Greek Salad Dressing
Homemade Greek Salad Dressing is tangy, easy to make, and absolutely delicious drizzled over a Greek salad, stirred into a pasta salad, or used as a marinade!
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If you enjoy Greek flavors, you'll also love Greek 7-Layer Dip, Mediterranean Chicken Marinade, Greek Yogurt Dip, and Greek Chicken Pasta Salad!
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. And the tastiest, easy-to-make Greek dressing!
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. 😉
Why Make Homemade Dressings
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, recipes like this homemade Greek Salad Dressing taste fresher and can always be tweaked and customized to your liking.
Ingredients
As I may have mentioned before, what makes a really good Greek salad is the dressing!
Fundamentally just a basic vinaigrette, this Greek dressing recipe features a handful of simple ingredients:
- Extra-virgin olive oil. 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.
- Red wine vinegar. I have not tried substituting another type of vinegar for the red wine vinegar in this recipe. I'm sure it could be done and the dressing would still be tasty, but it's probably not going to taste like Greek dressing anymore.
- Lemon juice. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is best, but you can also use bottled lemon juice as long as "lemon juice" is the only ingredient.
- Dijon mustard. Just a little dab is all you need! The intention of the Dijon is for a layer of flavor, not to taste "mustard-y."
- Garlic. 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 ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead.
- Dried oregano. 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 oregano in place of 1 teaspoon dried.
- Salt + freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make Greek Salad Dressing
Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk...
or whiz them together in a mini food processor....
or shake 'em up in a jar.
And that's it!
See? Easy-peasy.
Storage
Because of the fresh garlic and lemon juice, this Greek Salad Dressing needs to be stored in the refrigerator.
However, because it's made with olive oil, it's likely to solidify a bit when chilled.
Therefore, it's important to take the dressing out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before you'd like to use it.
Since I often don't remember to do that in time, I have been known to quickly bring it to room temp by resting the dressing bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Or, if I've got it stored in a glass container of some sort (which I always do), I might even remove the lid and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds...not enough to heat it up, but just enough to re-liquify the EVOO.
Salad Dressing Container Options
If, like me, you prefer to make your own salad dressing on a regular basis (because we've already established that homemade dressing is way better than store-bought!), you’ll need some quality airtight containers to store it in.
To shake and store your Greek Dressing in the same container, you can use a classic mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, which you can find at Walmart for around $17 for a dozen (the extras come in handy to use around the house)!
Or, if you want something that’s a little easier to pour, a glass bottle or classic salad cruet (as pictured in some of the photos in this post) will do the trick!
Ways to Enjoy Greek Dressing
This recipe is 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!
It's a wonderful dressing to stir into a pasta salad...particularly Greek Pasta Salad.
This Greek dressing also makes a mean marinade for chicken or flank steak or shrimp.
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!
I hope you'll add it to your homemade dressing regular rotation as I've added it to mine. 🙂
Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- 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.
- Or you can try my Creamy Feta Dressing for another Greek-inspired salad dressing option. 🙂
More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Lightened-Up Honey Mustard Dressing
- Asian Salad Dressing (Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette)
- The BEST Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Greek Salad Dressing
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ 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 for up to 2 weeks. Allow to come to room temperature and shake well before using.
Equipment Needed
- Mini Food Processor I like this one!
Notes
- If your dressing is too tangy or acidic, you can add a small pinch of sugar or a tiny squeeze of honey to mellow out the acidity.
- To make a Creamy Greek Salad Dressing, blend in 2 to 3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt. Taste and increase the salt, if necessary.
Nutrition
Post originally published on January 10, 2019.
Is the following nutritional info for the entire recipe or per each serving?
Calories: 163kcal | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 199mg | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Per serving. 🙂
This dressing is delicious! I wanted to know how long can it be stored in the fridge?
Hi Edna! So glad you enjoyed it! This dressing will be fine in the fridge for about a week or so. 🙂
Love it. A keeper thxs 5 out of 5
Simple and awesome!
I have been looking for that special taste for years I love the dressing and will make it weekly for myself and let others sample too good to keep for only me
This is a delicious and easy recipe. I've made it at least 10 times so far. No tweaks needed.
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.
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. 🙂
Made the dressing. Delicious. I put a little stevia in it.
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 couldn’t get enough, this definitely will be a staple in my fridge. It was everything I was looking for!!!
Simple. Amazingly delicious. I'll never buy the store brand again.
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.
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!!
Just made this and it’s awesome! Thanks so much
Good to the last drop! quick and easy.
The red wine vinegar ruined everything! Absolutely disgusting
Only issue here is too much oil. Next time I will reduce to 1/4 cup.
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! 🙂
So happy to hear that, Ed! 🙂
Would this dressing goes well with pasta? Thinking of making a Mediterranean pasta salad.
Yes! It's great in a pasta salad. 🙂
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.
I'm glad you enjoyed this, Mugsy! 🙂
I made this dressing and it was absolutely horrible. Way to much bite from the vinegar and I couldn't tune it down.
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?
not a comment on the recipe BUT where did you get the glass container with the white cover?
I *think* I got it at World Market, Sarah. But I've had it for awhile and I honestly can't remember for sure?
I made this yesterday for dinner with a simple garden salad with a few kalamata olives and feta cheese. So flavorful. We loved it.
Your salad sounds wonderful, Beth! I'm so happy you enjoyed this dressing. 🙂
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!
Yes! It's so easy to adapt and versatile...and much better than store-bought! 😉
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?
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. 🙂 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! 🙂