Creamy Garlic Dressing

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Calling all garlic lovers! This creamy garlic dressing is wonderful on a green salad, tossed into slaw, or made into a dip.

Now that I’ve really gotten into making my own salad dressings, I feel like I can’t stop.

My green goddess dressing was at the top of my favorites, but now I think it’s been overtaken by this simple, creamy garlic dressing!

I don’t remember where I first had homemade garlic salad dressing, but it’s no surprise it’s a favorite considering how much I love garlic bread. It just works so well on salads, whether you choose crisp romaine lettuce or hearty spinach.

Homemade dressing is so easy to make, I promise. All you really need is a food processor and less than 10 minutes, and you’ll have a fresh, flavorful dressing for the best salad ever.

Ingredients

Chances are you already have everything you need to make creamy garlic dressing!

Mayonnaise

I use real mayonnaise in my dressing. Don’t substitute in salad cream or Miracle Whip; the flavor won’t be the same. 

Buttermilk

Using buttermilk in dressing gives it a wonderful, subtle tang. I always have buttermilk on hand for baking, and it’s essential in creamy salad dressings too!

Lemon juice

Lemon juice adds acidity and brightness. Bottled juice works just fine, though you can use fresh lemon juice if you like.

Worcestershire sauce

I like to add this for umami flavor. Worcestershire is made with anchovy, so if you’d like to keep your dressing vegetarian, you can swap in soy sauce or tamari.

Fresh chives

Chives add a mild onion flavor that works perfectly with the garlic to add just a bit of freshness.

Garlic cloves

You need to use fresh garlic cloves for this recipe, not dried garlic, garlic powder, or garlic salt. 

I use a garlic press before adding the cloves to the food processor to release the natural juices and flavor. You can also smash the cloves and chop by hand, or simply add whole and blend for longer.

Because garlic cloves can vary in size quite a bit, use your personal taste preferences as a guide for how much to add.

For this recipe, I use 3 to 4 medium-size cloves.

Roasting garlic

You can also roast the garlic to mellow out the garlic’s bite and give the dressing a bit of a different flavor.

To roast the garlic, place the cloves onto a square of foil, add a little olive oil, and fold up corners to form a packet.

Place on a sheet pan in the oven and roast at 400°F for about 30 minutes. Let cool before using in the dressing.

If you’re roasting, I recommend doing extra cloves or even a whole bulb! Use the extra roasted garlic for making garlic butter or garlic bread.

How to make creamy garlic dressing

This recipe is truly one of the easiest things you’ll ever make.

Simply add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. I like to use a 3.5-cup food processor, which is the perfect size for making a batch of salad dressing.

Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

For a thicker dressing or dip, replace some of the buttermilk with sour cream. For a thinner dressing, add more buttermilk.

You can also add grated parmesan cheese if you like.

Serve or chill for later.

Storage tips

Because this dressing only takes five minutes to make, you can whip it up right before dinner and serve immediately.

Or, store it in a covered container in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld before serving. 

It will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Just like with packaged salad dressings, give the dressing a little shake to remix the ingredients.

Other salad dressings you’ll love

• Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing
• Blueberry Vinaigrette

I love this creamy garlic dressing recipe for salads, on a baked potato, over french fries, with fresh veggies like carrot sticks, or even served over grilled chicken. Give it a try!