Easy Green Goddess Dressing
This homemade green goddess dressing recipe is so easy to make! It's creamy, fresh, completely delicious—and a great way to use up your leafy herbs!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 2, 2024
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This green goddess dressing is exactly what we need right now. It’s creamy, tangy, and fully loaded with fresh, herbal flavor. I’ve savored it by the spoonful while imagining sunny days ahead.
The Green Goddess is going to carry us through to spring. We’re going to make it. I can feel it.
I put some soup recipe development on hold when I finalized this dressing. I’ll figure it out soon enough (hint: it’s also green). I’m too busy drizzling this versatile dressing over anything and everything.
The funny thing about this green goddess dressing recipe is that it’s so very simple. I tried adding lemon juice and olive oil, and they only distracted from the beautiful combination of good Greek yogurt and fresh herbs.
In fact, you can use any combination of fresh herbs for this recipe. That leftover parsley and cilantro in the fridge? Let’s use ’em up.
Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients
This salad dressing differs from most other green goddess dressings, but the flavor and texture remains so similar. Typically, you’ll find mayonnaise, lemon, and anchovies on the ingredients list. This recipe relies on Greek yogurt for tang and creaminess instead.
Greek Yogurt
High-quality whole-milk yogurt makes this dressing spectacular. I splurged on Straus Family Creamery and it’s just so good. I suspect regular plain yogurt would work well, too, though it will be more runny.
Fresh Herbs
Now we’re talking! This dressing calls for an overflowing cup of fresh, leafy herbs. Here are some notes on your options.
Tarragon: If you’re looking for classic green goddess flavor, be sure to use some tarragon. Its licorice-like flavor is strong, so limit the tarragon to about 2 tablespoons (or a small handful).
Chives or green onion: Chives are more classic, but green onion works almost nearly as well. To avoid overpowering your dressing with oniony flavor, limit these ingredients to about 1/4 cup.
Basil, parsley, cilantro, dill and/or mint: Use these to fill up the rest of your cup. Any one of these herbs (or any combination) will work beautifully. For dressing that would be suitable with Mexican meals, try using a lot of cilantro (and maybe add a fresh jalapeño—see recipe note). Dill lovers, try an all-dill dressing and drizzle it over potatoes.
Garlic
Just one small-to-medium clove—no more! In sauces and dressings, garlic often grows in intensity as it rests.
Salt and Pepper
Plenty of each—dressing should be bordering on salty when it’s your main seasoning for fresh produce. This dressing loves black pepper!
Watch How to Make Easy Green Goddess Dressing
Salad Serving Suggestions
This herbaceous dressing is so versatile. Build a salad with any of these ingredients:
- Almonds, pepitas or sunflower seeds
- Bell peppers
- Carrots, shaved or thinly sliced
- Cooked chickpeas or lentils
- Cucumber
- Feta or goat cheese
- Fresh, leafy greens—including butter lettuce, baby gem, romaine and spring greens
- Red onion
- Snow peas or snap peas
- Tomatoes
- Radishes
You can also use this dressing as a veggie dip for any of the above suggestions.
Please let me know how your dressing turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Looking for more homemade salad dressings? Here are a few more favorites:
- Carrot Ginger Dressing or Ginger Salad Dressing
- Creamy Tahini Dressing
- Fresh Mint Dressing
- How to Make Vinaigrette (Plus 3 Essential Variations!)
- Sunshine Salad Dressing
Easy Green Goddess Dressing
This homemade green goddess dressing recipe is so easy to make! It’s creamy, fresh, completely delicious—and a great way to use up your leafy herbs. Recipe yields about 1 ¼ cups dressing; multiply if desired.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably full-fat (made with whole milk)
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (tender stems are fine): use cilantro, parsley, dill, basil and/or mint, with up to ¼ cup chives or green onion (sliced into ½″ segments)
- Optional: Up to 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
- 1 medium clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth and green, with tiny flecks of herbs.
