Greek Salad Dressing
Quick Look: Greek Salad Dressing
- ⏱️ Prep: 5 minutes
- 🍳 Cook: None
- 🕒 Total: 5 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 8
- 📊 Calories: ~248 kcal/serving
- 🔥 Cook Method: Shake and serve.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Bright, garlicky, herby, tangy.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Beginner.
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Table of Contents
What Makes This Greek Salad Dressing So Good
- Bold, layered flavor from real ingredients, not a bottle, you’ll taste the difference immediately.
- Fresh lemon juice gives it a brightness that bottled juice or straight vinegar just can’t replicate.
- Three herbs (parsley, dill, and oregano) create a more complex, aromatic flavor than one-note versions.
- Fresh pressed garlic punches through the oil without being harsh.
- 5 minutes, one jar, no blender, no whisk, no fuss.
- Incredibly versatile: incredible on a classic Greek salad, but just as good on grain bowls, grilled vegetables, and Greek tortellini salad.
Key Ingredients and Recommendations
- Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil meant for salads not cooking. This is a simple dressing, so the oil’s flavor will come through. I’ve also successfully substituted avocado oil many times.
- Fresh lemon juice: You need the juice of about two lemons. Use fresh, it truly makes the world of difference. Bottled lemon juice just doesn’t tase as good or bright.
- White wine vinegar: Lighter and slightly fruity compared to red wine vinegar, it complements the lemon without competing with it.
- Garlic: Press or finely mince fresh cloves. Pre-minced garlic in a jar lacks the punch this dressing needs.
- Dried herbs: A blend of parsley, dill weed, and oregano gives the dressing its signature layered, herby flavor.
How to Make Greek Salad Dressing
- The key to a great vinaigrette is fully combining the oil and acid before using it. Because oil and water don’t mix naturally, this dressing will separate quickly if you just stir it. Shaking vigorously in a sealed jar forces the ingredients to emulsify temporarily, giving you a cohesive, well-seasoned dressing on your salad instead of a puddle of oil.
- Add all the ingredients to a mason jar or salad dressing shaker. Seal it tightly and shake hard for a full 20 to 30 seconds. Dress your salad immediately while everything is combined, or shake again just before serving if it’s been sitting.
Lyuba’s Tips For The Best Results
- Shake, don’t stir. Shaking in a sealed jar creates a much better temporary emulsion than stirring with a spoon.
- Let garlic mellow. If you find raw garlic too sharp, mix the dressing and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before using. The sharpness softens noticeably.
- Taste after shaking. Taste and adjust salt and pepper after mixing. Acids like lemon and vinegar will incorporate and melt the salt better, so you will get truer flavor after shaking.
- Room temperature before serving. If the dressing has been refrigerated, the olive oil will solidify slightly. Let it sit on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes, then shake well.
Where to Use Greek Salad Dressing
This dressing works on far more than a classic salad. Here are some of the best ways to put it to use:
- Classic Greek salad: The obvious starting point. Toss it with cucumbers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, and feta. Get the full recipe for Greek salad.
- Pasta salad: It’s incredible tossed through a Greek tortellini salad or any cold pasta with olives and vegetables.
- Marinade: Use it to marinate chicken, shrimp, or lamb for at least 30 minutes before grilling. The lemon and garlic do a lot of the flavor work. For a dedicated Greek-style marinade, check out my Greek chicken marinade for the full technique.
- Roasted vegetables: Drizzle it over warm roasted zucchini, asparagus, or broccoli right before serving for a bright, herby finish.
- Grain bowls: Spoon it over farro, quinoa like my Mediterranean quinoa bowl, or couscous with roasted vegetables and feta for an easy weeknight bowl.
- Sandwiches and wraps: Use it in place of mayo on a wrap stuffed with grilled chicken, cucumber, and feta.
Easy Greek Dressing Recipe FAQs
Properly stored, this salad dressing will be good for up to 2 weeks! Make sure it’s stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Remember, it’s ways best to pour out the amount of dressing you need rather than scoop it out with a spoon. Any new bacteria that is introduced to the dressing may cause it to spoil at a faster rate.
Over time, even if it’s a short period of time, the oil in the Greek Salad Dressing tends to separate. This is completely normal, and to be expected! All you’ll need to do is give the dressing a good shake before serving.
Also, if you notice that some of the dressing appears to have solidified in the refrigerator, that’s also normal. In that instance, just allow the jar of dressing to sit at room temperature to warm up for about half an hour before giving it a nice shake. It should be good as new!
Personally, I don’t recommend freezing Greek Salad Dressing. While there are some people who claim that it’s perfectly fine to do, I never end up with good results once the dressing thaws. The best way to enjoy this simple salad dressing is right from the fridge within that initial two week time period.
Yes. Red wine vinegar is bolder and tangier. White wine vinegar is lighter and slightly fruity. Both work well, and it comes down to personal preference.
More Homemade Light Dressing Recipes
If you love a vinegar-forward dressing, Italian dressing uses red wine vinegar with a parmesan-spiked herb blend that works on salads, sandwiches, and as a marinade. For something richer and sweeter, balsamic vinaigrette is endlessly versatile and pairs beautifully with fruit, greens, and grilled meats. If you want something creamy without any dairy or mayo, the avocado dressing recipe uses an emulsification technique to get a silky, smooth texture that clings perfectly to greens.
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Greek Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3-4 garlic cloves pressed
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried dill weed
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- coarse salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid or salad dressing shaker and shake well.
- Serve over a salad right away or store to use later.
Storing:
- To store the Greek dressing, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. It will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. If you find that in that time, the dressing solidifies slightly, simply let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before giving the jar a good shake. Note: the dressing will and separates into layers but it's totally fine. Just give it a good shake before using.
Notes
- Separation is normal: Oil and water-based liquids naturally separate. Shake well before every use.
- Solidifying in the fridge: Olive oil can firm up when cold. Let the jar sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before shaking and serving.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Always pour out what you need rather than scooping to keep it fresh longer.
- Vinegar swap: Red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar works well here too.
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
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