Green Goddess Dressing

Looking for a way to use up the herbs in your fridge? Make this green goddess dressing recipe! It's creamy, bright, and brimming with fresh flavor.

Green goddess dressing in a bowl with vegetables

At this time of year, I make this green goddess dressing recipe almost every week. Jack and I have just planted our little garden on our back deck, and we have loads of fresh herbs. Straight off the plant, they’re fragrant and tender, ready to add a punch of fresh flavor to almost any dish. I often grab a handful of parsley for a weeknight pasta, a sprig of mint to finish a salad, or a bunch of basil to sprinkle over pizza. Chances are, I end up picking extra, so little by little, the fridge fills up with leafy herbs. That’s where this green goddess dressing comes in.

Cool, creamy, and so darn easy to make, it’s the perfect way to use up an abundance of herbs. You can make it with almost any ones you like – I start with parsley and chives and top it off with whatever else I have on hand. Cilantro, mint, and dill are all fantastic, but I especially recommend using tarragon. Its mild licorice flavor makes this green goddess dressing really complex and unique. Trust me, you’re going to love it!

Green goddess dressing recipe ingredients

Green Goddess Dressing Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this green goddess salad dressing:

  • Greek yogurt – Classic green goddess dressing is made with mayo and sometimes sour cream, but I skip them both in favor of Greek yogurt. It makes this recipe a tad healthier, and it adds a delicious tangy flavor.
  • Fresh herbs – I always make this recipe with parsley and chives. Then, I toss in whatever other leafy herbs I have in my kitchen! Try using dill, mint, and/or cilantro, and don’t skip the tarragon if you can help it.
  • Lemon juice and zest – Who doesn’t love lemon + herbs? The zest and juice add an amazing bright flavor to this creamy dip.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds extra richness and thins the creamy sauce.
  • Capers – Did you know that most green goddess salad dressing is made with anchovies? No joke! To keep this recipe vegetarian, I swap in capers to add savory, briny flavor.
  • Garlic, salt, and pepper – They add depth of flavor and tie everything together!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Herbs and yogurt in a food processor

Once you prep your ingredients, making this recipe couldn’t be easier. Just add them all to a food processor, and pulse to combine!

Oh, and by the way, this dressing is just as good when you swap cashew cream for the yogurt. When I make this vegan, dairy-free variation, I use a blender instead of a food processor to get the dressing really smooth. Find the instructions for how to make it in the recipe notes below!

Green goddess dressing in a food processor

Green Goddess Dressing Serving Suggestions

You might have guessed by now this this green goddess dressing is a great salad dressing (try it on my Spring Salad, Caesar Salad, Kale Salad, or Radish Salad!), but you can use it for so much more. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

How do you like to use green goddess dressing? Let me know in the comments!

green goddess dressing

More Favorite Dressings and Sauces

If you love this green goddess dressing recipe, try one of these flavorful sauces or dressings next:

green goddess dressing in jars

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Green Goddess Dressing

rate this recipe:
4.98 from 73 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This easy green goddess dressing is creamy, bright, and delicious! I most often make it with Greek yogurt, but it also works wonderfully with cashew cream. See the recipe notes below for this easy vegan variation.

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a food processor, combine the yogurt, parsley, mixed herbs, chives, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, capers, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Season to taste.
  • Serve as a dip or toss with salad greens. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Makes just over 1 cup
*To make this vegan: Use 1 cup raw cashews + ½ cup water in place of the yogurt. Blend all ingredients, except the herbs, in a high-speed blender until creamy. Add the herbs and pulse to combine. If your dressing is too thick, mix in little water or more olive oil. This version will not work in a food processor because the cashews won’t get as creamy as they do in a blender.

84 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Rashell
    11.28.2021

    5 stars
    This will be a staple now. Thank you so much for the recipe!

  2. Valeria
    11.02.2021

    5 stars
    First try with this recipe and I hit it out of the ball park. I embellished this delicious dressing on top of a mixed green salad w/rice and mango chicken. My husband loved it!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.02.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Jenny
    08.21.2021

    5 stars
    This is so delicious. One recipe has been enough for dipping potato chips, topping a Beyond burger, topping roasted chicken with beans and rice, and as a sauce for pasta and chickpeas. This sauce is so versatile and flavorful and seems to go great with anything! It does take a lot of herbs so I’ll be nursing my herb plants back to plenty so I can make it again!

