Name: Citrus Basil Dressing
Prep time: 4 min
Ingredients: 1 cup basil leaves (a large handful); 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard; 3 Tbsp avocado oil; 1 orange (juice of); 1 lime (juice of); sea salt; pepper

Pin Recipe Jump to Recipe

This Citrus Basil Dressing has a punch of flavor and it is made with just a handful of fresh and healthy ingredients. It is SO good that it will become a staple dressing for your favorite salads.

I love the fresh scent of citrus fruits. The combination of orange and lime in this salad dressing reminds me of my Blood Orange Lemonade, so refreshing!

Fresh basil leaves have a divine smell and taste and will give this dressing a sweet and savory flavor, balancing the tangy citrus taste. You can read more about this amazing herb in my 5-Minute Basil Pistachio Pesto.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients for Citrus Basil Dressing laid out on a kitchen counter.

Basil – nothing compares to the smell and flavor of basil leaves, plus basil and citrus go really well together, but in a pinch cilantro works great for this dressing too. I don’t recommend using parsley or dill because they have a strong flavor.
Dijon Mustard – this mustard has a mild and delicate taste, and it is the preferred mustard for salad dressings. I don’t recommend replacing it, but if you have to, any other mustard would work too.
Avocado Oil – any other flavorless oil works well too.
Orange – Clementine or any other sweet citrus can be used as well. You can even replace it with a super sweet grapefruit.
Lime – lime or lemon both work or even rice vinegar for that touch of acidity.

How to Make Citrus Basil Dressing

Add the basil leaves to a jar wide enough to fit your immersion blender. Then add orange juice, lime juice, avocado oil, Dijon mustard, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Use the immersion blender to mix it all until the dressing is smooth and bright green, and there are no visible bits of basil in it.

If you need a salad idea over which you can pour this dressing over, check out my chopped salad or my summer salad. They both taste amazing with this salad dessing.