- Taste, and add more salt or pepper if desired. Use as desired, or cover and refrigerate for later. This dressing will keep well in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
Notes
Make it vegan: Make my tahini dressing in a food processor, adding the herbs suggested above (same quantity).
Make it spicy: Add jalapeño! Remove and discard the seeds and ribs from a medium jalapeño. Roughly chop the pepper flesh, and blend half of it with the other ingredients. Blend, taste, and add even more if you’d like.
Recommended equipment: A small to medium-sized food processor is perfect for making this dressing, such as this 11-cup Cuisinart (affiliate link). Or make it in a blender—you’ll likely need to double the recipe to gain enough traction. As a last resort, you could finely chop all of the ingredients by hand.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Only had plain fat free yoghurt on hand and wow this is super tasty. For a super healthy dressing this is the bomb. 5 ⭐️
This is the first time I have ever tasted Green Goddess Dressing! It is absolutely delicious even though I didn’t have Tarragon nor Parsley to add. All I can say is…”move back to Farm, Ranch Dressing”…I’m a Green Goddess now!
That’s great to hear, Delores! I appreciate your review.
10…10 !! MY 1ST TIME MAKING HOMEMADE DRESSING.
I’m glad you loved it!
You hit a home run Kate, love this and the calories are only 60 per 1/4 cup, love this on chicken breast done with panko bread crumbs
Thanks Kate and say hello to Cookie
I appreciate your well-tested recipes, Kate. Once again, you nailed it! I used fresh chives, Italian parsley, and dill. Added EVOO because I add it to most everything and it helped the mini blender cooperate. Followed the rest of your directions as written. It’s incredibly delicious.
Many thanks for this and all your recipes, Kate.
You’re welcome, Maria! Thank you for sharing how you made it and what you thought.
I think something is missing from this recipe…?
I made it and it’s just yogurt and herbs.
Too thick for a salad.
Wondering if there should have been an oil or lemon juice or another type of vinegar needing to be added?
Sorry, not a fan at all
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe. I appreciate your feedback.
I made this with cocojune organic coconut yogurt and it came out delish! Put it on a salad with spinach, arugula, asparagus, yellow squash, zucchini, and roasted red potatoes… amazing and perfect for late spring early summer lunch!
Thank you for sharing, Amy! That sounds like a delicious combination.
Hello – I made the Easy Green Goddess Dressing. I used from my garden, fresh chives and flat leaf parsley. It is delicious!! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, E! I’m glad you loved it.
I was looking for a minimalist green goddess dressing—some of them are really over the top—and this was perfect. I did make some modifications for my purposes: because my yogurt was *very*sour, I cut it with 1/4 cup mayonnaise. I was serving with a smoked trout salad, so for the herbs/greenery, I used basil, minced capers, and finely chopped cucumber. It made a lovely summer meal.
Mine didnt turn out the best but it was definitely my own fault lol. I replaced the fresh herbs for dry ones because that’s all i had, but where i really went wrong was that i didn’t realize my yogurt was vanilla flavored. Oops! It still tastes ok though, could definitely see the vision
Great to hear, Hailey! Thank you for your review.
Soooo good even my veggie-averse husband admitted he liked it. I’m putting it over your tortellini salad that hit my inbox.
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Gaelen! I appreciate your review.
I decided I wanted a “big salad” with grilled salmon as my Mother’s Day meal. I had plenty of Cilantro, Parsley and Basil in my herb pots and added green onions. My husband and I both thought this dressing was absolutely PERFECT! SOOOO fresh-tasting!! We’ve never had one of your recipes we didn’t love! THANKS AGAIN!
You’re welcome, Bobette!
I added an avocado and thinned with water. Also used garlic scapes because they were in season. Delicious!
That’s great to hear, Kathleen!
I made this green goddess dressing with fresh herbs from my garden, paying attention to not too much garlic. I used some mayonnaise, but mostly cashew yoghurt, and it was a big hit. I’m going to make it a lot!
That’s great to hear, Penny!
Delicious dressing! Printed off the recipe so I will most definitley make this again!
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Lynda! Thank you for your review.