This lemon-Dijon vinaigrette is the only low FODMAP salad dressing you need. It’s so much more flavorful than store bought brands and can be adapted to use any type of vinegar, like balsamic, or be sweetened with maple syrup. This version is sugar-free to be SIBO and gut-friendly.
Whenever I talk to people who are new to the low FODMAP diet, I tell them: listen, it’s not so bad if you don’t mind making many of your sauces, condiments and dressings from scratch. For people who are newer to cooking or used to relying on store bought quick fixes, there can be a bit of a learning curve.
But the reality is, once you start making many of these low FODMAP recipes yourself, you realize how easy the homemade version of that sauce was all along. And nothing could be easier than this low FODMAP dressing.
Though I often buy my tomato sauce and flavored mayo’s in a jar, bottled dressings really never taste as good as what I make in my own kitchen. And it takes very little time to batch a vinaigrette for the week ahead.
This lemon-Dijon vinaigrette is probably the biggest regular in my rotation, but the formula is infinitely variable.
What is the difference between a vinaigrette and a dressing?
All vinaigrettes are dressings but not all dressings are vinaigrettes.
The defining factor is that a vinaigrette always has an emulsifying agent to bind the acid to the oil. As you know, oil and vinegar don’t play nicely together. But with a helping hand from a mediator, they can join together in perfect, creamy harmony.
In this case, the emulsifier is Dijon mustard. Sometimes it’s egg yolk or mayonnaise.
The acid in this case is lemon juice, but it is more often vinegar, per the name vinaigrette.
The fat we are using is extra virgin olive oil, which is probably the most common type in a vinaigrette.
Variations on this low FODMAP vinaigrette
To make this dressing more of a classic French bistro vinaigrette, you can substitute champagne vinegar for the lemon juice.
For an Italian balsamic dressing, you can substitute balsamic for the lemon juice.
Really, any vinegar—white, red, apple cider—will work, and they are all low FODMAP.
Making salad dressing low FODMAP
The main problem with store bought dressings is that they usually have one of the following high FODMAP ingredients:
- Garlic
- Garlic powder
- Onion
- Onion powder
- Shallot
- Honey
- High lactose dairy (think, ranch or blue cheese)
This often the case with many restaurant vinaigrettes as well. That classic bistro dressing often has minced shallot or garlic in the mix.
In the case of the alliums, to make a low FODMAP dressing, you simply omit them.
In the case of the sweetener, you can swap honey or maple syrup. This low FODMAP vinaigrette doesn’t use either, but you can easily add it if you want something a little sweeter.
How to make a basic vinaigrette: a step by step
There’s really only one technique to need to master to make this low FODMAP dressing and countless others: emulsifying the acid into the oil.
If you have a small food processor, this can be as easy as throwing all the ingredients together and whizzing them into a creamy sauce. The blades work so fast that the two are seamlessly joined together.
By hand is still easy, it just takes a little more patience so that the vinaigrette doesn’t “break.” You can spot a broken vinaigrette by seeing visible pearls of oil in the dressing. It will still taste delicious, but won’t coat your lettuce leaves in the same way as a thick vinaigrette.
Here is the basic step by step:
If this feels like too much effort, you can just use a small food processor and blend everything together!
Low FODMAP Salad Ingredients
To use this dressing in a low FODMAP salad, you can start from any base of leafy greens or lettuces: kale, spinach, romaine, arugula, radicchio, or spring mix.
Here are some other low FODMAP add-ins that will taste great with this low FODMAP dressing:
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced cucumbers
- Diced bell peppers
- Sliced carrots
- Sliced radishes
- Roasted parsnips
- Roasted eggplant
- Pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- Chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans
- Hard boiled or jammy eggs
- Wild or brown rice
- Quinoa
- Shredded chicken
- Roasted salmon
- Poached Shrimp
- Fresh herbs
This dressing would also taste amazing with this low FODMAP salad recipe.
How to store low FODMAP dressing
This vinaigrette can be kept in a mason jar or glass bottle for up to 2 weeks. If you notice that the dressing has seized up, don’t stress. The olive oil will solidify often in cold conditions. Just let it come to room temperature and it will be creamy again.
Read on for how to make this low FODMAP dressing and then put it on everything!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
The Best Low FODMAP Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk the mustard, lemon juice and salt together until combined.
- Working slowly, add 1 teaspoon of oil in a thin drizzle and whisk or pulse until incorporated. Repeat with 3 additional teaspoons, one at a time. Once the oil is taking, slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil, whisking or pulsing throughout.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt or oil as necessary. The best way to test it is by dipping whatever leaf of lettuce you’ll be eating into the dressing.