Olive Garden Dressing has a zesty flavor that we all know and love! Truth be told the dressing is what makes the iconic Olive Garden salad so special. Bold, tangy and instantly recognizable, it’s incredibly easy to make at home. Let me show you how!
Olive Garden Salad Dressing
Bring the tour of Italy flavor to your table with this quick and easy copycat recipe.
What I Love:
- It’s super simple to make in a matter of minutes.
- Saving money by making it at home.
- Getting restaurant quality flavor at home.
- While it’s great for salad, it’s also fantastic with pasta salads.
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Olive Garden Dressing Ingredients
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin or just regular olive oil both work. Since this is the base for the entire dressing, I don’t recommend substituting this ingredient.
- Avocado Oil – The avocado oil adds a nice, rich flavor. If you don’t have any, you can replace it with additional olive oil, or even water, but it will taste a bit different.
- Vinegar – White vinegar is great for this recipe. You can use apple cider vinegar instead, it just may have a different taste than the Olive Garden version.
- Mayonnaise – Just plain mayonnaise works great, and will give the dressing that creamy texture. If you’d like to make a plant based version, vegan mayonnaise works with this recipe as well.
- Zesty Italian Dressing Seasoning – You can find a packet of this at any of your local grocery stores. You will just use the dry mix, so ignore the directions on the package.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar is fine. You can substitute this for a different sweetener, there will just be a different flavor.
- Lemon Juice – This ingredient will give you an extra tangy dressing. You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled, it doesn’t really make a huge difference.
How To Make Olive Garden Dressing
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until well combined.
- While you can serve it immediately, it’s best when you can cover it and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- If you want to make the classic restaurant salad to go with the Olive Garden Dressing, here’s my Olive Garden Salad recipe.
Make It A Meal
Add the following dishes to your Olive Garden Dressing to make it a full meal!
“Wonderful!! It reminded me so much of the Olive Garden.” -Shelia
Olive Garden Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 packget Zesty Italian Dressing Mix (use the dry mix, do not prepare according to package directions)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients for Italian dressing; olive oil, avocado oil, vinegar, mayo, italian dressing packet, sugar, lemon juice and salt and pepper and whisk together vigorously until all the ingredients are combined.
- Pour the dressing into a jar or container with a lid and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the salad. I recommend transferring the dressing to a container with a lid so that you can shake the ingredients together before serving as the ingredients can naturally separate over time.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
