This 4-ingredient all-purpose salad dressing is easy to make and uses ingredients you likely already have in hand. And truly does live up to its name!

“What could be more important than a little something to eat?” -Winnie the Pooh
Salad dressings are a must with me, I’ve never eaten a salad without dressing in my life, and I don’t plan to change that any time soon.
But when I decided to take a step in the direction of healthy eating and from scratch living. I quickly discovered that salad dressing was far from an easy thing. I learned that finding something to replace my beloved ranch dressing (before I started making my own.) wasn’t going to be easy.
Not to mention, I usually forget about needing dressing until I already have a salad waiting for some.

I tried a wide variety of healthy salad dressings from the store, but I wasn’t a huge fan of any of them. I found them to be pricey and lacking in flavor. Not to mention, full of added sugars, soy, and preservatives. This left me with a choice, either find a good dressing, that was easy to make and worked well with pretty much everything. Or quit eating salads altogether!
Spoiler: I found the perfect salad dressing.

All-purpose salad dressing.
I’d love to say this recipe came about because I did the smart thing, went back to basics, and learned what a classic salad dressing was and should be, that simply wasn’t the case.
This recipe actually came about when my mum had to eat a special way and started having her salads with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt. A couple of ingredients later and we had perfection!
I could probably have called this ‘the classic salad dressing’. After all, it is quite commonly used on salads in Europe. I could have also called it ‘lazy girls’ salad dressing’. After all, you don’t even have to make it, you can simply, drizzle, squeeze, and sprinkle the ingredients on top of a bowl of lettuce/salad and it’ll still taste amazing.
But I decide to refer to this as my ‘all-purpose salad dressing.’ Because, well, it works for everything. I haven’t found a salad yet I don’t like it on. It uses so few ingredients that we always have what I need to make.
And it takes to so little time, that I don’t have to worry about forgetting that I need salad dressing anymore.
Any time, anywhere, for any reason. This dressing gets the job done!

How to make 4-ingredient all-purpose salad dressing.
Ingredients.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
The juice of 1 lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions.
Combine all the ingredients in a small jar, and shake to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning in needed. Drizzle over your favorite salad and enjoy!
Notes.
This dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 1-week. Just be sure to shake the jar before use.
If you are looking to spruce this dressing up a little, here are a few things to add.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Crushed red pepper.
- Fresh or dried herbs.
- Crushed fresh garlic.
This dressing also pairs wonderfully with homemade croutons.
I hope you enjoy this simple, easy, and delicious salad dressing!

4-ingredient All-purpose Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small jar, and shake to mix.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning in needed. Drizzle over your favorite salad and enjoy!
Notes
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Crushed red pepper.
- Fresh or dried herbs.
- Crushed fresh garlic.

Anja
Everyone needs a basic salad dressing! This is it!
Barbra-Sue
Some of the most simple foods are the best! This looks delicious and easily adaptable .
Micheon
Wow this is so easy! Definitely trying it!
Dusty
Looks so easy & delicious. I love homemade dressings too!