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The French absolutely adore using shallots (échalotte) in their cooking. You’ll find these beautiful purple-tinged bulbs piled high at every market from Provence to Normandy. Unlike onions, shallots have this gorgeous, complex flavor that’s sweet, mild, and slightly garlicky without any harsh bite.
When I was living in France, my French mother-in-law taught me to always use a shallot (échalotte) in vinaigrettes because the shallot flavor is so much more delicate than fresh garlic.
In France, salad (as in lettuce leaves only) is served every day after the main meal and before the cheese. It’s part of a specific rhythm of the French table that helps slow down the meal. And probably because there are only lettuce leaves in this after-lunch or dinner salad, they came up with delicious dressings!
I really hope you love this shallot lemon vinaigrette recipe!
If you do, I would really love it if you could leave a star rating and comment in the comments section below or from the recipe card. 🥰
Why you’ll love this shallot lemon vinaigrette recipe
- Lovely French flavor – The shallots give this vinaigrette that elegant, French café-quality taste that’s way more refined and delicate than regular garlic dressings
- Versatile and long-lasting – Keeps in your airtight container for a whole week and works beautifully on simple lettuce salads, pasta salads, and grain bowls
- Simple dressing ingredients, gourmet results – Just 6 basic ingredients
- Super quick – 5 minutes and you are done!
- Way better than store-bought – No weird preservatives or artificial flavors, just great flavor that makes even simple lettuce leaves taste brilliant
Ingredients to make the shallot lemon vinaigrette
Here is a discussion about the ingredients. If you are wondering how to make this simple lemon Dijon shallot vinaigrette dressing recipe, the full instructions are found in the recipe card at the end.
Shallot – Finely minced (about 2-3 tablespoons). This is the star of the show! Shallots have this gorgeous flavor that’s so much more delicate than regular onions or garlic. My French mother-in-law always used échalotte in her vinaigrettes because they’re milder and sweeter.
Fresh lemon juice – About ¼ cup from roughly 2 lemons. Use fresh if you can! It makes such a difference compared to the bottled stuff. The brightness and zing you get from fresh lemon juice is what makes this lemon shallot vinaigrette sing.
Extra virgin olive oil – ⅓ cup of the good stuff! This is where you don’t want to skimp. A quality olive oil adds this beautiful fruity flavor. If you don’t have extra virgin, regular olive oil works, or you can even use avocado oil for a more neutral taste, but the olive oil is what gives it that authentic European café flavor and taste like a real French vinaigrette.
Dijon mustard – Just 1 teaspoon, but it’s so important! This is what helps emulsify everything together and adds that subtle tangy depth. The French always use Dijon in their vinaigrettes – it’s classic. If you don’t have Dijon, any good quality mustard will work, just maybe use a bit less if it’s really strong.
Honey or pure maple syrup – (Optional) Just ½ teaspoon to balance out the acidity from the lemon juice. I love how this tiny bit of sweetness rounds everything out without making it sugary.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper – To taste. I always use sea salt. Fresh cracked black pepper is so much better than the pre-ground stuff. It actually has some bite to it!
Herbs – 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped (totally optional but lovely). Fresh thyme is very French and elegant, parsley, dill or chives also are great. Use whatever you have or skip it entirely. The dressing is perfect either way.
Substitutions
For the shallot: If you can’t find a large shallot, you can substitute with a small clove of fresh garlic (though it won’t be as delicate), or try a red onion (use less, about 1-2 tablespoons minced and run it under cold water for a minute). Not quite the same thing, but they will work.
For fresh lemon juice: While fresh lemon juice is definitely the best option for this lemon shallot vinaigrette recipe, you can use lemon juice concentrate in a pinch. You could also just use the traditional white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar. Red wine vinegar is pretty standard in French vinaigrettes, so this would be my top choice if you don’t have any fresh lemon juice.
For extra-virgin olive oil: Avocado oil works, or try organic sunflower oil for a more neutral flavor, but if you want that authentic French Mediterranean flavor, stick with extra-virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is full of antioxidants and heart-healthy fats and is part of the Mediterranean diet.
For Dijon mustard: Smooth Dijon mustard. You can also use the grainy Dijon mustard, but the French dressing will not the same. I would not recommend using other mustards, as they have a harsher taste. You could use a smaller amount, but really, it would be best to just omit it altogether. The vinaigrette will still be lovely with the fresh lemon and shallots.
For honey: It’s really optional, to balance the acidity of the lemon, but not necessary at all. So if you don’t have any, you can use a pinch of brown sugar or maple syrup if you really want to, but I would suggest just leaving it out completely. Which is what I do most of the time anyway.
