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Green Goddess Dressing

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.

Green Goddess Dressing homemade

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. It’s a part of  our culinary past that needs to be brought back to our dinner tables again. How do you make Green Goddess Dressing: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Combine in a Blender – Add mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, onion, parsley, tarragon, anchovies, garlic salt, sugar and black pepper to a stand blender and blend until completely combined. Taste and adjust the salt to your taste.
  • Refrigerate – Chill for at least 4 hours preferably overnight before serving.
  • Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator. You can prepare up to 3-5 days in advance.
Green Goddess Dressing

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.
Green Goddess Dressing

More Easy Sauces and Dressings to Make

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Green Goddess Dressing

Prep Time15 minutes
Chill time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dip, Salad Dressing
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: easy-green-goddess-dressing, green-goddess-dressing
Calories: 1022kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 cup real mayonnaise
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1/3 cup whole milk plus additional as needed to thin
  • 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 5 green onion white and green parts roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley roughly chopped
  • 3 Tbsp fresh tarragon leaves or fresh basil if preferred
  • 2 anchovie fillets rinsed and pat dry [Or 1 tsp anchovy paste]
  • 2 medium garlic cloves chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Add mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, onion, parsley, tarragon, anchovies, garlic salt, sugar and black pepper 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

Serving: 1batch | Calories: 1022kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 79g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 3071mg | Potassium: 1676mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 4207IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 763mg | Iron: 10mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 5 stars
    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.

  4. 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

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