Have you ever found yourself at a restaurant, so captivated by the salad dressing that it almost outshines the main course? For many of us, that’s the magic of the famous Olive Garden salad. That perfectly zesty, creamy, and tangy Italian dressing is more than just a topping; it’s an experience. It’s the taste that brings back memories of family dinners, unlimited breadsticks, and the simple joy of a perfectly dressed salad. But what if we told you that you don’t have to leave your home to enjoy it?

We’ve unlocked the secret to that iconic flavour, and we’re so excited to share our copycat Olive Garden Dressing recipe with you. This isn’t just another vinaigrette; it’s a beautifully balanced sauce that hits all the right notes – savoury, tangy, slightly sweet, and unbelievably moreish. By making it at home, you control the ingredients, ensuring it’s fresh, free from preservatives, and perfectly tailored to your taste. It’s surprisingly simple to whisk together, using ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.

This recipe is for anyone who craves that restaurant-quality taste without the fuss. It’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners, a show-stopping addition to a summer BBQ, or simply a way to make your daily lunch salad something to look forward to. Get ready to drizzle, dip, and marinate your way to Italian-inspired bliss. Your salads will never be the same again!

Recipe Overview

This copycat Olive Garden Dressing recipe is a faithful recreation of the beloved Italian-American classic. It captures the signature creamy texture and zesty flavour that makes the restaurant’s salad so famous. The taste is a vibrant medley of tangy vinegar, rich olive oil, savoury Parmesan, and a special blend of herbs and spices. It’s an incredibly easy recipe to master; if you can measure and shake a jar, you can make this sauce. Expect a versatile dressing that’s not only perfect for salads but also doubles as a fantastic marinade for chicken or a flavourful sauce for pasta salads.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling time)
• Servings: Makes approximately 400ml (about 16 servings)
• Difficulty: Easy

Why You’ll Love This Olive Garden Dressing

• Incredible Flavour: We’ve perfected the balance of tang, creaminess, and savoury herbs. It’s zesty from the vinegar and lemon, rich from the oil and mayonnaise, and packed with umami goodness from the Parmesan cheese. It tastes just like the real deal!
• Quick & Easy: This dressing requires absolutely no cooking. You simply combine all the ingredients in a jar, give it a good shake, and it’s ready. It takes less than 10 minutes to have a bottle of fresh, delicious dressing ready to go.
• Versatile Sauce: Don’t just limit this to salads! Use it as a marinade for our Lemon Garlic Chicken, drizzle it over grilled vegetables, toss it with pasta for a quick pasta salad, or use it as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.
• Perfect For Any Occasion: It’s elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough for a weekday lunch. A large batch is brilliant for summer barbecues and potlucks, where it’s guaranteed to be a hit.
• Better Than Shop-Bought: Making this dressing at home means you know exactly what’s in it. No strange preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup. Just fresh, wholesome ingredients that deliver a superior flavour.

Olive Garden Dressing

⏱️ 15 min prep  •  🍳 30 min cook  •  👥 10 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For the most authentic flavour, we recommend using good-quality ingredients. A decent extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese will make a world of difference in the final taste of this copycat Italian dressing.

• 120ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 80ml White Wine Vinegar
• 60ml Water
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (full-fat)
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
• 50g Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 teaspoons Caster Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Pro Tip: Don’t be tempted to use pre-grated Parmesan from a shaker tub. Grating your own from a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano provides a much better flavour and texture, and it melts into the dressing beautifully.

How to Make Olive Garden Dressing

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. The best and easiest method is to use a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. This allows you to combine and emulsify the dressing with just a few vigorous shakes, making cleanup a breeze.

1. Gather and Measure: Start by getting all your ingredients ready. Measure out the oils, vinegar, and water. Grate your Parmesan cheese, juice the lemon, and measure all your dry spices, herbs, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. This prep makes the process smooth and quick.
2. Combine Liquid Ingredients: Pour the extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, mayonnaise, and fresh lemon juice into a medium-sized mixing bowl or a large glass jar (a 500ml jam jar works perfectly).
3. Add the Flavourings: Add the caster sugar, dried oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to the liquid ingredients.
4. Emulsify the Dressing: This is the most crucial step for a creamy texture. If using a jar, seal the lid tightly and shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds. You’ll see the oil and vinegar combine into a beautiful, creamy emulsion. If using a bowl, whisk briskly for about 1 minute until everything is well combined and slightly thickened. According to food science experts at Serious Eats, this process suspends the oil droplets within the vinegar, creating a stable sauce.
5. Stir in the Parmesan: Once the dressing is emulsified, add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir or shake again for another 10-15 seconds just to combine. The cheese won’t fully dissolve, leaving lovely little specks throughout the sauce.
6. Taste and Adjust: Dip a piece of lettuce or a spoon into the dressing to taste it. You may want to add a pinch more salt to enhance the flavours, a little more sugar to balance the tang, or a squeeze more lemon for brightness. Adjust it to your personal preference.
7. Chill and Serve: For the best flavour, cover the dressing and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This gives the dried herbs time to rehydrate and the flavours a chance to meld together. Before serving, give it another quick shake as it may separate slightly upon standing.

