Citric Acid Free Turmeric Lemon Dressing
Fresh lemon juice is the star here, and that's exactly what makes this dressing so interesting for anyone navigating citric acid as an additive. Commercially bottled dressings almost always rely on citric acid as a preservative or flavor enhancer, which means the salad aisle can feel completely off-limits. By squeezing your own lemons and whisking everything together from scratch, you get all the bright, tangy flavor you want without any of the processed additives hiding in the fine print. The golden color from the turmeric is absolutely gorgeous drizzled over greens, roasted vegetables, or grain bowls, and the raw honey rounds out the sharpness beautifully. Ground ginger and black pepper add a gentle warmth that makes this taste far more complex than the short ingredient list suggests. The optional Dijon mustard is a smart trick for keeping the emulsion together, so your dressing stays silky rather than splitting in the jar. It keeps in the fridge for up to five days, which means you can make a batch on Sunday and have a vibrant, additive-free dressing ready to go all week long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 tsp raw honey
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp dijon mustard (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the lemon juice, turmeric, grated garlic, honey, ground ginger, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together until the honey dissolves and the mixture is uniform.
- 2
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly until the dressing is emulsified and slightly thickened. If using Dijon mustard, whisk it in with the lemon juice mixture in step 1 — it helps the emulsion hold.
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