Green Goddess Salad is packed with fresh flavors and texture – crispy, crunchy and creamy, with a fluffy dressing to bring it all together.
Why You’ll Love This Green Goddess Salad
- Healthy and nutritious. This healthy green goddess salad makes a twist on the classic by using the creamy, tangy herb dressing and replacing the mayonnaise with yogurt.
- No anchovies! If you’re not a fan of anchovies, you’ll be happy to know I skipped those, too – though technically Speaking of which, they’re still in the Worcestershire sauce.)
- Excellent Green. We keep the salad from the original recipe, but then I add all sorts of delicious green veggies, from crisp broccoli to crunchy mangetout. (Of course, you can customize your Green Goddess Salad with any ingredients, green or otherwise.)
- Versatile. A large serving is filling enough for one meal, but a smaller serving makes a nice accompaniment to something more delicious, like air fryer hamburgers or stuffed pork tenderloin.
Via this Green Goddess Salad Recipe
You may have seen the green goddess viral TikTok salad all over social media. And for a good reason!
Even the name “Green Goddess” makes you think: Light! Healthy! Fresh!
Now, the original Green Goddess Salad is one of those retro salad recipes that combines a small pile of lettuce with a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing. We don’t exactly bring the light, healthy, or new factor, right?
So I set out to make a green goddess salad worthy of a goddess.
How to make Green Goddess Salad
The ingredients
- Sugar snap peas or sugar snap peas. These give your salad a crunchy texture. You can substitute celery, or if you can’t decide between the two, you can use half the amount of peas and substitute celery for the other half.
- broccoli. A small head should work! Not a fan of raw broccoli? Blanch first!
- Bibb, butter or romaine lettuce. Or use a combination of these.
- arugula. Arugula provides a nice peppery note that complements the herb dressing.
- English cucumber. Persian cucumbers are a good substitute; Garden cucumbers also work, but I recommend scooping out the seeds.
- Green Onions. Added color, freshness and flavor.
- avocado. Do you do this for meal prep? Leave out the avocado until you are ready to eat it.
- Kosher salt and pepper. Classic.
- Green Goddess Salad Dressing. Here is my Green Goddess Dressing recipe.
The directions
1. Prepare your vegetables. Chop the peas or celery and broccoli and place in a large bowl.
2. Combine. Put the rest of the vegetables in the bowl.
3. Dress. Pour some dressing over the salad and mix gently.
4. End. To taste, add the remaining avocado and serve with additional dressing. ENJOY!
storage tips
- To store. Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
- Freeze. While Green Goddess Dressing can be frozen, the salad will not withstand freezing and thawing, so enjoy fresh!
leftover ideas
Leftovers can be made into pitas or wraps with grilled chicken fillets or another protein for a healthy lunch. You also get extra dressing which is great for dipping veggies and tortilla chips or homemade naan!
recipe variations
- add protein. Add grilled chicken breasts, air fryer shrimp, or instant-cooked eggs for a heartier meal.
- Add beans. Keeping with the green goddess theme, add shelled edamame to your salad or try roasted chickpeas for a little extra crunch.
- Add seeds and nuts, or eggs. Pepitas or pistachios ensure that it stays green, but walnuts, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts and hemp seeds are also high-protein additives. Hard-boiled eggs are a popular topping for salads and provide a good dose of protein.
- add cheese. Feta cheese and shaved parmesan add salty (and cheesey!) flavor to your salad.
- Add more vegetables. Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, kale, fresh basil leaves, a small shallot, shaved radishes – add whatever you like because Green Goddess Dressing tastes great with almost anything!
- Make it hacked. Swap arugula and romaine lettuce for chopped kale.
- Green goddess cobb. Make your own version of Panera’s Green Goddess Cobb by adding hard-boiled eggs, chicken, and baked bacon. Or use the dressing as a topping for my Cobb salad.
What to serve with the Green Goddess Salad
- Sharp chef’s knife. Since you have a lot of chopping to do, you might as well invest in a good knife!
- mixing bowls. I love this set of glass bowls because they are great for both prep and serving.
- salad spinner. Because soggy salads suck. A bonus if you use your salad spinner to dry produce while washing! We love two-for-one.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Prepare it intelligently. When making this green goddess salad for meal prep, store the salad and dressing separately to extend their shelf life. Also, you must either omit the avocado or add it just before consumption.
- Don’t be afraid to use your hands. The best tool for mixing this salad? Clean hands! I love using my hands because it’s gentler than using salad tongs and also better at ensuring all ingredients are evenly coated in dressing.
- Make sure your veggies are dry. Any water still clinging to the lettuce or veg when you add it to the bowl will cause the lettuce to become soggy and water down your dressing. Not good!
For the Green Goddess Salad:
- 2 cups Snow peas or sugar snap peas or 2 sticks of celery
- 1 small broccoli crown
- 1 head bib, butter or romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 to 4 cups)
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 English cucumber Quarter lengthwise, then thinly slice (about 2 heaping cups)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced ​​(about 1/3 cup)
- 1 ripe avocado diced, shared
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper taste good
For the goddess dressing:
- 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
For the salad:
-
Thinly slice the sugar snap peas (or celery). Cut the broccoli into fine florets (you’ll get about 1 1/2 cups). Pour into a large serving bowl.
-
Add the lettuce, arugula, cucumber, spring onion and half the avocado to the bowl. Top with several large spoonfuls of dressing. Stir very gently to mix (I find clean hands work best for this). Everything should be lightly coated in dressing and the avocado will break down a little to make the salad even creamier. Taste and season as desired. Scatter the second half of the avocado on top. Serve immediately with additional dressing as a side.
For the dressing:
-
In a food processor, combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, oil, blended herbs, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and onion powder.
-
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: Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
- FREEZE: While Green Goddess Dressing can be frozen, the salad will not withstand freezing and thawing, so enjoy fresh!
- Dressing is my green goddess dressing
Portion: 1 (of 6) just salad, no dressingCalories: 112kcalCarbohydrates: 14GProtein: 5GFat: 5GSaturated Fatty Acids: 1GPolyunsaturated fat: 1GMonounsaturated fatty acids: 3GPotassium: 657mgFiber: 6GSugar: 4GVitamin A: 1286IUVitamin C: 116mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 2mg
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frequently asked Questions
Green Goddess dressing typically includes mayonnaise and/or sour cream, tender fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon and mint, garlic, lemon juice, and sometimes anchovies. My lightened version substitutes Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce for the anchovies.
Green Goddess Salad has a bright, fresh herbal flavor thanks to the creamy herb dressing many of vegetables. Overall, this is a vibrant, flavorful salad that’s perfect for a light spring or summer meal.
With lots of fresh veggies and a Greek yogurt-based dressing, this green goddess salad makes a nutritious meal or side dish. It’s packed with healthy fat, protein from the yogurt, and loads of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
According to the New York Times, the San Palace Hotel in San Francisco is famous for creating the Green Goddess Salad in 1923 in honor of George Arliss, the lead actor in the theatrical production of The Green Goddess. Several versions of the recipe have been passed down through generations; Many of these, like the one in James Beard’s “American Cookery,” are based on key ingredients like tarragon, anchovies, chives, and scallions.
Related Recipes
Salads are an easy way to fit some more veggies into your day! Here are some of my favorites: