This lemony garlic sauce is a creamy and zingy Whole30 sauce or dressing perfect served with salad, vegetables or over grilled chicken. This sauce wizzes together in just a couple of minutes to elevate any dish plus it is completely dairy free and Whole30 compliant.
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is my new go-to for putting on just about everything. So good! – Leigh
I’ve talked about the Whole30 diet here before. It’s the only diet I’ve properly stuck to before and I put that down completely due to the fact that I am 100% on board with the ideology behind it.
It’s a restrictive diet and usually I wouldn’t be supportive of a diet that asks you to be this strict as it’s completely unsustainable, but the whole idea behind Whole30 is that it should change your relationship with food in just 30 days.
From there, you can expand the food you eat, but you should have broken some bad habits, and be more conscious about the food you’re consuming.
For me, I treat it as a reset. Something I do once every couple of years when I feel my habits slip and know that my body is not getting enough of the good stuff.
When eating a Whole30 diet, you eat a lot of vegetables, salad and lean meats. This can get pretty boring pretty quickly, and the only way I’ve found to combat this is with a good sauce.
Most store bought sauces are off limits as sugar is added to everything! So if you’re considering giving it a try, you’ll want to first get a couple of really good, quick sauce recipes that you can use to change up the flavours on your plate.
This sauce is super tangy thanks to the lemon and a little spicy thanks to the raw garlic. My absolute favourite thing to eat it on is mixed through some steamed baby potatoes served with some grilled chicken and some green salad. More dressing should of course be drizzled over the top of the chicken.
In this case, it acts as both a sauce and a dressing. Super versatile, tasty sauces are 100% where Whole30 is at.
Key Ingredients
This sauce comes together with just 6 ingredients (yes I count salt & pepper as one), and most of which you probably already have at home. The idea with this sauce is that you should be able to make it without a trip to the grocery store.
And if you don’t already keep fresh lemons in your fridge at all times, I encourage you to change that.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Olive Oil – a base of good quality olive oil, which when it gets blended up becomes thick and creamy giving this sauce a wonderful texture
- Dijon mustard – gives the sauce extra tang and creaminess
- Garlic – I use 1 clove as I love the bitey taste of raw garlic, but if this is too much for you, use roasted garlic or try half a clove and work up to a whole one.
- Lemon juice – absolutely has to be freshly squeezed to give this sauce the best flavour. Adjust the quantity to your taste as well based on how tangy you like it
- Dried oregano – helps brighten the flavour of the sauce
- Salt and pepper – season to your taste
Step-By-Step Instructions
This sauce could not be easier to throw together.
You’ll need a small blender or food processor to mix up the sauce – use what you have available. I absolutely love my bullet blender because it takes up very little space and it’s super quick and easy to clean. Plus I’m never disappointed in how quickly it can make a sauce!
Add all of your ingredients into the blender and wizz up. It will be done when the sauce is creamy and the garlic clove has been combined completely.
Storage Instructions
This sauce is perfect for meal prep. Make it on the weekend and keep it in the fridge for salads throughout the week.
The sauce is best kept in a jar with an airtight seal for up to 5 days. The sauce will start to solidify and/or split thanks to the olive oil but that’s ok, it’s still fine to use. Just let it warm up a bit on the kitchen counter and then shake the jar vigorously until it’s all mixed up again.
So whether you are looking for a simple dairy-free sauce or dressing, or are wanting something to zing up your Whole30 salads, this sauce is exactly what your lunches are looking for!
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More Whole30 Recipes:
Whole30 Slow Cooker Chilli
Whole30 Pulled Beef Burrito Bowl
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Goddess Sauce
Lemony Garlic Sauce (Whole30, Dairy-free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small blender or food processor and whiz together for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Amy says
What would this be like warmed up?
Sally says
It should be fine, just be careful not to heat it too much as it will change the flavour of the olive oil.
Kat says
I just made the this garlicky lemon dressing and OMG!
I had it with steamed salmon and steamed vegetables and it was amazing.
This was the best lemon dressing I have tried making and would use it for a salad dressing as well and this will definitely be my go to for a lemon dressing.
I added a heaped teaspoon of raw honey as well.
SIMPLY AMAZING & HEALTHY!!
Leigh says
This is my new go-to for putting on just about everything. So good!
Sally says
So glad you enjoyed this sauce Leigh!
Rachael says
Not sure why the water is added? It just makes it so runny. I think it would be best without the water.
Sally says
Hi Rachael, the water helps to blend and emulsify the ingredients which creates the creamy texture, and also makes it suitable for pouring and drizzling as a salad dressing. You can use less if you prefer something thicker, try with just 2 tablespoons initially and see how you go!
Yasmeen says
My sauce didn’t turn out “thick”. It’s super thin still. What did I do wrong!?! Tastes great just super thin
Sally says
Hi Yasmeen. It’s likely to do with the olive oil used. I always use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavour and consistency. You can also try using less water as well and just adding as you need to get the right consistency.