Green goddess dressing is a creamy salad dressing made with plenty of fresh herbs. Learn how to easily make this scrumptious dressing at home.

Creamy and loaded with nutrients, you’ll love the flavor of this Green Goddess Dressing recipe. Even those who are not so keen on green food will enjoy it.

green goddess dressing

Check out our best sauce recipes.

Green Goddess Dressing definitely wins the coolest name award for any dressing ever invented. And its flavor it’s pretty delicious too.

This fresh, bright, and herbaceous dressing was first invented in the 1920s at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco by Head Chef Philip Roemer.

The chef wanted to pay homage to actor George Arliss who was staying at the hotel while touring the US with his play “The Green Goddess”. Roemer served the dressing on a salad, and it quickly became a hit.

The original recipe is heavy on mayo and sour cream and it also includes anchovies. We make a version of the Green Goddess Salad Dressing that is vegan, replacing anchovies with capers.

green goddess dressing on salad

We also replace the mayonnaise with vegan mayo and the sour cream with dairy-free yogurt (you can use any yogurt, from greek yogurt to soy yogurt).

The result is a vegan green goddess dressing that feels modern, lighter, and still packed with plenty of fresh green herbs that give it that classic green goddess taste.

And best of all, this dressing goes way beyond salads. think of it like something that you can drizzle on pretty much anything. See our “serving suggestions” chapter for ideas on how to use it.

P.s. This dressing is forgiving. Take our recipe as a guideline and change up the fresh herbs depending on what you have available at your local store or in your garden.

Ingredients

ingredients for green goddess dressing

Green Fresh Herbs: you can really use anything green herb for this dressing. Most often we use flat-leaf parsley, basil, dill, mint, and chives.

When we find it we add tarragon – a key ingredient in the original Green Goddess Recipe but that is hard to find these days, and sometimes cilantro. As I mentioned, don’t worry if you can’t find all the herbs. You can make this dressing with what you have.

Capers: we use capers to replace the anchovies in the original recipe. They add saltiness, umami, and a pleasantly tangy and refreshing flavor.

Garlic: a small clove is enough. We don’t want too much garlic flavor here. Plus, garlic gets more intense as the dressing sits in the fridge. You can even start with half clove if you want it less garlicky.

Olive oil: to help blend the herbs and carry their flavor.

Lemon juice: to brighten things up, and make the dressing fresh and light.

Yogurt: you can use any type of yogurt, although we found that thicker yogurt works best. We like to use soy yogurt. Greek yogurt works really well too.

Vegan Mayo: to make a lighter dressing you can skip the mayo and double up on the yogurt. However, green goddess dressing made with just yogurt is a little thin. We like to add our homemade vegan mayo to add a creamy texture, and make the dressing rounder, and silkier to the mouth. It’s optional, and we often leave it out if we make this dressing for our own meals. But we recommend it if you want to impress your guests.

Salt and pepper: salt is necessary to bring out the flavor of the herbs. Freshly ground black pepper adds a nice aroma to it.

green goddess dressing drizzled on roasted carrots
Caramelized oven-roasted carrots with green goddess dressing.

Instructions

Peel and cut the garlic lengthwise and remove its core (if any) with the tip of a knife.

Tip: we find the core of the garlic hard to digest. Removing it makes the dressing lighter.

removing core of the garlic

To a blender or food processor add the fresh green herbs, garlic, capers, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice (no seeds, they are bitter).

Tip: for parsley, coriander, basil, tarragon, and dill you can add the stems. For mint only add leaves.

fresh green herbs in a blender

Pulse a few times till the herbs are blended. You might have to scrape down the sides of your blender. If your blender is struggling to catch on to the herbs, add the yogurt.

blended green herbs

Add the yogurt and the vegan mayo. Pulse a few times till well combined with the herbs. Taste and adjust for salt before serving.

vegan green goddess dressing in a blender

Serving suggestions

You can use green goddess dressing to season salads of course, but also as a dip or to drizzle on veggies and tofu:

green goddess dressing in a mason jar
  • Boiled and roasted vegetables: you can make a quick and easy side dish with sliced boiled potatoes and roasted peppers, drizzled with this delicious dressing. Roasted carrots, beets, and turnips also make a beautiful pairing with this dressing.
boiled potatoes and green goddess dressing
  • With sweet potato: it’s fun and colorful with roasted sweet potatoes or drizzled on top of stuffed and baked sweet potatoes.
  • As a dip with fries: it goes with any type of fries; potatoes, zucchini fries, and carrot fries.
  • As a sauce next to protein: it gives bold flavor to marinated tofu, vegan fish, and fried tofu

Quite frankly, the green goddess sauce is as versatile as you want it to be. It brightens up plant-based protein as well as fresh and cooked veggies.

More sauces

If you’re looking for more vegan sauces, take a peek at our selection of favorite sauces here:

What are your favorite go-to sauces? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!

Questions

Is green goddess dressing gluten-free?

Yes, green goddess dressing is gluten-free, provided that the yogurt and the vegan mayo that you use are gluten-free.

Can I make green goddess dressing oil-free?

Yes. To make it oil-free replace the olive oil and the mayonnaise with yogurt. Add all ingredients to a blender, and pulse until well combined.

Can I make green goddess dressing without mayo?

Yes, you can replace the mayo in green goddess dressing with the same quantity of yogurt.

Storage

Store green goddess dressing in the refrigerator, preferably in an airtight container such as a mason jar, for up to 5 days. This dressing does not freeze well.

green goddess dressing

Green Goddess Dressing

5 from 3 votes
Green goddess dressing is a creamy salad dressing made with plenty of fresh herbs. Learn how to easily make this scrumptious dressing at home.
Creamy and loaded with nutrients, you’ll love the flavor of this Green Goddess Dressing recipe. Even those who are not so keen on green food will enjoy it.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dressing & Sauces
Cuisine: American

Equipment

  • Blender or food processor

Ingredients 

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup packed parsley
  • ¼ cup packed basil or cilantro
  • ¼ cup packed dill
  • ¼ cup packed chives or green onions
  • ¼ cup mint leaves or tarragon
  • 2 teaspoons capers
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 twists black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ cup yogurt unsweetened, dairy-free yogurt or Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup vegan mayo

Instructions 

  • Peel and cut the garlic lengthwise and remove its core (if any) with the tip of a knife.
    Tip: we find the core of the garlic hard to digest. Removing it makes the dressing lighter.
    removing core of the garlic
  • To a blender or food processor add the garlic, olive oil, fresh green herbscaperssaltpepper, and lemon juice (no seeds, they are bitter).
    fresh green herbs in a blender
  • Pulse a few times till the herbs are blended. You might have to scrape down the sides of your blender.
    blended green herbs
  • Add the yogurt and the vegan mayo. Pulse a few times till well combined with the herbs. Taste and adjust for salt before serving.
    vegan green goddess dressing in a blender
  • Serve immediately or transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
    green goddess dressing in a mason jar

Notes

Nutrition information is for Green Goddess Dressing made with vegan mayo and dairy-free yogurt.

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Potassium: 53mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 571IU, Vitamin B6: 1mg, Vitamin C: 12mg, Vitamin E: 1mg, Vitamin K: 77µg, Calcium: 42mg, Folate: 12µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 1mg, Magnesium: 6mg, Zinc: 1mg
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Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with vegetarian and vegan recipes.

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    Obsessed with this dressing!!! The capers are such a brilliant addition. I made with just Greek yogurt and it was perfect.