This lemon salad dressing recipe is the perfect creamy salad dressing. You can put it on pretty much anything you like!
Have you ever had a salad dressing made of cream cheese? Ya, I don’t think I had either. That is, at least until this idea hit me. I have to say, I wasn’t entirely sure how it would work, but I decided to give it a go. As it turns out, cream cheese can totally make a really unique, fresh salad dressing. Actually, this recipe was more or less inspired by our recipe for Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff. It’s pretty much the savory version of the dessert, and it totally works, strangely enough 😂. And the great thing is that you can use this lemon salad dressing recipe for pretty much any salad!
You would think that a cream cheese dressing would be rather dense and heavy, but beating in some heavy cream really lightens it. The heavy cream makes this creamy lemon salad dressing super light and fluffy, and it would make an excellent spring or summer salad dressing. Because of how fluffy it is, I affectionately call this dressing “Pillow Dressing” 😂.
So, if you’re looking for an easy homemade salad dressing recipe, you should definitely try this one. You can use it on pretty much any salad, and it pairs perfectly with our Cold Asparagus Salad recipe.
This post is all about how to make this lemon salad dressing recipe.
Ingredients for this Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe
- Cream cheese- I feel like I sound a bit like a broken record over here 😂, but the cream cheese in this recipe should be room-temperature. It helps it to beat into a smoother texture.
- Avocado oil- I chose avocado oil because it’s a neutral-tasting oil. You could try any neutral oil that you have on hand. I also tried this dressing with olive oil, but I just don’t enjoy the olive-oil aftertaste. But if you like that kind of thing, you can totally use olive oil too.
- Lemon juice- Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always better.
- Rosemary- Fresh herbs are such a gift. I finely chopped my own rosemary.
- Garlic- This dressing just needs a hint of garlic. You can add more if you want, of course.
- Heavy cream- Heavy cream is used in two different ways. Half of it is to beat with the cream cheese to make it fluffy, and the other half is stirred in to make the texture a little more liquid.
How to Make this Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe
Step 1
Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer in a mixing bowl.
Step 2
Add the olive oil and beat. At first, the mixture will split, but after a few seconds of beating, it will come together. Keep beating until smooth. It will look something like this.
Step 3
Add the lemon juice, chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Beat these in until smooth.
Step 4
Beat in half of the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until each one is no longer liquid and has fluffed up.
Step 5
Stir in the rest of the heavy cream with a spoon, one tablespoon at a time. Stir just until incorporated. The texture will be light and pillowy.
And there ya go! You’ve made this lemon salad dressing recipe.
Questions about this Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe
Do I have to use avocado oil in this recipe?
No, you don’t have to. I just chose avocado oil because it doesn’t have much flavor on its own so it doesn’t take over the taste like olive oil does. Also, I like that it’s healthier than other oils. If you don’t mind the strong taste of olive oil, you can definitely try that. You can also use other neutral oils like sunflower oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
How long will this lemon salad dressing last in the fridge?
This dressing is definitely best right after it’s made. When it sits in the fridge, it gets harder, turning into more of a dip-like texture (which incidentally would work great as a dip for vegetables). If you want to revive the refrigerated dressing a bit, try mixing in a little heavy cream until the texture is more liquid. It won’t be quite as pillowy as when it’s fresh, but it will still work.
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice?
While you theoretically could use bottled lemon juice, the intensity and flavor of fresh lemon juice is much better. You could use bottled juice in a pinch though.
If you’re looking for other recipes with cream cheese, set your gaze on these.
Spinach Cream Cheese Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms
Lemon Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Cream cheese (room-temperature)
- 1 tbsp. Avocado oil
- 1 tbsp. Lemon juice (fresh)
- ½ tsp. Rosemary (fresh, chopped finely)
- ½ clove Garlic (minced)
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- Dash of Pepper
- 8 tbsp. Heavy cream (separated)
Instructions
- Beat the 4 oz. cream cheese with a hand mixer in a mixing bowl.
- Add the 1 tbsp. of olive oil and beat. At first, the mixture will split, but after a few seconds of beating, it will come together. Keep beating until smooth.
- Add the 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, ½ tsp. of chopped rosemary, ½ clove of minced garlic, ¼ tsp. of salt, and dash of pepper. Beat until smooth.
- Beat in 4 tbsp. of the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until each one is no longer liquid and has fluffed up.
- Stir in the rest of the heavy cream with a spoon, one tablespoon at a time. Stir just until incorporated. The texture will be light and pillowy. The dressing is now ready to serve on your favorite salad. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this lemon salad dressing recipe!