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Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

Published: Apr 13, 2018 · Modified: Mar 4, 2023 by Jan Nunes

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A green salad dressing in a small pitcher with a garden salad with cucumber, sliced yellow peppers, and asparagus with text overlay.
A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a crystal pitcher with text overlay.
A green salad dressing in a small pitcher with a garden salad with cucumber, sliced yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus with text overlay.
A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a crystal pitcher with text overlay.
A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a crystal pitcher with text overlay.

With fresh herbs and a tangy clean flavor, Green Goddess Salad Dressing is an enduring classic. With just 9 ingredients and a very quick prep time, this might become your favorite salad dressing year-round.

No recipe typifies California cuisine more than Green Goddess Salad Dressing. Freshness, veggie-loving, and bursting with fresh herbs in every taste, this is the most iconic California salad dressing ever and the most versatile.

Serve it over hearty green lettuce with your favorite vegetables, as a sauce over fish and chicken, or as a dip paired with crudités or thick chips and pita crackers.

A garden salad of lettuce, cucumber, asparagus, orange peppers, and cherry tomatoes, with green salad dressing in a small pitcher.

This dressing is so simple to make and is even better if made the day before you serve it. Just a few pantry ingredients plus fresh herbs and lemon make this delicious all-purpose salad dressing.

Jump to:
  • What Is Green Goddess Dressing?
  • 100 Years Old and Still a Favorite!
  • Why We Love Green Goddess Dressing
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients
  • Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make Green Goddess Salad Dressing
  • Ways to Serve Green Goddess Dressing
  • My Top Tips
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Equipment
  • Recipe FAQs
  • More Delicious Salads
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

What Is Green Goddess Dressing?

Green Goddess Dressing is a pale green herbal salad dressing. It is deliciously tangy with the flavors of herbs balanced with acidity and saltiness.

It was created in 1923 by Executive Chef Phillip Roemer of The Palace Hotel in San Francisco for a banquet honoring George Arliss, the lead actor in William Archer’s play “The Green Goddess.”

The classic Green Goddess Salad is a bed of hearty greens dotted with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a hearty portion of Dungeness crab.

On the side was the dressing. Not the usual dressing for a Crab Louie Salad, pale pink Thousand Island, but a beautiful pale green dressing with flecks of finely chopped herbs.

A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a crystal pitcher.

This creamy pale green dressing became an enduring coast-to-coast sensation, finding its way to New York City in the 1940s, and being rediscovered in the 1960s, 80s, and again, today.

It has amazing versatility. Not only is it fabulous for dressing greens, but it can also be served hot or cold making it the most frequently reinvented sauce for pasta, meats, and even as a dip for veggies or chips.

The recipe has appeared often in The New York Times and in numerous cookbooks by famous chefs, each one putting their own spin on this perennial classic. In fact, just about every chef from coast to coast has created their own version of the Green Goddess.

100 Years Old and Still a Favorite!

Some versions have added ingredients through the years and even the Palace Hotel updated the recipe several times to be even more green and savory with additional ingredients.

Since its creation, the salad had been continuously on the menu of the famous Garden Court Restaurant in the Palace and was for many years listed as the “Palace Signature Dungeness Crab Salad”. The original recipe used to be on the Palace Hotel website, but since Marriott purchased the hotel it is no longer listed.

Luckily, many historic hotel sites and online magazines still showcase the original recipe.

Why We Love Green Goddess Dressing

  • It is Deliciously Different
  • It Can Be Served Year Round in Any Season
  • Quick and Easy to Make – a 10-Minute Recipe
  • Can... and Should Be Made in Advance
  • You can Make a Vegetarian Version

Why This Recipe Works

To say Green Goddess is my favorite salad dressing is an understatement! I absolutely love this dressing... and not just on a salad! It also makes a wonderful dip and sauce.

My version of this classic salad dressing is close to being exactly like the original that was invented by Chef Roemer.

This is the one true original recipe that contains only the herbs of parsley and chives. Although the original recipe contains anchovy fillets, my version contains Worcestershire sauce, which gives a hint of anchovy and is always in my fridge.

This salad dressing is the one you will want to make in every season. In the summer you can make pasta or potato salad, in the fall you can spoon it over salmon, in the winter it can be a fabulous dip, and in the spring it is heavenly over a fresh garden salad.

Trust me, it is nothing less than dreamy.

So, let's cook!

Ingredients

The ingredients, clockwise from top: mayonnaise, fresh parsley, sour cream, worcestershire sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, fresh chives, and lemon juice.

Here's what you need:

  • Mayonnaise - Mayonnaise is the heart of this dressing. I actually prefer Miracle Whip Salad Dressing but you can use your favorite mayo in this salad. The original recipe was made with a house-made mayonnaise and I read a rumor a long time ago that Chef Roemer used tarragon vinegar to make it.
  • Sour Cream - Sour cream brings more creaminess and a tangy flavor to this dressing.
  • Fresh Parsley - Choose the freshest parsley you can find. It can be any variety, curly, flat leaf, or Italian.
  • Fresh Chives - Only the freshest herbs will do since they are the stars of this dressing. Bright green chives that are firm are essential.
  • Lemon Juice - Lemon juice balances the flavors of the dressing with bright acidity. Fresh is always best.
  • Worcestershire Sauce - I always have Worcestershire sauce on hand so I find it convenient to use in this recipe. The original recipe contains anchovies, which are best to use, and noted in the recipe card.
  • Rice Wine Vinegar - Any white vinegar will work in this recipe. I happen to like rice wine vinegar.
  • Salt - Just plain ordinary salt is fine.
  • Black Pepper - Freshly ground is more piquant and has a lovely flowery aroma.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make Green Goddess Salad Dressing

So... this is how easily this classic Green Goddess Dressing comes together:

Process Photo 1a - Whole sprigs of parsley and chives are added to the prep bowl of a mini food processor.
Process Photo 1b - The parsley and chives have been chopped finely in the bowl of a mini food processor.

