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Creamy and herbaceous basil green goddess dressing is the perfect way to give your next salad an upgrade! Fresh basil makes this dressing a standout.
Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
In the summer when we have so much basil we don’t know what to do with it all, I love making this dressing to serve over my garden tomatoes and cucumbers. I got the idea for adding basil to green goddess dressing from Ina Garten; while traditional green goddess salad dressing is made with a combination of herbs, this one lets basil be the star. My husband is basil obsessed, so this recipe always makes him happy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy—but light. Green goddess dressing sounds like it should be light and healthy, but the traditional version is a calorie bomb. Here, I lighten things up with light mayo and sour cream. (Although if you’re on a keto diet, you can use full-fat.)
- Versatile. This dressing isn’t just for salads! There are countless ways to use it—I share some of my favorite ideas below.
- Better than store-bought. While I admit, store-bought dressings are convenient, they don’t compare to homemade versions, which always taste so much fresher. (Try this Greek yogurt Caesar salad dressing too.)
What You’ll Need
Here’s a rundown of the ingredients you’ll need for basil green goddess dressing. Scroll down to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Light mayonnaise – I like to use Hellman’s.
- Scallions or Chives – Green goddess dressing has some onion-y notes in addition to the herbs; this is from the scallions or chives.
- Basil – Using fresh basil is non-negotiable. Dried just won’t work here!
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed juice adds bright flavor to the salad dressing.
- Garlic – This adds some garlicky flavor, but it’s not over-powering; the lemon juice helps mellow it out a bit.
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Essentials for a delicious dressing.
- Anchovy paste – As with Caesar salad, anchovy is the secret ingredient that makes this dressing pop. For a vegetarian green goddess dressing, you can add white miso paste or vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.
- Light sour cream – For creaminess and a bit of tang.
How to Make Basil Green Goddess Dressing
Here’s a quick overview of the steps involved in making this salad dressing. See the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Blend. Combine all the ingredients except the sour cream in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Add the sour cream. Blend again until it’s fully incorporated.
- Serve. Use immediately or refrigerate for later.
Tips and Variations
- Use other herbs. For a more traditional take on green goddess dressing, use a combination of herbs like parsley, chives, mint, tarragon, and cilantro. Experiment with different combinations to find your favorite.
- Adjust the consistency. You can make the dressing thicker by adding more sour cream, which makes it more of a dip. For a thinner dressing, blend in water a tablespoon or two at a time.
- Pack in the basil. You’ll need a good amount of basil for this dressing, which means packing it into the measuring cup tightly.
- Make it Lighter. Swap the mayo for Greek yogurt.
Ways to Use Green Goddess Dressing
- As a salad dressing. This dressing pairs perfectly with fresh greens and veggies. I like to serve it over a wedge of iceberg along with some fresh heirloom tomatoes.
- As a dip. Serve it as a dip for crispy veggies like carrots, celery, and bell peppers. It would work as a dip for skinny buffalo wings too.
- On sandwiches or wraps. Spread it on sandwiches or wraps for extra flavor and creaminess. It would also be great on on a chicken burger.
- With grilled meats. Drizzle it over grilled chicken breast, fish, or shrimp for a summery main dish.
- In pasta salads. Toss it with cooked pasta, chickpeas or white beans, and grape tomatoes for a simple pasta salad. (You’ll also love this green goddess potato salad!)
- On meal bowls. A spoonful of basil green goddess dressing adds color, flavor, and creaminess to healthy rice bowl recipes.
Proper Storage
Transfer the dressing to a jar, bottle, or other airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Because there’s mayo in this dressing, it cannot be frozen.)
More Easy Salad Dressing Recipes
Basil Green Goddess Dressing
Basil green goddess dressing is the perfect way to give your next salad an upgrade! This version is lightened up, but still rich and creamy.
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 2 tbsp
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise, such as Hellman’s (regular for Keto)
- 1/2 cup scallions, or chives, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, packed
- 1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 1/2 cup light sour cream, full fat for Keto
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for sour cream in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add sour cream and process until blended.
- Keep refrigerated until serving.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
Makes about 2 cups.
Note: To make it lighter you can swap the mayo for Greek yogurt.
Nutrition
Serving: 2 tbsp, Calories: 60.3 kcal, Carbohydrates: 2.9 g, Protein: 1.3 g, Fat: 4.9 g, Fiber: 0.3 g
I’ve never been a fan of green goddess dressing…until now. This is fresh and creamy and won’t be limited to salads. Veggie dip? Oh yeah!
So good!
Hi, question, not a fan of basil especially this much, any other suggestions for this recipe?
Can you freeze this?
Since it has mayo I would not suggest it.
Love this dressing, absolutely glorious.
Very delicious!! Creamy but fresh. Definitely recommend!
I swapped ff greek yogurt for mayo and lowfat cc for sour cream bc that’s what I had and it was awesome!
Fantastic
I’ve made this multiple times. It is always slightly different because I use whatever herbs I have in hand. This time I didn’t have fresh scallions or chives, but I did have red onion. It was great!
Great dressing! Though I used accidentally too much lemon juice it was still fantastic. Too compensate I used a bit more sour cream. It is also a great dipsauce with raw vegetables.
Perfect balance of tangy, flavorful, tart, salty! I was a bit nervous about the anchovy paste, but it’s a hit. I started dressing our salads before we serve up (vs letting everyone douse their own) and we’re using way less dressing overall, and keeping up with the summer basil crop. Have made twice this week and plan to keep it stocked!
Fantastic dressing! Made exactly as listed. Bet this would be great on hot or cold pasta!
Absolutely!!
Could I use 1 tsp of minced garlic?
Sure
I have not made this yet, but it sounds delicious. Can I replace mayo with greek yogurt to reduce the fat even further?