  4. Inez Pinion Castleberry
    08.18.2021

    My mom always used this dressing in her potato salad. It was great! I guess this was instead of Mayo.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.18.2021

      that sounds delicious!

  5. Kathy
    07.18.2021

    5 stars
    Just made yesterday but used zero fat plain Greek yogurt and whatever herbs I had in stock. Thankfully I did have dried tarragon. It was delicious! Didn’t miss the fat in the yogurt at all that makes it nicer on the waistline.

  6. lola
    06.08.2021

    what could i use instead of capers if i dont have any ??

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.09.2021

      Hi Lola, you could skip them and just increase the salt, to taste.

  7. Rachel
    06.07.2021

    5 stars
    Thank you thank you for including the vegan option. This was so good! Plus I always need to use up herbs when another recipe calls for just a tiny amount and I have tons left over.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.08.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  8. Wanda
    05.19.2021

    5 stars
    Easy and excellent. I had it on a chef salad with seared salmon
    Went great with the fish too. No more bottled dressing.

  9. Flor de Maria
    04.18.2021

    5 stars
    Than you very much. Love your recipes.

  10. Raquel
    04.17.2021

    I’ve noticed that for the past months your recipes have been more vegan friendly. Some describe me as a “hardcore preachy vegan” and it means a lot you’re the ONLY non-vegan blog or YouTuber I follow or subscribe to. You are an amazing cook and very much in tune w/ the plant kingdom or “Plantae” , the name of the vegan restaurant I owned Upstate NY. Your recipes are the ones I save on Pintrest, sometimes under “recipes to veganize”. With so many great alternatives to dairy and eggs coming to the market I wouldn’t be surprised if you, slowly, eventually, became vegan. Much Peace and Love from Upstate NY

  11. mercmakesfood
    03.02.2021

    5 stars
    Easy peasy yummy squeezy!

  12. Georfe Held
    01.23.2021

    5 stars
    Love your site!!! Great recipes. Quick question, where do you purchase your glass containers (that look like 1930s Cream bottles) as shown above….

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.24.2021

      Hi Georfe, they’re Weck Jars – you can find them on amazon and many other places.

  13. Anna Marie
    12.28.2020

    Love Green Goddess dressing! We poach a salmon. We serve Green Goddess as a sauce on the side of the cold poached salmon. adding more tarragon makes it really good.

  14. Lisa
    10.11.2020

    Hi,
    Can you tell me what food processor you used? Mine didn’t seem to be able to chop/process the herbs as finely as your photos show.
    Thank you,
    Lisa

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.11.2020

      Hi Lisa, it’s a Cuisinart 7-cup.

  15. Leah
    07.31.2020

    Thank you for adding so many ways you can use the dressing!!! Assuming there’s leftovers, how long will this dressing last?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.31.2020

      Hi Leah, I keep it for about 5 days.

  16. Abbey
    07.30.2020

    This looks so good! Is there a go-to brand of cashew cream that you’d use to sub the yogurt? Or instruction for how to make cashew cream at home? Thank you… love your work!

  17. Christina Gibson
    07.01.2020

    5 stars
    We put this on top of Salmon. It’s delicious. I used fresh mint, basil, dill and cilantro. Tonight we are having it on the avocado/garbanzo sandwiches with your roasted pepper recipe and more basil and cilantro on sourdough bread.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.12.2020

      I’m so glad you loved this and the broccoli salad as well!

  18. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    06.23.2020

    a great dressing for so many things, thank you, I’ve had it before but never really knew what was in it!

  19. Jay
    06.22.2020

    I love the sound of this dressing, I am going to the shops tomorrow so will look out for the ingredients to have a bash at making it, hope it turns out as good as yours! All the best, Jay – thesewingwren

  20. Brooke
    06.22.2020

    5 stars
    So delicious! Ironically I didn’t have any Greek yogurt so I used a combo of homemade mayo and sour cream, chopped dill pickles instead of capers, and a mix of dill, cilantro, basil and mint (with the parsley and chives). So refreshing! Dipping some cukes in it for a snack and it’s getting more flavorful by the minute!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.12.2020

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.