Expert Tips for Perfect Results

• Chill Time Matters: We can’t stress this enough! While you can serve it immediately, the dressing is exponentially better after it has rested in the fridge. The flavours deepen and become much more cohesive. An hour is great, but even 30 minutes makes a difference.
• Don’t Skip the Mayo: The small amount of mayonnaise is the secret ingredient. It acts as an emulsifier, helping to bind the oil and vinegar together for that signature creamy consistency that won’t separate as quickly.
• Make It Ahead: This is the perfect make-ahead recipe. In fact, its flavour improves over the first day or two. You can prepare a batch on Sunday to enjoy on salads all week long. It’s a fantastic way to elevate your meal prep. For more easy prep ideas, check out these Healthy Chicken Recipes.
• Storage: Store your Olive Garden Dressing in an airtight container, like a glass jar, in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 10 days. The oil may solidify and separate when chilled; simply let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and shake vigorously before use.

Delicious Variations to Try

One of the best things about making your own dressing is how easy it is to customize. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Spicy Italian Dressing: Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the mix for a gentle, warming heat that beautifully complements the other flavours.
• Creamier Version: For an even creamier, richer dressing, increase the mayonnaise to 4 tablespoons (60ml). This will make it thicker and more decadent, perfect for a wedge salad.
• Low-Carb or Keto-Friendly: To make this sauce suitable for a low-carb diet, simply replace the caster sugar with an equivalent amount of a keto-friendly sweetener like erythritol or stevia. The rest of the ingredients are naturally low in carbs.

What to Serve With Olive Garden Dressing

While this sauce was born for salad, its uses are nearly endless. Here are our favourite ways to enjoy this fantastic Italian dressing:

• The Classic Salad: Recreate the iconic experience by tossing it with a salad of crisp romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, black olives, thinly sliced red onion, pepperoncini peppers, and large, crunchy croutons.
• Chicken Marinade: Use it to marinate chicken breasts or thighs for 2-4 hours before grilling or baking. It tenderises the meat and infuses it with incredible flavour. This would be a perfect dressing to serve alongside our Bruschetta Chicken.
• Pasta Salad Sauce: Cook up your favourite pasta shape, let it cool, and toss it with the dressing, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese for a quick and delicious pasta salad.
• Beverage Pairing: A crisp, dry white wine like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc cuts through the richness of the dressing beautifully, making for a perfect pairing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Olive Garden Dressing

A creamy and tangy copycat of the famous Olive Garden Italian dressing. This simple recipe combines oil, vinegar, Parmesan, and herbs for a zesty vinaigrette perfect for any salad.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 120 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 80 ml White Wine Vinegar
• 60 ml Water
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise full-fat
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
• 50 g Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 teaspoons Caster Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method

 

1. Gather and Measure: Start by getting all your ingredients ready. Measure out the oils, vinegar, and water. Grate your Parmesan cheese, juice the lemon, and measure all your dry spices, herbs, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. This prep makes the process smooth and quick.
2. Combine Liquid Ingredients: Pour the extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, mayonnaise, and fresh lemon juice into a medium-sized mixing bowl or a large glass jar (a 500ml jam jar works perfectly).
3. Add the Flavourings: Add the caster sugar, dried oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to the liquid ingredients.
4. Emulsify the Dressing: This is the most crucial step for a creamy texture. If using a jar, seal the lid tightly and shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds. You'll see the oil and vinegar combine into a beautiful, creamy emulsion. If using a bowl, whisk briskly for about 1 minute until everything is well combined and slightly thickened. According to food science experts at Serious Eats, this process suspends the oil droplets within the vinegar, creating a stable sauce.
5. Stir in the Parmesan: Once the dressing is emulsified, add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir or shake again for another 10-15 seconds just to combine. The cheese won't fully dissolve, leaving lovely little specks throughout the sauce.
6. Taste and Adjust: Dip a piece of lettuce or a spoon into the dressing to taste it. You may want to add a pinch more salt to enhance the flavours, a little more sugar to balance the tang, or a squeeze more lemon for brightness. Adjust it to your personal preference.
7. Chill and Serve: For the best flavour, cover the dressing and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This gives the dried herbs time to rehydrate and the flavours a chance to meld together. Before serving, give it another quick shake as it may separate slightly upon standing.

Notes

Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The dressing may separate upon standing, so be sure to shake vigorously before each use.

There you have it – the key to bringing one of the most-loved restaurant salads right into your own kitchen. This copycat Olive Garden Dressing recipe is so simple, so fresh, and so packed with flavour, we’re confident it will become a new staple in your home. Say goodbye to underwhelming shop-bought dressings forever and hello to vibrant, delicious salads every single time. We can’t wait for you to try it! Let us know how it turns out by leaving a comment below.