Place the parsley and chives into the bowl of a small 3-cup food processor. Pulse herbs until very finely chopped.

Process Photo 2b - The remaining ingredients are added to the chopped herbs in the bowl of a mini food processor.
Process Photo 2b - All of the green goddess salad dressing ingredients have been pulsed in the mini food processor and the dressing is thick and green with herbs.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Pulse until all is well combined.

Process Photo 3 - The finished green goddess salad dressing is spooned into a glass container.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Pour into a container and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a crystal pitcher.

The classic presentation for Green Goddess dressing is a salad of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers. A large portion of fresh crab meat is mounded in the center of the salad, and the dressing is served on the side.

Ways to Serve Green Goddess Dressing

  • A Dip for Veggies
  • A Sauce for Fish or Chicken
  • In Potato Salad
  • In Pasta Salad
  • On Any Fresh Garden Salad

My Top Tips

♡ Green Goddess Dressing is best when made the day before serving it. This gives the ingredients time to “marry”.

♡ This dressing is very thick. If a pourable dressing is desired, add half and half or whole milk to the dressing until the desired thickness is achieved. Be sure to check the seasoning and adjust as needed.

Close up of garden salad and green salad dressing with flecks of herbs in a small pitcher.

Substitutions & Variations

Substitute Yogurt - You can substitute plain unflavored yogurt for any or all of the sour cream.

Add Tarragon - If you like the flavor of fresh tarragon you can substitute it for some portion of the parsley and chives. There are many versions of this dressing that contain tarragon, most notably the version published by The New York Times. However, the original version does not include tarragon.

Variations of the salad include substituting cubed or chopped chicken or turkey for the crab.

Salad greens can be romaine, curly endive, escarole, and chicory. Other green vegetables like garden peas and asparagus can be added to the greens.

Make it Vegetarian - You can make a vegetarian version of Green Goddess by substituting 2 tablespoons of capers for the Worcestershire sauce.

Equipment

A small food processor helps make this salad dressing quickly. If you do not have a food processor you can also use a blender to make this dressing.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make it in advance?

Actually, you should make Green Goddess in advance. I like to make it a day ahead of needing it to allow the ingredients to blend and "marry".

How do I store leftover Green Goddess Salad Dressing?

You can store Green Goddess in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze Green Goddess?

Unfortunately, you can't successfully freeze this dressing because it contains dairy which will separate during and after freezing.

A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a small white dish.

More Delicious Salads

  • A white plate with Green Goddess Pasta Salad and a fork.
    Green Goddess Pasta Salad
  • A white bowl filled with ribbons of zucchini and cherry tomatoes.
    Zucchini Salad
  • Cooked red potatoes are quartered and dressed with Green Goddess Salad Dressing. The salad is Garnished with two long chives and a sprig of curly parsley.
    Green Goddess Potato Salad
  • Corn salad in a glass dish.
    Corn Salad

♡ Did you try out this recipe? Please give it a Star Rating below and tag @enchartedcook on Instagram and hashtag it #enchartedcook.

📖 Recipe

A salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and krab, with green salad dressing in a crystal pitcher.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

5 from 2 votes
Encharted Cook | Jan Nunes
Green Goddess Salad Dressing has fresh herbs and a tangy clean flavor. This enduring classic could be your favorite year-round salad dressing.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 10 minutes mins
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 110 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • ¼ Cup Parsley, Packed (about 1 oz.)
  • ¼ Cup Snipped Chives, Packed (about 1 oz.)
  • 1 Cup Mayonnaise, I Actually Prefer Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
  • ½ Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, or 3 Anchovy Fillets, Rinsed, Dried, and Minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper, if desired

Instructions
 

  • Place the parsley and chives into the bowl of a small 3 cup food processor. Pulse herbs until very finely chopped.
    ¼ Cup Parsley, ¼ Cup Snipped Chives
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Pulse until all is well combined.
    1 Cup Mayonnaise, ½ Cup Sour Cream, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, ¼ teaspoon Salt, Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Pour into a container and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

My Top Tips
♡ Green Goddess Dressing is best when made the day before serving it. This gives the ingredients time to “marry”.
♡ This dressing is very thick. If a pourable dressing is desired, add half and half or whole milk to the dressing until the desired thickness is achieved. Be sure to check the seasoning and adjust as needed.
Substitutions & Variations
Substitute Yogurt - You can substitute plain unflavored yogurt for any or all of the sour cream.
Add Tarragon - If you like the flavor of fresh tarragon you can substitute it for some portion of the parsley and chives. There are many versions of this dressing that contain tarragon, most notably the version published by The New York Times. However, the original version does not include tarragon.
Variations of the salad include substituting cubed or chopped chicken or turkey for the crab.
Salad greens can be romaine, curly endive, escarole, and chicory. Other green vegetables like garden peas and asparagus can be added to the greens.
Make it Vegetarian - You can make a vegetarian version of Green Goddess by substituting 2 tablespoons of capers for the Worcestershire sauce.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Green Goddess Salad Dressing tastes best if you make it in advance. I like to make it a day ahead of needing it to allow the ingredients to blend and "marry".
You can store Green Goddess in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfortunately, you can't successfully freeze this dressing because it contains dairy which will separate during and after freezing.
*Adapted from the Original Recipe by Chef Phillip Roemer of The Palace Hotel, San Francisco, California.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 110kcal | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 26mg | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

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