Different herb variations: Instead of thyme or parsley, try any different herb like chives or dill.
How to make shallot lemon vinaigrette
This French lemon shallot vinaigrette is so easy to make.
- Macerate the shallot: Macerate is a complicated cooking word that means “combine and let sit for a while”. So for this lemon shallot vinaigrette recipe, you combine minced shallot with lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. This mellows the shallot’s bite.
- Add the Dijon mustard, olive oil and honey.
- Shake, shake, shake until combined. If your container does not have a lid, just stir with a fork until combined, but it’s much easier and quicker in a jam jar or mason jar.
- Season: Add salt, pepper, and herbs if using. Taste and adjust.
If you are looking for other French cafe inspired salad ideas, try these easy recipes:
- Roasted beets and asparagus served on a bed of baby spinach and tossed with this simple lemon shallot vinaigrette dressing.
- Quinoa salad with salmon – this lemon shallot dressing goes beautifully with it!
- French style cucumber carrot salad – a ‘crudités” salad very popular in France.
- Cucumber beet salad – another “crudités” style salad that is very pretty.
Serving Suggestions
- Drizzle the lemon shallot dressing over plain lettuce leaves like the French do!
- Try it with roasted vegetables, such as roasted beets and carrots in this fall quinoa salad. The bright acidity cuts through the sweet caramelized vegetables perfectly!
- Use it to dress grain bowls, grain salads, roasted vegetable platters, or even as a marinade for roast chicken.
- This French shallot lemon vinaigrette dressing goes with pretty much everything!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- If you are using fresh herbs, add them right before serving.
- I have never tried freezing this.
Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette FAQ
You can use a red onion. Just rinse it under cold water after chopping it up, so it’s not as sharp. And use less, about 1 tablespoon. You can also use garlic cloves, but they are also much sharper, so just use one clove.
If you are in a rush, you can skip this and just put all the ingredients into the glass jar all at once. But macerating the shallots in the lemon juice mellows out their bite. It’s a classic French technique that transforms the raw shallot into something smooth.
The Dijon mustard is what helps emulsify everything together and adds that subtle tangy depth, but you can skip it if you don’t have any. Your classic vinaigrette just might separate more quickly, so you’ll need to shake it or whisk it more often before using.
Absolutely! This lemon vinaigrette recipe scales up perfectly for meal prep or if you’re serving a crowd. I often make a big batch on Sunday and use it throughout the week on different green salads, pasta salads, and grain bowls.
Extra-virgin olive oil is definitely my top choice because it adds this beautiful fruity flavor that’s so classic in French vinaigrettes and goes a long way toward making this a heart-healthy diet option. But if you don’t have it or want something more neutral, you can use avocado oil or sunflower oil instead. Just avoid anything too heavy like coconut oil. You want something that stays liquid when cold and won’t overpower those delicate shallot flavors! Next time you’re at the store, grab the good stuff. It really makes this kind of salad dressing shine.
If you made this lemon shallot vinaigrette recipe, I would love it if you gave me a star rating ❤️
Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe Card
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Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette (Vinaigrette à l’échalote et Citron)
Equipment
- 1 Glass jar or mason jar with lid if possible
- 1 Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 Shallot finely minced (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 Honey optional
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Macerate the shallot: Macerate is a complicated cooking word that means “combine and let sit for a while”. So for this dressing, you combine minced shallot with lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit for 10-15 minutes – this mellows the shallot’s bite and adds depth.
- Add mustard, olive oil and honey
- Shake, shake, shake until combined. If your container does not have a lid, just stir with a fork until combined, but it’s much easier and quicker in a jam jar.
- Season: Add salt, pepper, and herbs if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning 🙂
Notes
- Macerating the shallots in the lemon juice mellows out their bite. It’s a classic French technique that transforms the raw shallot into something smooth and sophisticated.
- If you don’t have a shallot, you can use a red onion, but then I recommend rinsing it under cold water, so it gets a bit milder. Otherwise, you can also use a clove or two of garlic, but it will have a stronger bite, so use less.
- If you don’t have Dijon mustard, you can use the grainy mustard. The Dijon mustard is what helps emulsify everything together and adds that subtle tangy depth, but you can skip it if you don’t have any. It will still be delicious.
- Use extra virgin olive oil if you can. Otherwise, you can use avocado oil or sunflower oil.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. If you don’t have any lemons, you can also substitute red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. (Red wine vinegar is the traditional vinegar used in this French vinaigrette).
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.
- If you are using fresh herbs, add them right before serving.
- Do not freeze.
