There’s nothing quite like homemade dressings! This Creamy Garlic Dressing is rich and thick, made with whole milk Greek yogurt and a little bit of mayo. It gets it’s punchy flavor from raw garlic, but don’t worry, it’s totally balanced out by bright, citrusy lemon juice and zest. It’s versatile enough for all your favorite salads, whether you’re tossing it with our Grilled Chicken Salad or Kale and Brussels Sprout salad, or serving dolloped on top of a lighter Butter Lettuce Salad.
Here’s what you need to know about this dressing: it’s thick! Like, toss it with some Romaine and it’ll stick to every leaf kind of thick. It’s really easy to thin out with milk, though, to reach your desired consistency.
We think you’ll love it’s garlicky taste, which amps up the flavor of just about any salad! It’s also delicious as a dip for veggies. Truly so much better than a store-bought dressing. Read below for some of our favorite serving suggestions.
Be sure to check out more of our from scratch sauce and dressing recipes, like this Green Goddess dressing with Greek Yogurt, Nicoise Salad Dressing (made with Nicoise olives!) or our Simple Greek Yogurt Dressing next!

Ingredients Needed
- Whole milk Greek yogurt: The dressing gets its creaminess from thick whole milk Greek yogurt!
- Mayonnaise: If you’d rather, you can substitute with sour cream or even creme fraiche.
- 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic, depending on how much raw garlic flavor you want.
- Olive oil: Adding a few tablespoons of high quality extra virgin olive oil adds so much flavor and also helps to thin out the garlic dressing.
- Fresh lemon juice: To thin out the salad dressing and brighten the taste! Add 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest for even more lemon flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: To season the dressing.
- Milk: optional, but you can add a few tablespoons of milk to help thin out the dressing so it’s more pourable! Buttermilk works too, but it’s already kind of tangy from the Greek yogurt.
If you want a super thick and creamy dressing with Greek yogurt, you can shake everything together in a mason jar or tupperware with a sealed lid. For a thinner consistency, pulse together in a blender.
Tips below for getting a thinner consistency if that’s what you prefer!


How To Make Creamy Garlic Dressing
If you’re okay with a thick dressing, you can simply combine all ingredients in a glass jar, seal tightly with a lid, then shake vigorously until creamy. It takes about 15 seconds and is so easy!
What To Do If You Want A Thinner, Pourable Salad Dressing
Want the garlic dressing to be a bit thinner? No problem!
Simply add 2-3 tablespoons more of extra virgin olive oil and/or milk. You can whisk this in a small bowl or place into the glass jar and shake well, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Alternatively, you can place all ingredients in a blender, then pulse until smooth and creamy. This will have a much thinner, more pourable consistency. Again, add more lemon juice or oil as needed to thin out.

Expert Tips
- For a sweeter, but more intense garlic flavor, try adding roasted garlic cloves instead. We recommend you blend this in a blender for a smooth consistency, but this is the way to go for garlic lovers!
- Use fresh garlic, not the jarred variety. It just tastes better.
- To make vegan dressing, substitute with dairy-free or vegan yogurt and mayo (or sour cream). All ingredients are already naturally gluten-free.
Serving Suggestions
This versatile, creamy garlic salad dressing can be enjoyed over all your favorite salads! Shown here, we’ve served it with our Grilled Chicken Salad, which has crisp lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion (pickled or raw), and grilled chicken breasts. Drizzle over the top or toss to thoroughly coat.
It would work well with other salad proteins as well, such as steak, shrimp, salmon, or crispy fried chicken cutlets — yum!
Check out all of our easy & delicious salad recipes for more inspiration on how to serve this!

Substitutions & Variations
- Fresh lemon juice: If you’d rather use vinegar, most types are a fine substitute. We’d recommend red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Herbs: Feel free to add herbs to the dressing! It’s particularly good with fresh tarragon, but would also be delicious with parsley, basil, oregano, or fresh dill.
- Add cheese! We almost always add a little grated Parmesan cheese to our salad dressings.

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5-Minute Creamy Garlic Dressing (With Greek Yogurt!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise or sour cream
- 1-2 cloves garlic finely chopped, depending on how much raw garlic flavor you like
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice about ½ a lemon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: milk, for thinning out the dressing
Instructions
- To make a thicker salad dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar, seal tightly with a lid, then shake well, about 15 seconds, until thick and creamy. Taste, adjust seasoning, then serve immediately, or refrigerate until needed.
- To make a thinner salad dressing: Add a few tablespoons of milk to the above ingredients — start with 2-3 Tbsp, then add more as needed until you reach your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can place all salad dressing ingredients in a small blender, then pulse until smooth and creamy.
Notes
- Leftovers: Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The dressing will keep for up to 1 week.
- Substitutions:
- Fresh lemon juice: If you’d rather use vinegar, most types are a fine substitute. We’d recommend red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Herbs: Feel free to add herbs to the dressing! It’s particularly good with fresh tarragon, but would also be delicious with parsley, basil, oregano, or fresh dill.
- Add cheese! We almost always add a little grated Parmesan cheese to our salad dressings.
Let us know your thoughts!