Creamy Garlic Dressing (With Greek Yogurt!)

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.

If you enjoy this salad dressing recipe, consider trying our Nicoise Salad Dressing (made with Nicoise olives!) or 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, 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.

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.

Leftovers & Storage

Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The dressing will keep for up to 1 week.

Note: the garlic flavor will intensify the longer it sits!