This easy pesto dressing is perfect on salads, pasta, grain bowls, and more! Use homemade pesto (or store-bought basil pesto) as the base for this simple vinaigrette - ready in 5 minutes!
This quick pesto vinaigrette is a perfect building block for your summertime meal prep. Make a jar at the start of the week, then drizzle it over a green salad, your favorite proteins, pastas, and more all week long!
We're keeping things simple by using store-bought pesto here, but this recipe is also great with homemade pesto.
Ingredients overview
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.
- Basil pesto is the star of the show here. Pre-made pesto typically includes things like fresh garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese, which gives us an easy shortcut that's still packed with flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil loosens the dressing to a drizzle-able consistency. Use olive oil you like here, because you'll definitely taste it! We love splurging on EXAU olive oil for light dressings like this.
- Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and acidity; we typically need 1-2 fresh lemons here. Bottled lemon juice also works!
Variations and Substitutions
- Add fresh herbs! Add basil to this dressing (à la our fresh basil vinaigrette), or punch it up with some fresh chives or parsley.
- You can swap the lemon for another acid - like red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar - if you need to. Keep in mind that each acid has a different flavor; you may need to adjust to suit your tastes.
Step by step instructions
Add pesto, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of kosher salt to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Attach the lid, then shake well until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.
Storage
Store pesto salad dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. (I use the same jar I mixed the dressing in!)
Shake well before using to bring the dressing back to a smooth consistency.
Pro Tip: Olive oil will thicken and start to solidify in the fridge. Let cold dressing warm up on the counter for a few minutes to bring it back to a drizzle-able texture.
How to use pesto dressing
- As a salad dressing (we love it with fresh arugula and shaved parmesan à la our farro arugula salad or lemon arugula salad!)
- Potato salad (it's great as a standalone dressing or drizzled over Greek yogurt potato salad!)
- Drizzle on protein like grilled salmon or chicken, baked garlic shrimp, or steak.
- Swap it for the pasta salad dressing in a tortellini arugula salad, corn and tomato pasta salad, simple orzo salad, or kale pesto pasta salad with cherry tomatoes.
- Drizzle over roasted veggies like lemon parmesan broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini.
FAQs
Yes! For a creamy pesto dressing, add a spoonful of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt to the mason jar when you shake the vinaigrette together. You can also add a spoonful of tahini for a creamier texture (à la our lemon tahini salad dressing).
You can also whisk a creamy pesto salad dressing together by hand: The mayo (or yogurt) will help you get a nice, smooth mixture without needing to shake everything together.
Because pesto varies in color, and because we're adding extra olive oil to thin this recipe out to a drizzle-able texture, this dressing can lean a bit more yellow in color than you might expect.
In our recipe testing, different varieties of pesto produced different color variations in the final dressing.
Don't worry too much about the color - the dressing will taste great, and the color isn't very noticeable once it's drizzled over a salad or other dish!
If you'd like to use fresh basil leaves, try the basil vinaigrette from our spinach prosciutto salad! It's made in a blender (or food processor) with fresh basil instead of pre-made pesto. It also includes fresh garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar. That dressing is also easy to make ahead of time and keeps well for several days in the fridge!
We've tested this recipe with Rao's Homemade Basil Pesto*, DeLallo Simply Pesto* (* = pictured below), and Buitoni Basil Pesto from the grocery store, all with good results! 
We've also tested this dressing with some of our favorite homemade pesto sauce recipes, including:
- Arugula Pesto
- Garlic Scape Pesto
- Cilantro Pesto
- Pea Pesto
- Leftover dill pesto from this carrots and labneh dish
Keep in mind that different types of pesto can vary widely in flavor and thickness.
Use this dressing recipe as a jumping-off point, then add extra lemon, olive oil, salt, or pepper and adjust as necessary to suit your tastes and achieve the right consistency!
It depends on the pesto you use! Look for a dairy-free (or vegan) store bought pesto if you prefer, or make your own pesto and omit any ingredients you don't want. Strict vegetarians should also look for pestos made with vegetarian parmesan, which does not contain any rennet.
Yes! Whisk the dressing together by hand until smooth, or blend it together with a small bullet-style blender or an immersion blender.
While we generally prefer to make this salad dressing recipe fresh as needed (it's seriously SO fast!) it does freeze fairly well.
Freeze pesto dressing in an airtight container for up to 5 months. When you're ready to use it, defrost overnight in the fridge.
If you want to freeze smaller portions of dressing, you can divide the pesto dressing between the cavities of ice cube trays until solid. Pop the cubes out of the trays, transfer to an airtight container, then store in the freezer and defrost just what you need.
📖 Recipe
Pesto Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes ¾ cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Description
This quick pesto salad dressing is ready in 5 minutes! Make it ahead of time and add it to salads, protein, pasta, and more all week long.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (1-2 fresh lemons)
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add basil pesto, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of kosher salt to a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Attach the lid and shake well to combine.
- Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Fresh lemon juice is our preference here: We usually need 1-2 lemons, depending on size and ripeness. Bottled lemon juice also works in this recipe.
What pesto should I use? We use store bought basil pesto here to keep things easy; use your favorite homemade pesto instead if you like!
This is a very loose recipe: The final texture and flavor will depend largely on the pesto you use, the strength of your lemon juice, and the brand of olive oil you choose. Use this recipe as a jumping-off point, then taste and adjust as needed to suit your palate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 135.4 mg
- Fat: 13.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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