Creamy Lemon Lime Dressing

Why You’ll Love Citrus Salad Dressing

This honey lime dressing is tart and tangy, with a little sweet creaminess swirled in. You’ll pair lemon and lime juices (freshly squeezed, please), then add Greek yogurt and a touch of honey to balance the acidity.

This dressing is amazing for adding a burst of fresh flavor to a Fruity Grilled Shrimp Salad, and it makes my Strawberry Quinoa Chicken Salad nice and creamy. You can even use it as a marinade when you make Lemon Chicken Foil Packets. Or simply set out a plate of fresh veggies and dip away. Here’s why you’ll love this citrus dressing:

• Bold flavors. Lemon and Greek yogurt create a strongly flavored dressing that suits so many dishes.
• A nice balance of ingredients. Combining Greek yogurt with a bit of olive oil gives the dressing a richer texture and consistency without being heavy.
• Light yet rich. This dressing is so luxe-tasting, adding creamy richness to whatever you serve it with. But, it’s not heavy! Greek yogurt is your failsafe for turning basic dressings into something extraordinary.

Recipe Ingredients

I highly recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice because I find the bottled kind to be too bitter. However, if you need to use bottled juice, you will likely need additional honey to cut the bitterness. Here’s a look at what else you’ll need to make honey lime dressing, with the full ingredient amounts included in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

• Greek Yogurt: Full-fat, low-fat, or non-fat yogurt works fine. Make sure to use plain yogurt.
• Lemon Juice: As noted, fresh-squeezed lemon juice is best.
• Lime Juice: I also recommend using fresh-squeezed lime juice.
• Honey: If needed, you can swap maple syrup for the honey, although the overall flavor of the dressing will change slightly. For another natural sweetener option, you can try agave.
• Olive Oil: I always use extra virgin olive oil.
• Salt and Pepper: To taste.

Tips and Variation Ideas

• Adjust to taste. Not every brand of Greek yogurt tastes the same, and you may find that yours is tarter (or milder) than you would like. Feel free to adjust the amount of honey to suit your taste, and if you like a lot of lemon or lime flavor, you can also add a little more juice.
• Add herbs. Throw in some chopped fresh mint or basil leaves.
• Other citrus. Swap one of the citrus juices for another type, like orange or grapefruit, for a slightly different flavor.
• To go dairy-free: Substitute a dairy-free yogurt for the Greek yogurt (again, make sure it is plain).
• Make it vegan. For a vegan version of this dressing, use dairy-free yogurt and maple syrup for the honey.
• Double the batch. Help yourself out later by doubling up on the ingredients to make a bigger batch of dressing! Use some in the moment, then save the rest for another salad later in the week.

Ways to Use It

I love that you can use this honey lime dressing on almost any salad you can think of! I like it on salads that already contain fruit, but it is very adaptable and can even be used as a marinade for chicken or meat. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Easy salads. Try citrus dressing on a Mango Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad or a Strawberry Mango Avocado Salad. You just can’t go wrong with this dressing!
• As a yogurt marinade. Try this dressing to marinate my Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken!
• A dip. Set out a plate of apple slices or veggies like carrots, cucumber, and sugar snap peas, and dip them into a bowl of dressing. You can also send a little container with school lunches and a Salad on a Stick to dip in.
• Seafood. Add citrus dressing to a Grilled Shrimp Cobb Salad or Lobster Cobb Salad for a little, ahem, twist!

More Dressing Recipes

• Creamy Balsamic Dressing
• Strawbery Salad Dressing
• Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Avocado Ranch Dressing