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Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing (2 Ingredients)

Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing (2 Ingredients)

A bright, two-ingredient olive oil and lemon juice dressing that comes together in minutes, with a peppery, grassy finish from a fresh extra virgin olive oil. Whisk it into an emulsion and spoon it over salads, grilled vegetables, fish, or warm bread.

By Olivea Kitchen | Published June 28, 2026

Jump to Recipe
Prep 5 min
Cook 0 min
Total 5 min
Easy

Why We Love This Recipe

We love this dressing because it is made of whole, fresh ingredients and nothing is cooked, so the lemon keeps its bright vitamin C and the olive oil arrives on the plate exactly as it was bottled. Lemon juice brings a hit of vitamin C and a little potassium, and it is what makes a two-ingredient dressing taste finished rather than flat. Built on good olive oil, this is the kind of simple raw dressing that fits naturally into a Mediterranean-diet pattern.

Because the oil is the dressing here, this is where a fresh Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil earns its place. It is rich in polyphenols, specifically hydroxytyrosol, the most studied olive polyphenol, and it is lab-verified at 1,000+ mg/kg total polyphenols by qNMR at the University of Athens. That peppery catch at the back of your throat is the polyphenols you can actually taste, so the same fresh, early-harvest oil that gives the dressing its flavor is the one carrying the most polyphenols. Polyphenols are highest in a fresh bottle and fade with time, light, and heat, which is exactly why a raw, no-cook dressing like this one lets the most of them reach the plate. Olivea is USDA Certified Organic, single-origin from Messinia, Greece, cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and developed with Harvard-trained cardiologists. If you want the research on how hydroxytyrosol is absorbed, or the wider science behind high-phenolic olive oil, both are worth a read.

Olive oil is the cornerstone fat of the Mediterranean diet and is rich in monounsaturated fats, and pairing it with fresh lemon makes a dressing that is light, clean, and genuinely good on almost anything green. It is the rare recipe that is as simple as it is worth keeping in heavy rotation.

View Nutrition Facts

Recipe Success Tips

Start with a 3 to 1 ratio, then taste.

Three parts olive oil to one part lemon juice is the classic Greek ladolemono balance and a reliable place to begin. If you like it sharper, move toward 2 to 1. Always taste with a leaf of whatever you are dressing, since salad greens mute acidity.

Use fresh-squeezed lemon, never bottled.

Bottled lemon juice tastes flat and slightly bitter, and in a two-ingredient dressing there is nowhere for it to hide. Roll the lemon firmly on the counter before juicing to break the membranes and get more out of it.

Whisk in the oil slowly to emulsify.

Add the olive oil to the lemon and salt in a thin, steady stream while whisking hard, or shake everything in a sealed jar. The dressing turns cloudy and slightly thickened, which means it will cling to greens instead of sliding off.

Reach for a fresh, peppery high-phenolic oil.

Since the oil is raw here, its flavor is the dressing. A fresh Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil brings a grassy, fruity aroma and a peppery finish that stands up to the lemon. A tired or flat oil leaves the dressing tasting one-note.

Salt the lemon first.

Dissolve the salt into the lemon juice before you add the oil. Salt dissolves in the watery lemon, not in fat, so this is how you avoid a gritty, under-seasoned dressing.

Add aromatics only if the dish wants them.

The plain two-ingredient version is the most versatile. A grating of garlic, a little Dijon, or a pinch of oregano are easy add-ins, but taste the clean version first and decide whether the dish actually needs more.

Ingredients

6
servings
  • 1/2 cup Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Kitchen Tools You'll Need

Citrus Juicer
Small Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Mason Jar with Lid
Measuring Spoons

How to Cook Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing (2 Ingredients)

PREP

1
Juice 2 lemons through a strainer to catch the seeds, and measure out 3 tablespoons of juice. Add the juice to a small bowl or a mason jar.
2
Add the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to the lemon juice and whisk or stir until the salt dissolves. Dissolving the salt in the lemon first keeps the finished dressing smooth, not gritty.

