This green goddess dressing is exactly what we need right now. It’s creamy, tangy, and fully loaded with fresh, herbal flavor. I’ve savored it by the spoonful while imagining sunny days ahead.
The Green Goddess is going to carry us through to spring. We’re going to make it. I can feel it.
I put some soup recipe development on hold when I finalized this dressing. I’ll figure it out soon enough (hint: it’s also green). I’m too busy drizzling this versatile dressing over anything and everything.
The funny thing about this green goddess dressing recipe is that it’s so very simple. I tried adding lemon juice and olive oil, and they only distracted from the beautiful combination of good Greek yogurt and fresh herbs.
In fact, you can use any combination of fresh herbs for this recipe. That leftover parsley and cilantro in the fridge? Let’s use ’em up.
Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients
This salad dressing differs from most other green goddess dressings, but the flavor and texture remains so similar. Typically, you’ll find mayonnaise, lemon, and anchovies on the ingredients list. This recipe relies on Greek yogurt for tang and creaminess instead.
Greek Yogurt
High-quality whole-milk yogurt makes this dressing spectacular. I splurged on Straus Family Creamery and it’s just so good. I suspect regular plain yogurt would work well, too, though it will be more runny.
Fresh Herbs
Now we’re talking! This dressing calls for an overflowing cup of fresh, leafy herbs. Here are some notes on your options.
Tarragon: If you’re looking for classic green goddess flavor, be sure to use some tarragon. Its licorice-like flavor is strong, so limit the tarragon to about 2 tablespoons (or a small handful).
Chives or green onion: Chives are more classic, but green onion works almost nearly as well. To avoid overpowering your dressing with oniony flavor, limit these ingredients to about 1/4 cup.
Basil, parsley, cilantro, dill and/or mint: Use these to fill up the rest of your cup. Any one of these herbs (or any combination) will work beautifully. For dressing that would be suitable with Mexican meals, try using a lot of cilantro (and maybe add a fresh jalapeño—see recipe note). Dill lovers, try an all-dill dressing and drizzle it over potatoes.
Garlic
Just one small-to-medium clove—no more! In sauces and dressings, garlic often grows in intensity as it rests.
Salt and Pepper
Plenty of each—dressing should be bordering on salty when it’s your main seasoning for fresh produce. This dressing loves black pepper!
Salad Serving Suggestions
This herbaceous dressing is so versatile. Build a salad with any of these ingredients:
- Almonds, pepitas or sunflower seeds
- Bell peppers
- Carrots, shaved or thinly sliced
- Cooked chickpeas or lentils
- Cucumber
- Feta or goat cheese
- Fresh, leafy greens—including butter lettuce, baby gem, romaine and spring greens
- Red onion
- Snow peas or snap peas
- Tomatoes
- Radishes
You can also use this dressing as a veggie dip for any of the above suggestions.
Please let me know how your dressing turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Looking for more homemade salad dressings? Here are a few more favorites:
- Carrot Ginger Dressing or Ginger Salad Dressing
- Creamy Tahini Dressing
- Fresh Mint Dressing
- How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!)
- Sunshine Salad Dressing
Easy Green Goddess Dressing
- Author:
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 ¼ cups 1x
- Category: Salad dressing
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
This homemade green goddess dressing recipe is so easy to make! It’s creamy, fresh, completely delicious—and a great way to use up your leafy herbs. Recipe yields about 1 ¼ cups dressing; multiply if desired.
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably full-fat (made with whole milk)
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (tender stems are fine): use cilantro, parsley, dill, basil and/or mint, with up to ¼ cup chives or green onion (sliced into ½″ segments)
- Optional: Up to 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
- 1 medium clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth and green, with tiny flecks of herbs.
- Taste, and add more salt or pepper if desired. Use as desired, or cover and refrigerate for later. This dressing will keep well in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
Notes
Make it vegan: Make my tahini dressing in a food processor, adding the herbs suggested above (same quantity).
Make it spicy: Add jalapeño! Remove and discard the seeds and ribs from a medium jalapeño. Roughly chop the pepper flesh, and blend half of it with the other ingredients. Blend, taste, and add even more if you’d like.
Recommended equipment: A small to medium-sized food processor is perfect for making this dressing, such as this 11-cup Cuisinart (affiliate link). Or make it in a blender—you’ll likely need to double the recipe to gain enough traction. As a last resort, you could finely chop all of the ingredients by hand.
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