Green goddess dressing manages to be creamy and light at the same time – like magic! You’ll love the bright, herbaceous flavor of this healthy salad dressing recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Salad Dressing
- Fast and easy. Put the ingredients in your food processor, stir and you’re done! Just a few minutes of prep time (and worth dirtying that food processor, I promise!).
- Extremely tasteful. This is a dressing that has it all! Spicy yogurt, citrusy lemon juice, all those herbs, garlic and more. Also, depending on the herbs used, the dressing tastes a little different each time. It goes really well with the Green Goddess Salad, of course, but you can use it in many of my salad recipes too.
- Versatile. You can use it as a salad dressing, dip or sandwich spread (it tastes SO good on a BLT). Eat with a spoon? I don’t mind if I do!
- Healthy. There is no mayonnaise or sour cream here! My version of the Green Goddess dressing is made with high-protein Greek yogurt, which gives it an even richer, creamier texture while also being more nutritious than the original (and certainly more nutritious than store-bought versions from Panera, Costco, and co.). How).
More about this Green Goddess Dressing
The Green Goddess Dressing is a classic.
In fact, it’s even a bit retro (it was made famous by the Palace Hotel in the 1920s) – but with a few simple tweaks we can update the recipe to make it lighter and healthier, but still just as creamy and rich.
While Green Goddes Dressing is known for being full of fresh herbs, there’s a lot more to it here!
The dressing is spicy, garlicky and even a little umami. With so many layers of flavor, it’s perfect for spicing up any salad.
Pair this Green Goddess dressing with an arugula salad, drizzle over grilled potatoes, dip into chicken skewers, dip into homemade zucchini fries, or simply spoon over all the things.
How to Make Green Goddess Dressing
The ingredients
- Plain Greek yogurt. You can use it fat-free, low-fat or whole – just make sure it’s neat!
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add some extra tangy lemon flavor by mixing some lemon zest into the dressing.
- Extra virgin olive oil. If you have a higher quality one, this is a great place to use it.
- Mixed fresh, tender herbs. Basically anything that doesn’t have a woody trunk. Fresh tarragon, parsley, dill, basil, chives, coriander or mint can be used here.
Top!
Parsley, dill, tarragon, and chives are my favorite herb combo for homemade green goddess dressing.
- Garlic. Classic aromatic.
- Worcester sauce. If you’re a vegetarian or have a seafood allergy, be sure to pick up a bottle of Worcestershire veggie sauce. Yes, you can swap an anchovy.
- salt and pepper. You can use lots of black pepper to make a peppercorn green goddess dressing.
- onion powder. Omit this if using chives.
The directions
1. Combine. Place all the ingredients for the dressing in the bowl of a food processor or blender.
2. Proceedings. Mix until the dressing is almost smooth and includes small herb granules.
3. End. Taste the dressing and ENJOY!
storage tips
- To store. Store Green Goddess Dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To warm up. Freeze Green Goddess Dressing in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
- Freeze. Allow the dressing to thaw in the refrigerator before using.
storage tips
Note that the freezing tip only applies The Green Goddess Dressing recipe. Traditional green goddess dressing is made with mayonnaise, which doesn’t freeze well.
What to serve with Green Goddess Dressing
- mason jars. I love using both the smaller and larger sizes for storing salad dressing in the fridge.
- citrus press. The best way to be sure all The juice comes from your lemon – without the seeds!
- food processor. For a smooth, creamy texture.
Tips for the best Green Goddess Dressing
- chop the garlic Before mixing. That way, it mixes evenly with your green goddess dressing and nobody ends up with a big clump of garlic in the salad!
- Scrape the food processor if necessary. To ensure all herbs are a consistent size, you may need to stop the food processor once or twice and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
- Use kosher salt. If you use table salt you will need to use a little less as the crystals are smaller. Start with 3/4 teaspoon table salt and add more to taste.
- Use a smaller amount of stronger herbs. While you can add up to 1 cup of milder herbs like basil, limit the amount of stronger herbs (like mint or tarragon) as no single flavor will predominate. See the recipe notes for more instructions.
- 1 Cup plain Greek yogurt fat-free, low-fat or whole
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups coarsely chopped, mixed, fresh, tender herbs: parsley, dill, basil, chives, coriander, tarragon or mint*
- 1 clove of garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder omit if using chives
-
In a food processor, combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, oil, blended herbs, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and onion powder.
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Blend until smooth and only tiny herb granules remain. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy it on salads, as a dip, with pasta, with meat or fish and more!
- *To prevent stronger herbs from overwhelming the dressing, use a maximum of 1 cup parsley, 1/4 cup chives, 1/4 cup mint, and/or 2 tablespoons tarragon. Parsley, dill, tarragon and chives is my favorite combination.
- TO STORE: Store Green Goddess Dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- TO WARM UP: Freeze Green Goddess Dressing in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
- FREEZE: Thaw the dressing in the refrigerator before using.
Portion: 1 from 6Calories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 4GProtein: 4GFat: 5GSaturated Fatty Acids: 1GPolyunsaturated fat: 1GMonounsaturated fatty acids: 3Gtrans fats: 0.002GCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 1GSugar: 2GVitamin A: 1690IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1mg
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frequently asked Questions
The Green Goddess Dressing has a creamy, tangy and slightly umami flavor, but the star of the show is definitely the herbs! Because you can use whatever herbs you like or have on hand, each serving of Green Goddess Sauce will have slightly different notes.
Green Goddes Dressing gets its name from the bright green color that comes from all the herbs used in the recipe. Food historians believe the dressing was invented in the 1920s by a chef at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel in honor of the play The Green Goddess.
As with most dressings and dips, 2 tablespoons is a standard serving for Green Goddess Dressing.
Traditional Green Goddess dressing doesn’t include avocado, but some recipes do include it.
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