Green Goddess Dressing is a filled with fresh herbs which are responsible for its beautiful green hue. The sour cream in the dressing along with a plethora of other fresh flavors only adds to its mystique. It's perfection drizzled on summer salads or used as a dip with vegetables year-round.

Easy Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Where Did Green Goddess Dressing Originate? It was originally created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the 1920's. It was served at an event honoring George Arliss the star of the hit play "The Green Goddess" hence the name. What is it? It's a homemade dressing packed with the flavor of fresh herbs. It can be served thinned out a bit as a salad dressing or served it as a dip as seen in this recipe on My Recipes. You can also use it as a sauce for fish or chicken. It's a retro dressing recipe, but for those of us not around in the 1920's it's a refreshing change from a buttermilk or Italian dressing. I wanted to introduce Green Goddess to my own kids because I feel it's a part of our culinary past that needs to be brought back to our dinner tables again.
How to Make the Best Homemade Green Goddess Dressing
- Why is Green Goddess green? The addition of fresh tarragon and a generous amount of fresh Italian parsley lends flavor and color to the dressing.
- Can I use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream? You could in a pinch. It will change the dressing slightly but will still be quite delicious.
- Can I use a food processor instead of a stand blender to blend the ingredients? Yes, you absolutely can.
- How do you serve Green Goddess Dressing? Serve this dressing drizzled on a mixed greens salad, with fresh vegetables as a dip or with fish and chicken as a sauce. I enjoy it on a baked potato, too.
- Ho do I turn this dressing into a dip? If you're planning on using this dressing as a dip, you won't need to thin out the mixture. Decrease or omit the amount of milk called for in the recipe. Likewise, if you want it to have a thinner consistency, use more milk.
- Why are there anchovies in the dressing? There are anchovies in this dressing to enhance the flavor but please note, it doesn't taste fishy.
- Can you make it in advance? Yes, you can and should make it at least one day in advance and let it chill in the refrigerator for the flavor of the herbs to mellow and develop.
- Other homemade dressing recipes to make: Checkout my recipes for Jalapeno Ranch Dressing and homemade Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing.

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Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- 8 oz sour cream
- ⅓ cup whole milk plus additional as needed to thin
- 3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 5 green onion white and green parts roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh Italian parsley roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves or fresh basil if preferred
- 2 anchovie fillets rinsed and pat dry [Or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste]
- 2 medium garlic cloves chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a stand blender and blend until completely combined.
- Taste and adjust the salt to your taste. Chill for at least 4 hours preferably overnight before serving.
- Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator. May prepare up to 3-5 days in advance.
Nutrition
Karen
Great dressing. I used the anchovie paste. And I didn’t have green onions but did have chives. It was delicious. My husband loves it on veggies as a dip. Yummie
Melissa
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, thanks!
Melissa
Glad to hear it, thanks!
Karen Collier
Outstanding. I used anchovies paste and I like it better than whole little fishes. Get combo of fresh herbs.tarragon,chives,parsley. Yummie great for salad and a dip. I’m saving this one.
Patti
Love this dressing. I use it all the time for all my tossed salads and when I make chicken Caesar salad. It is so delicious. I do add more milk to thin it a little for dressing. It is also great as a dip for vegetables but I don’t thin it for the dip. Thank you so much for the recipe. I have been looking for a really good green goddess dressing and now I found it thanks to you Melissa.
Melissa
I'm delighted you're enjoying this dressing, thanks so much!
Nancy
I have made this a number of times. It is my favorite salad dressing. I do add a bit more tarragon and anchovy ..
Melissa
Thanks Nancy!
Nagi@recipetineats
I saw this snippet on a pingback on my site -"for those of us not around in the ’20’s"... ba ha ha! Had to come check it out 🙂 Thanks for linking me through! Love a good Goddess Dressing - it's timeless as far as I'm concerned N xx
Melissa
Haha, funny right Nagi? I don't think either of us were around in the 20's. Thanks so much!
Kathleen
This is one of my favorite salad dressings! Thanks for sharing. Just pinned 🙂
Melissa
Hi Kathleen, I love it too, such fresh flavors. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa B
This dressing really sounds perfect for many things!
Melissa
Thanks Melissa indeed it is!