Green goddess is one of the world’s great dressings. A beautiful pale green goddess-y color, creamy, herby — it’s perfect for all sorts of salads. Try it on a Spinach Salad, a Crunchy Mixed Greens Salad, or this Romaine Salad with Queso Fresco. It’s also wonderful drizzled over tender cooked veggies like Grilled Onions, Roasted Cauliflower, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, and Roasted Carrots.

Green goddess dressing is also perfect as a dip for raw veggies (or crudités) such as carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, and so on. I also used it to drizzle over fried green tomatoes, and I couldn’t remember being that happy eating something in a long time (and I happily eat lots of things!).

Green goddess dressing was first created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, an opulent 19th-century hotel noted for its celebrity chefs. Celebrity chefs back in those days were not Food Network Stars but usually, men wearing white toques who either hailed from or were trained in Europe. Since those days, green goddess dressing has seen many different iterations, but it’s always creamy and vibrant with herbs, piquant with a bit of acidity, and salty-savory from anchovies. This is my most recent version, and I will surely continue to play with green goddess dressing forever.

Green Goddess Dressing: Creamy, vibrant with herbs, and piquant with a bit of acidity, this reciope is perfect on salads as as a dip.

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History of Green Goddess Dressing

The dressing debuted in 1923. Chef Philip Roemer created it to honor actor George Arliss, a guest at the hotel who was then performing in William Archer’s hit play, “The Green Goddess.” Many believe that green goddess dressing was inspired by a dressing that hailed from the kitchens serving Louis XIII, served then not with salads but with eel. Pause on that.

Ingredients

• Anchovies – Canned or jarred anchovies, rinsed and chopped, add a bit of salty depth but no discernible fishiness! For a vegetarian option, see variations and substitutions.
• Garlic
• Parsley – One of three herbs that bring the characteristic aromatic energy to this dressing. Use fresh, vibrant green flat-leaf parsley for best results.
• Basil – Fresh basil is the second herb, super summery.
• Tarragon – This third herb has tough stems and skinny, scented leaves — to remove the leaves from the tarragon stem, just pinch the stem and run your fingers down it. These leaves are powerful, so you don’t need much.

• Scallions – Trimmed and cut into pieces. Remember that you’re processing these ingredients, so you don’t need to chop super finely.
• Lemon juice and white wine vinegar – These ingredients give this dressing the punch of acidity that it needs.
• Mayonnaise and sour cream – Mayo and sour cream add creaminess to this recipe and help it emulsify.
• Dijon mustard — Mustard adds a touch of sharpness.

Variations and Substitutions

• Substitute 1 tablespoon of rinsed and drained capers for the anchovies for a vegetarian version.
• You can use green goddess as a salad dressing on any lettuce or vegetable salad, from a super simple shredded romaine salad to a salad filled with other items. Try a mix of chopped lettuce, sliced radishes, cucumbers, and slivered onions or shallots.

How to Make Green Goddess Salad Dressing

1. Combine ingredients: Place the anchovies, garlic, parsley, basil, tarragon, scallions, lemon juice, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard into a food processor or blender.
2. Blend: Process until fairly smooth.

Make Ahead and Storage

This salad will last for 5 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.

FAQs

What to Serve With Green Goddess Dressing

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Dressing

Grilled Asparagus with Vinaigrette

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More Great Salad Dressing Recipes

• Homemade Italian Dressing
• Japanese Restaurant Salad Dressing
• Honey Mustard Dressing
• Vinaigrette
• Ranch Dressing
• Avocado Ranch Dressing