This Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette is the only low FODMAP salad dressing you need. It’s so much tastier than store-bought brands and can be matched with any type of vinegar like balsamic or 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 a lot of your sauces, condiments, and dressings from scratch . For people new 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 at home, you’ll realize how easy the homemade version of this sauce has been all along. And nothing could be simpler than this low-FODMAP dressing.
Although I often buy my tomato sauce and flavored mayos 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 stack up 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.
Crucially, a vinaigrette always contains an emulsifier to bind the acid to the oil. As you know, oil and vinegar don’t go well together. But with the helping hand of a mediator, they can combine 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’s more often vinegar, as the vinaigrette name suggests.
The fat we use 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 vinegar for the lemon juice.
Really, any vinegar — white, red, cider — will work, and they’re all low-FODMAP.
Prepare low-FODMAP salad dressing
The main problem with store-bought dressings is that they usually contain one of the following high FODMAP ingredients:
- Garlic
- garlic powder
- Onion
- onion powder
- shallot
- Honey
- Dairy products high in lactose (such as ranch or blue cheese)
This is often the case with many restaurant vinaigrettes as well. This classic bistro dressing often has chopped shallots or garlic in the mix.
In the case of leeks, you simply leave them out to make a low-FODMAP dressing.
You can substitute honey or maple syrup for sweetening. This low-FODMAP vinaigrette doesn’t use anything either, but you can easily add it if you’d like something sweeter.
How to make an easy vinaigrette: step by step
There’s really only one technique one needs 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 simple as throwing all the ingredients together and whisking them together into a creamy sauce. The blades work so fast that the two merge seamlessly.
It’s still easy to do by hand, you just need a little more patience so that the vinaigrette doesn’t “break”. You can tell a broken vinaigrette by seeing visible pearls of oil in the dressing. It will still taste delicious but won’t coat your lettuce leaves like a thick vinaigrette.
Here is the basic step by step:
If that seems like too much hassle for you, you can just use a small food processor and puree everything together!
Low FODMAP salad ingredients
To use this dressing in a low-FODMAP salad, you can start with any leafy greens or lettuce base: kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, 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 peppers
- Sliced carrots
- Sliced radishes
- Roasted Parsnips
- Fried eggplant
- pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- Chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans
- Hard boiled or jam eggs
- Wild or brown rice
- Andean millet
- Shredded Chicken
- Fried 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 stored in a mason jar or glass bottle for up to 2 weeks. If you notice that the bandage has taken hold, don’t stress. Olive oil often solidifies when cold. Just let it come to room temperature and it will be creamy again.
Read on to learn how to make this low FODMAP dressing and then apply it to everything!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
The best low FODMAP salad dressing
This Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette is the only low FODMAP salad dressing you need. It’s so much tastier than store-bought brands and can be matched with any type of vinegar like balsamic or sweetened with maple syrup. This version is sugar free to be SIBO and gut friendly.
instructions
-
Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
-
Working slowly, add 1 teaspoon oil in a thin drizzle and whisk or pulse until incorporated. Repeat with 3 additional teaspoons, one at a time. Once the oil has absorbed, slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil, beating or pulsing as you go.
-
Taste for seasoning and add more salt or oil as needed. The best way to test it is to dip whatever lettuce leaf you eat in the dressing.
If you do, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!