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A vibrant, herby and super savory Green Goddess Dressing! This unique salad dressing has a creamy base of buttermilk and mayonnaise, infused with a mix of fresh herbs, lemon and anchovy. Think Caesar dressing meets herb garden—perfect for tossing with greens, used as a dip fries, or spooned over chicken and fish.
What is Green Goddess Dressing?
My version, which I’ve been honing for years, stays true to the original 1920s recipe while being brighter and a bit punchier thanks to buttermilk and lemon.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 10+ years in the test kitchen world, it’s that homemade salad dressings are an easy way to elevate a salad to restaurant-qulity. But it’s also the thing most home cooks by pre-made.
The good news, this dressing recipe couldn’t be simpler. Just add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.
This recipe article was originally published in April of 2021, it has since been updated with helpful tips, testing notes and a video for guaranteed success.
Green Goddess Dressing Recipe Ingredients
- Mayonnaise: I prefer to use olive oil mayonnaise here but you can also just use regular mayo. Don’t use Miracle Whip as it’s too sweet.
- Fresh herbs: I prefer the combination of basil and parsley. If you have dill, cilantro, chives and/or tarragon on hand, throw some in!
- Buttermilk: loosens up the dressing and makes it drizzle-able. Also adds a nice tang.
- Scallions: aka green onions. Scallions are important for adding a mild onion flavor. You can also use chives but I don’t recommend using onions or shallots as they’re too strong in flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice: brightens and enhances all the other flavors. Sometimes I’ll even grate in some lemon zest with my microplane.
- Anchovy fillets: you can also use anchovy paste if you have that on hand. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more to taste.
- Garlic: one small garlic clove adds just enough garlic flavor. Any more and it’ll be overpowering.
What Herbs to Use in Green Goddess
To streamline the ingredient list, I rely on two heavy-hitting herbs—basil and parsley.
You can use just about any tender herb—mix and match with tarragon, cilantro, chives or dill. I wouldn’t add mint.
Make sure you have at least 2/3 cup fresh leafy herbs. If you use more, that’s OK. But don’t use less or it won’t be as flavorful as it should be.
Green Goddess Recipe Tips
- When measuring the herbs, make sure you pack them into the measuring cup. Too many herbs is not a problem. Too few herbs, and you risk the dressing tasting too “mayo-y.”
- A high-powered blender is ideal for this dressing. If you don’t have one, use a food processor. Regardless of what you use, blend it for a couple of minutes—this is key to achieving a cohesive and vibrantly-green dressing.
How to Store Green Goddess Dressing
Store homemade green goddess dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Surprisingly, this salad dressing freezes really well. I do it all the time when I’ve made a batch but don’t plan to use it all by the end of the week.
Stash the dressing (in an airtight container) in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before stirring it up and using as desired. You’ll never know it was frozen!
Ways to Enjoy Homemade Green Goddess Dressing
Green goddess dressing is of course fabulous on a green salad or even a potato salad. But serve it as a dip with dips or spoon it over a pan-seared or grilled protein. I even like to use it for egg salad!
Appetizers
Golden Polenta Fries Recipe
30-Minute Meal
Juicy Pan Seared Chicken Breast Recipe
Salmon
Pan Seared Salmon Recipe
Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing
Description
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Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup packed fresh basil
- ⅓ cup packed fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 anchovy fillet or ½ teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 small clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add everything to the bowl of a blender, secure lid and purée until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Season dressing with black pepper and additional salt as needed.
I followed this recipe EXACTLY. The sauce was exceptionally salty. I added some fresh lemon juice. But wow. Salty.
Hi Sandra,
I’m sorry to hear you found this sauce salty. The only sources of salt are the anchovies (which can be quite salty) and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. It’s important to use kosher salt here as the measurement is specific to kosher salt, not sea salt or table salt. Not sure why it came out so salty for you, but next time you could skip the 1/4 teaspoon of salt altogether.
Hi Sandra, I was reviewing your comment again and have one more thought (I know this is years later but I think it could be helpful for other readers as well). If you used salt-packed anchovies that’s likely why it came out too salty. I use oil-packed anchovies (and have since noted that in the recipe card). If you only have salt-packed anchovies, I recommend rinsing an anchovy under running water before adding to the blender. That should help!
I used a mayo that was not with olive oil, and it came out SUPER mayo-tasting. I added a bunch more herbs and lemon juice to temper, plus a splash of evoo, but I’m guessing this is why you emphasized the olive oil mayo, ha. Would you consider writing the herb measurements in grams instead of (or in addition to) cups? I feel like that would leave a lot less room for error. Love keeping an herby sauce on hand all summer!
Hi Lauren, I’m sorry to hear it came out overly mayo-y. I heavily pack the herbs into the measuring cup, so that’s likely the culprit. I will definitely add weights to the recipe card soon. Thanks for the feedback!
I like how you said use any herbs in your garden, so since I’m short of basil, I also added tarragon and dill. Works very well!