Creamy Italian Dressing

At a glance

What stands out: If you love creamy Italian dressing, try making your own healthier version! Zesty and flavorful, it’s reliable on a garden salad topped with Parmesan cheese.

How long it takes: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes to chill (optional)
Equipment you’ll need: small bowl and whisk or small jar with tight-fitting lid
Servings: makes 8 oz.

Many of you love our Italian dressing, a straightforward to mix vinaigrette, but some of you are asking if we have a recipe for a creamy Italian dressing, so here it is!

Creamy Italian dressing

For salads and more! This Italian dressing has loads of flavor and is reliable for a simple green salad, especially with tomatoes and pickled red onions. Add shaved Parmesan and from-scratch croutons for a great salad. Creamy Italian dressing works well for pasta salads, too. Try creamy Italian dressing on a sandwich. Pile your favorite cold cuts, cheese, and veggies on a sub bun or between slices of bread and top it with creamy Italian dressing.

No mayo. Many creamy dressings use mayonnaise to achieve their creamy status. While we're not against mayonnaise in any way, we like to keep things a bit more lighter by using Greek yogurt in place of the mayo. The dressing is nice and creamy without as many calories (and it’s egg-free!)

So straightforward to mix. There’s no chopping or mincing. Just grab dried herbs from your pantry. How straightforward is that! You can throw it together in about ten minutes. And we're sure you’ll agree that from-scratch is so much fresher tasting than store-bought dressing.

What goes in

• Olive oil: You could also use grapeseed or canola oil but we like a good quality extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings.
• Plain Greek yogurt: Any type is fine: nonfat, lowfat, or regular, as long as it is plain/unflavored. This replaces the mayonnaise found in most creamy Italian dressing. However, if you prefer, feel free to use mayonnaise instead of the yogurt.
• White wine vinegar: White balsamic would work too but don’t use plain white vinegar because it’s too acidic.
• Honey or sugar: Just a touch, to balance the tangy yogurt.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder, dried basil, oregano, and parsley, and kosher salt and it’s all stuff you probably have in your pantry! If you like a zesty Italian dressing, add a pinch (or more!) of red pepper flakes.

How it comes together

Combine ingredients. Measure out all the ingredients, and add them a small bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid (about 12 ounces). If you’re using a bowl, use a small whisk to completely blend the ingredients. If you’re using a jar, cover the jar and shake it until the ingredients are blended.

Recipe Tip

We found that the dressing tastes a little bit better if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or so. The dried herbs sort of come into their own, hydrating until they are full flavored. That’s just enough time to make your salad. Make the dressing first, put it in the refrigerator, prepare the salad, and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

Ways to change it

• Make it vegan. Simply use a vegan mayo product to replace the yogurt in this recipe.
• Experiment with the dried herbs. This is a classic Italian dressing but there are plenty of ways to change it. Make it more “zesty” by adding additional red pepper flakes.
• Use fresh herbs. Fresh herbs add tons of great flavor but keep in mind that your dressing will only keep a day or two.
• Make it cheesy. Add 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to the dressing for even more flavor.

Make Ahead & Storage

Since this dressing can be refrigerated for up to a week, you can make it whenever you have five minutes or so, and it will be ready when you are. Simply store the dressing in the refrigerator in the same jar or bowl you mixed it up in. It will keep for up to a week (depending on when your yogurt expires). Shake it well, or stir, before serving.

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (can use mayonnaise if you prefer)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey or granulated sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch red pepper flakes (use more if you like a zesty dressing)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a small jar or bowl; shake or whisk until combined.
2. The dressing can be served immediately but if possible, refrigerate for 30 minutes to hydrate dried herbs. Whisk or shake well before serving.

Notes

Storage: Refrigerate in a tightly covered container or jar for up to a week. Shake well before using.

Double the recipe. Since this recipe can be stored for a week, make a double batch (2X) if you’re serving a lot of salads.

Make it cheesy. Add 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan to the dressing, if you like.