Homemade Greek Salad Dressing is tangy, easy to make, and delicious drizzled over a Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, onions, and Feta!
Homemade salad dressings are always a hit when I share them on Five Heart Home. However, while perusing the ones I've already posted, I realized that there was a big ol' hole where a nice Greek Salad Dressing should be! So I decided to remedy that today by sharing my favorite recipe for homemade Greek dressing that's zippy, zesty, and loaded with flavor.
In recent years, I've developed an affinity for Mediterranean food that sometimes feels like a betrayal to my Tex-Mex loving identity. But that's okay...where there is queso, there's also room for hummus (and sometimes even Tex-Mex-inspired hummus).? I've realized that not only is Mediterranean food indescribably delicious, but it's also one of the healthier cuisine options out there. And so with each passing year, I incorporate more and more Mediterranean recipes into my repertoire.
And one of my favorites is (surprise!!!) a traditional Greek salad! You know the kind I'm talking about...a bed of salad greens generously topped with crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives and creamy crumbles of Feta cheese. Of course, there are often thin slivers of raw red onion on Greek salads as well. But while I include those in my styled salad photos, y'all know I pick them off before eating said salad.?
How to Make Greek Salad Dressing
But what really makes a good Greek salad is the dressing! Fundamentally just a basic vinaigrette, this Greek dressing recipe features extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, and oregano.
Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk or shake them up in a jar or whiz them together in a mini food processor. And that's it! See? Easy-peasy.
I love making my own from-scratch salad dressings at home because I can use high-quality ingredients and I know exactly what's going in there. There are no preservatives or weird, icky additives to worry about! In addition, homemade dressing tastes fresher and can always be tweaked and customized to your liking.
So are you a fan of Mediterranean cuisine? Do you adore a good Greek salad? Either way, I've got your back with this tangy, tasty Greek Salad Dressing recipe! It's perfect on a salad to accompany just about any type of meal, or you can top your salad with some protein to make it a meal in and of itself. This dressing also makes a mean marinade for chicken or flank steak or shrimp.
I hope you'll add it to your homemade dressing regular rotation as I've added it to mine!
Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- Be sure to use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (that you like the taste of!) in any salad dressing, as the flavor will shine through.
- When using fresh garlic in a salad dressing, I like to make sure it's very finely minced. If I'm going to whisk or shake my dressing, I push a garlic clove through a garlic press, or finely mince and then mash with the side of my knife. If I'm using my mini food processor to assemble my dressing, I pulse the garlic clove first to chop it up before adding the rest of the ingredients and processing.
- That being said, if fresh raw garlic is too strong for your taste, you may substitute 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder instead.
- I typically make my dressing with dried oregano, but if you'd like to substitute fresh chopped oregano, use three times the amount...1 tablespoon fresh instead of 1 teaspoon dried.
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is best, but you can also use bottled lemon juice as long as "lemon juice" is the only ingredient.
- If you find this vinaigrette to be too tangy or acidic, you can add a small pinch of sugar or a tiny squeeze of honey. It won't be enough to make the dressing sweet, but just enough the mellow out the acidity.
- For a Creamy Greek Salad Dressing, you may incorporate 2 to 3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt. However, if doing so, you may need to slightly increase the salt.
More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Lightened-Up Honey Mustard Dressing
- The BEST Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Greek Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until well-blended and emulsified. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. (Alternatively, you may whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, process the ingredients in a mini food processor, or blend them together in a blender.) Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator; allow to come to room temperature and shake well before using.
Lucy Zartman
I am getting ready to make your Greek dressing could I use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar? A friend of mine just went to a Greek shopping area and bought me a jar of Greek spices and included a small balsamic vinegar. I keep feta cheese all the time. She said they put a helping of potato salad in middle of traditional Greek salad. Thanks for your post.
Samantha Skaggs
What a kind friend to bring you such treats! I haven't made this recipe before using balsamic vinegar, but I don't see why it wouldn't be fine...it's just going to significantly change the final flavor of the dressing. ๐
Cindy
Made the dressing. Delicious. I put a little stevia in it.
Brittany
I ordered a Greek salad from our local diner tonight for dinner. When I received it I was expecting a nice Greek vinaigrette - what they sent me was just tzatziki sauce. I was so disappointed so I googled Greek salad dressings and stumbled across this one. I couldnโt get enough, this definitely will be a staple in my fridge. It was everything I was looking for!!!
Laura
Simple. Amazingly delicious. I'll never buy the store brand again.
Debbie Violett
This recipe is easy to make and is packed with so much flavor! My son-in-law, who is a chef, told me to make a big jar of this and never buy salad dressing in a store again. The whole family loved it.
Becky
I asked my 14-yr-old son to mix this dressing up for me today while I prepared the Caesar salad ingredients. What a wonderful recipe. So delicious!!
Stacey
Just made this and itโs awesome! Thanks so much
Rick
Good to the last drop! quick and easy.
Kimberly XXL Newton Walker
I made this dressing and it was absolutely horrible. Way to much bite from the vinegar and I couldn't tune it down.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Sorry to hear that, Kimberly. If you weren't able to tone down the vinegar by adding additional olive oil, I wonder if it could have been the flavor of the particular vinegar you used?
Ed
Decided on the spur of the moment to make greek dressing with dinner tonight, this dressing recipe is fabulous! Really loved it! Was also great on the grilled salmon that we made with the salads. No more store-bought greek dressing for us! Thanks so much for sharing this! ๐
Samantha at Five Heart Home
So happy to hear that, Ed! ๐
Manny
Would this dressing goes well with pasta? Thinking of making a Mediterranean pasta salad.
Samantha Skaggs
Yes! It's great in a pasta salad. ๐
Mugsy
When my local grocery store discontinued my new favorite salad dressing (store-brand Greek Dressing), and no other name brand variety turned out to be any good, I went searching online for a recipe that most closely matched the ingredients on the last bottle I had. This was it.
Turned out much better than any of the other brands I tried. Thank you.
PS: I misread the recipe and used 1-tbs of Dijon instead of 1-tspn and I think it helped.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I'm glad you enjoyed this, Mugsy! ๐
Sarah
not a comment on the recipe BUT where did you get the glass container with the white cover?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I *think* I got it at World Market, Sarah. But I've had it for awhile and I honestly can't remember for sure?
Beth
I made this yesterday for dinner with a simple garden salad with a few kalamata olives and feta cheese. So flavorful. We loved it.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Your salad sounds wonderful, Beth! I'm so happy you enjoyed this dressing. ๐
Nick @ GreekBoston.com
Store bought Greek dressing really isn't the same! This traditional dressing is exactly how I make it at home. I don't usually use mustard in my versions, though. I find that this dressing tastes great as a marinade, too!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Yes! It's so easy to adapt and versatile...and much better than store-bought! ๐
Susan Burton
Looks amazing! I will definitely make this. My husband who was deployed to Crete in the service informed me that in Greece, traditional Greek salad has no lettuce and is served with a slab of feta instead of crumbles. I ordered one a few months ago while in Greece on vacation, and sure enough, he was right. Love your blog! Do you have a recipe for avocado cilantro ranch by any chance?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Sounds delicious, Susan! I actually bought a slab of feta for this recipe but ended up breaking it up into crumbles and sprinkling them on top -- ha.
I'm so happy you enjoy my blog. ๐ And yes, if you type "taco salad" into the search bar on my site, you will find a recipe for Avocado Cilantro Ranch as part of that post. When I make it, I just use my Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing as a base and add extra cilantro. Hope that helps! ๐