Green Goddess Salad Dressing (2024)

This Green Goddess Salad Dressing recipe combines mayo, sour cream, fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic to create a creamy, tangy dressing that’s also a great dip!

Can I use dried herbs in Green Goddess Salad Dressing?

The unique flavor of this dressing comes from the fresh herbs, so I wouldn’t recommend using dried herbs as a replacement for the fresh.

To make the process easier, I used the neat little clamshell packages of fresh herbs found in the produce section of the grocery store. I did this for both the tarragon and the chives. Each is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce and is the perfect amount for this recipe. For the parsley, you’ll need a big bunch to get the 1/2 cup called for, but finding parsley is usually pretty easy.

Where’s the anchovy?

Most traditional green goddess dressing recipes call for anchovies or anchovy paste. I happen to not be a big fan of anchovies and the fishy taste they give off. So, just like in my Creamy Caesar Dressing recipe, I swapped the anchovy for Worcestershire sauce. It gives that great umami depth of flavor without the fishy aftertaste.

Ingredients Needed:

• Mayo – This is the main base for your dressing, so use the good stuff. Y’all know Duke’s is my mayo of choice. No Miracle Whip here, please.
• Sour Cream – Pick a sour cream you’d eat by itself. You know, if you’d eat sour cream by itself. You can opt for lower fat sour cream, but it will affect the texture a bit. You can also use greek yogurt here, I’d guess.
• Parsley – Just grab a big bunch of fresh parsley from the produce section of the grocery store. I usually use Italian flat leaf, but curly parsley will work, too.
• Tarragon – This isn’t an herb I use a lot, but I think it’s pretty important to the flavor. I just use the little 1/2 ounce clear clamshell packages found in the produce section and it seems to be the perfect amount.
• Chives – FYI: chives and green onions aren’t the same thing. Just like the tarragon, I buy the chives in the little clear clamshell packages.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh is best here.
• Garlic – One clove of fresh garlic amps of the flavor big time! Avoid the jarred chopped garlic if you can.
• Worcestershire – I use Worcestershire sauce in place of anchovy. It gives the dressing depth and umami without the fishy aftertaste.
• MSG – I know I’ll get some hate for this ingredient, but just like with my ranch dressing, I wouldn’t include it if I didn’t think it was important. MSG occurs naturally in tons of foods like tomatoes, cheese, and beets. In this dressing it gives the flavor a huge pop! With that being said, if you feel you’ve got an MSG sensitivity, you can absolutely leave it out. I typically use the Accent brand of MSG.