EMULSIFY

3
Whisking constantly, pour in the Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a thin, steady stream. Its grassy, fruity aroma and peppery finish are the backbone of this dressing, so a fresh bottle is what makes it taste alive. If you are using a jar, just seal it and shake hard for 20 seconds.
4
Keep whisking or shaking until the dressing turns slightly cloudy and thickened. That is the emulsion holding, which is what lets it cling to greens instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

FINISH

5
Taste with a leaf of whatever you are dressing and adjust: more lemon for brightness, a pinch more salt to round it out, or a thread more oil to soften the acidity. Use right away, or give it a quick re-whisk just before serving since a raw dressing naturally separates as it sits.

Recipe Notes

This dressing was built for simple green salads, but it goes far beyond them. Spoon it over grilled or roasted vegetables, steamed greens, or warm potatoes, and it is especially good drizzled on fish, the same way you would finish a plate with a lemon dill sauce for salmon. It is also a natural for bread: pour a little into a shallow dish for dipping, or brush it over toasted sourdough.
For a sharper, more emulsified version with mustard and shallot, make a proper lemon vinaigrette. For a creamy take on the same bright, lemony idea, try a lemon herb tahini sauce. To carry this dressing onto vegetables, toss it through roasted asparagus with lemon while the spears are still warm so they soak it up.
Because the oil is tasted completely raw here, this is a job for the bold, peppery Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, whose flavor defines the dressing. If you prefer a gentler, less peppery result, the smoother, more rounded High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil gives a milder finish.
Keep the dressing in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The oil will firm up and the dressing will separate when cold, which is normal, so let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and shake or whisk it back together before using. Store your olive oil itself in a cool, dark cupboard, away from heat and light, to protect its fresh flavor.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Nutrition Facts
Serving size about 1 1/2 tablespoons
Calories 160
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g23%
Saturated Fat 2.5g13%
Trans Fat 0g
Unsaturated Fat 15g
Monounsaturated Fat 13g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 195mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 1g0%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 0.5g
Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%
Protein 0g0%
Vitamin C 4mg4%
Vitamin E 2.6mg17%
Vitamin K 8mcg7%
Calcium 2mg0%
Iron 0.1mg1%
Potassium 18mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Best No-Cook Way to Get Olive Oil Benefits

Using the oil completely raw in a dressing like this keeps cooking heat off it, so a fresh high-phenolic bottle delivers its polyphenols and flavor straight to the plate. For an easy daily dose of olive polyphenols without any cooking, the Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement is a simple habit to add alongside.

Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement
Olivea Hydroxytyrosol Supplement
$40.00
Add to Cart

Frequently Asked Questions

The classic Greek ladolemono ratio is 3 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon juice, which is a balanced, mellow starting point. If you like a sharper, more acidic dressing, move toward 2 to 1. Always taste and adjust to the dish you are dressing.
Whisk the lemon juice and salt together first, then drizzle in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream while whisking hard, or shake everything in a sealed jar. The mixture turns cloudy and slightly thick when the emulsion forms, which helps it cling to greens.
It is a simple raw dressing built on whole ingredients, with olive oil providing monounsaturated fats and lemon adding vitamin C. As the cornerstone fat of the Mediterranean diet, good extra virgin olive oil fits naturally into that eating pattern.
Bitterness usually comes from bottled lemon juice or from an oil past its prime. Use fresh-squeezed lemon and a fresh, peppery extra virgin olive oil. A pleasant peppery bite from a high-phenolic oil is different from harsh bitterness and is a sign of freshness.
It is endlessly useful: green salads, grilled and roasted vegetables, steamed greens, warm potatoes, fish, and seafood, plus warm bread for dipping. Anywhere you want a bright, clean finish, this dressing works.
Because the oil is tasted raw, choose a fresh extra virgin olive oil with real character. Olivea's Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil brings a grassy, fruity aroma and a peppery finish that stands up to the lemon rather than disappearing into it.
Stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator, it keeps for up to 5 days. The oil firms and the dressing separates when cold, so let it warm for a few minutes at room temperature and shake or whisk it back together before serving.
Yes. It comes together in two minutes, but you can make it a few days ahead and keep it refrigerated. Just re-emulsify with a quick shake or whisk right before you use it, since a raw dressing naturally separates as it sits.
No. Lemon juice provides all the acidity this dressing needs, which is what keeps it bright and clean. If you want a deeper, more rounded tang, you can add a splash of white wine vinegar, but it is not required.
Yes. With just olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, it is naturally vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free, which makes it an easy dressing to keep on hand for almost any diet.

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