Love your recipes. Please don’t ever stop . BARB
This salad dressing is amazing! I didn’t have anchovy paste so subbed fish sauce. Turned out great.
The flavor is amazing! And 1 WW point for 2 Tbs. Yes. I subbed Greek nonfat yogurt for sour cream, but that’s all I changed. It’s a bit thick, so I added a little more lemon juice too. But as is, it would make a great dip. Thanks!
This dressing tastes like summer! Subbed in Greek yogurt for the mayo and added an extra clove of garlic. Really great flavor
This tastes like the Panera green goddess dressing. So good!
I made this Basil Green Goddess today. Quite delicious! It will be on a regular rotation in my favorite salad dressings. Thanks, Gina!
Wow! This is officially my new obsession! I used anchovy filets, as that was what I had.
I love, this dressing. The only change I make is substituting the anchovy paste with rinsed anchovies from a can. Once I substituted a dash of fish sauce when I didn’t have any anchovies and it worked well. Don’t be afraid of using anchovies because you dislike them, they add a special flavor without tasting like the real thing. This dressing is delicious.
I used fat free Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream, didn’t have quite that much basil in the garden so I added some oregano, thyme, chives, and anchovy with a spoonful of the EVOO from the can and blended it all in the mini food processor. AMAZING. My new fave ST salad dressing. Thanks, Gina!
Hi! I just made this dressing and found it a little too thick as a salad dressing so I thinned it with about a 1/4 cup water. Also I calculated the PointsPlus on the WW website and it's 2 PP per serving, not one.
I just put this on a quinoa salad with tomatoes and artichoke hearts. You are incredible!!! This is so good I want to just eat it alone 🙂 I may have doubled the amount of basil in it because I am a basil addict.
One word,,, OMG!!!!!!!!!! =)
Just made this last night – DELISH! I used Greek yogurt for the sour cream. It came out a little thicker than yours, but it was perfect – I had made cheeseburger eggrolls, and used the dressing to dunk. 🙂
Just made this and it is yummy! I substituted yogurt for the sour cream and that worked just fine. Thanks for another great recipe!
Would it be possible to substitute the sour cream with greek yogurt? Since I have been following your recipes, I only buy greek yogurt now! 😀 Thanks for all the great recipes and pictures, Gina!
This is so delicious! I have sworn off bottled salad dressing and this will definitely replace it. I also didn't put in the anchovy paste and it still turned out delicious. Love it!
Made this last night (minus the anchovy paste) and it came out delicious!! One question though: I exactly halved the recipe and measured out 2-Tbsp servings for my lunches for this week, but only came out with 4 servings. Is the full recipe for 16, 1-Tbsp servings? or 8, 2-Tbsp servings??
Thanks for the clarification! 🙂
I just made this- and it is DELISH!!! I skipped the anchovy paste (they didnt have it at target) and added one more clove of garlic. What a great dressing- thanks!
can we get the points plus for this one please
I use 1 cup of water and I am pretty sure if you boil it that 1 Tblsp cornstarch will make it thick enough. It tastes good the first week or so but gets very starchy tasting if left in the fridge too long, if you don't plan to use alot maybe cut the recipe in 1/2 or 1/4.
How much does it make total? How much cornstarch and water? You need to know that to get the points accurate.
And for the recipe:
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vinegar
1 onion, grated, juice reserved
1 cup vegetable oil (USE WATER and the cornstarch like I previously stated)
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
I have always made my own poppyseed dressing and I know from the amount of oil it shouldn't be on anyone's diet. I recently tried making it a different way. Instead of oil, use water. Heat the water to boiling and add cornstarch to make it thick like oil. Make the rest of the recipe normal… Oh my!! Fat free poppyseed dressing!!! I don't know how to figure out the points, if I put the recipe up maybe someone could help me?
I tried this dressing and it was excellent! It is also thick enough to just dip veggies in it for a snack or great for a party. No one will ever know it"s made healthier.
@dublintrouble, I will buy it and see what I can do. Is it amazing?
Gina,
I find Brianna's dressings at my local grocery store, in the regular salad dressing aisle. Sorry for the late reply!
This sounds great. You could reduce the points even further by subbing in some plain yogurt. What do you think?
Ellen
Oops! By double points I didn't mean Weight Watchers points! I meant BONUS points!
fantastic adaptation, i can't wait to try!
This sounds so good I can't wait to try it!
Double points because it makes use of that tube of anchovy paste I bought to make the Drunken Shrimp recipe….which turned out AMAZING!
I am a very frequent visitor since July (my WW starting month) and have tried several of your recipes. Thanks for all your efforts…you have definitely helped to keep my Weight Watchers meals yummy and good enough for the whole family to eat!
@ Suzanne – You can always just leave it out.
@ Susan – At least 1-2 weeks.
@ dublintrouble – I've never tried it, where do you get it?
Most grocery stores carry Brianna's brand
sounds yummy – I love basil. If you needed to substitute something for the anchovy paste, what would you suggest? I hate and despise fish with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns and can't bring myself to prepare foods using anchovy paste or even keep it in my fridge.
I know, I'm a wimp. Any ideas?
I just started following your food adventures and am already hooked. I have a plea for you! If you can ever find the time, would you try to re-create my favorite poppyseed dressing in the world? It's rich, creamy, and FIVE POINTS for two tablespoons. Yeah! I love to put it on fresh green beans, but my daily points just won't allow it. It's Brianna's Homestyle Rich Poppyseed Dressing. I would love you forever!
Sounds yummy! How long do you think the dressing will keep in the fridge?
can't wait to try this, thanks! 🙂
Sounds tasty! I eat salads everyday and this will be a great dressing change plus I have a lot of Basil in my garden as well. Thanks for the recipe!