This creamy, herbaceous, and super velvety Green Goddess Dressing had everyone at the studio eating it straight out of the bowl! So versatile and easy to make, you can pair it with a simple side salad, mix it into a slaw, or serve it as a dip with a platter of snowpeas and baby carrots. PS It’s a touch more expensive than most homemade dressings, but it’s perfect if you have an herb garden or an abundance of herbs you need to do something with. Plus you know exactly what’s in it. (I can’t identify half of the ingredients in a name-brand Green Goddess dressing because so many are chemical preservatives.)
What Is Green Goddess Dressing?
Bright and herbaceous, the original Green Goddess Dressing was created in 1923 in San Francisco as an homage to an actor in the play The Green Goddess. There are many variations of Green Goddess, but the basic ingredients remain the same. The original recipe used multiple fresh herbs, anchovies, lemon juice, and mayonnaise. My recipe keeps with tradition by mixing herbs but simplifies the original recipe significantly to keep it budget-friendly.
Ingredients for Green Goddess Dressing
This is such a lovely summer dressing for any salad, but pairs exceptionally well with a hearty slaw. It is also a great way to use up any fresh herbs that you have on hand, so feel free to play with this ingredient list. Just make sure to use tender herbs, and leave woodier herbs (like Rosemary) for different preparations. Here’s what you’ll need to make delicious Green Goddess Dressing:
- Italian Parsley, Basil, and Fennel Fronds: are the green in our Green Goddess. The fennel fronds add a black licorice note and can be substituted with tarragon. Feel free to add other fresh herbs you want to use up, like mint or dill. The key to success with this Green Goddess dressing recipe is to use fresh herbs, so if you only have dried, try making a different dressing.
- Sour Cream: Adds tangy creaminess to the dressing. If you don’t have sour cream, try Greek yogurt or mayonnaise. We also have an excellent tutorial for How To Make Sour Cream.
- Green Onions: add a mild onion flavor and can be substituted with chives or, in a pinch, white onion or shallot. If you don’t like onions, just omit them.
- Garlic: is used for pungency, though there’s not enough in the dressing to give it a garlicky top note. Feel free to add more than what my recipe calls for to adjust to your taste. If you’re not a garlic fan, just leave it out.
- Lemon: the juice and zest lend citrus notes and help pull everything together. If you don’t have lemon, substitute it with additional vinegar, or try using a lime.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: adds a soft fruity acidity. You can use any other mild vinegar like rice wine or white wine. Deeply colored vinegars like balsamic and red wine, will muddy the color of the dressing, but if it’s all you have, they will still taste great.
What PairS With Green Goddess Dressing?
This velvety, tart dressing has grassy notes from all of the herbs it’s made with and pairs beautifully with any hearty salad, especially the Green Goddess Salad it was created for. Use it to dress a Simple Side Salad, or use it as substitute for the dressing in Easy Creamy Cole Slaw. This Green Goddess Salad Dressing recipe is also great as a dip for Vegetable Snack Packs and Roasted Summer Vegetables.
How To Store Green Goddess Dressing
Add any leftover dressing to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week. While some people do freeze their Green Goddess Dressing, it will dull the color and the flavor and you will have to blend it again, as the components tend to separate as they thaw. I prefer to refrigerate it.
Green Goddess Dressing
Servings 16 2 Tbsp servingsIngredients
- 1 cup basil leaves ($2.99)
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves ( $0.24)
- 1/4 cup fennel fronds* ($0.77)
- 4 green onions, roots removed ($0.45)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested ($0.79)
- 1 cup sour cream ($1.25)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.06)
- 1/8 tsp salt, or more to taste ($0.01)
- 1 pinch fresh ground black pepper, or more to taste ($0.01)
Instructions
- Rough chop the basil leaves, Italian parsley leaves, fennel fronds, and green onions. Mince garlic. Zest and juice the lemon. Measure out the sour cream and the apple cider vinegar.
- Add the sour cream to a blender. Top with the basil leaves, Italian parsley leaves, fennel fronds, green onions, garlic, lemon juice and zest, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Puree until smooth. If necessary, add more salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over your favorite salad and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Green Goddess Salad Dressing – Step by Step Photos
Rough chop 1 cup basil leaves, 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves, 1/4 cup fennel fronds, and 4 green onions. Mince 2 cloves garlic. Zest and juice 1 lemon.
Add 1 cup of sour cream to a blender. Top with basil leaves, Italian parsley leaves, fresh fennel fronds, green onions, garlic, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1/8th teaspoon salt, and 1 pinch of black pepper. Puree until smooth. If necessary, add more salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over your favorite summer salad or use as a dip for summer veggies!
Can I add anchovies to the recipe. I love anchovies and I think I would like to taste them in the dressing?
I think that would be great!
Thank you so much for providing a substitution for fennel fronds! They are almost impossible for me to find in my region out if season, which itself is very short. Can’t wait!