Olive Garden Salad Dressing

5 from 4 votes
4 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.

Unlock the secret to Olive Garden’s famous salad dressing with our copycat recipe! Say goodbye to store-bought dressings and hello to a taste of Olive Garden in your own kitchen!

Pouring Olive Garden Salad Dressing over a large bowl of salad.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in Olive Garden Salad Dressing
  2. Making the Classic Olive Garden Salad
  3. Picking a High Quality Olive Oil
  4. Recipe Tip
  5. Frequently Asked Questions about Olive Garden Salad Dressing
  6. More Salad Dressing Recipes
  7. How to Make Olive Garden Salad Dressing
  8. Olive Garden Salad Dressing Recipe

A dressing that is delicious not only on your Olive Garden salad, but in so many other things– this dressing is versatile! Use it in pasta salad, for chicken bakes, as a marinade. You’ll never run out of opportunities for this dressing, and you’ll be glad you made it! It’s pure alchemy how a few ingredients will come together in a bowl and create endless dishes and flavors. But for starters, put in on a salad, it tastes just like the restaurant.

Ingredients in Olive Garden Salad Dressing

  • High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
  • White Wine Vinegar
  • Water
  • Light Corn Syrup
  • Mayonnaise
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Garlic Powder
  • Parmesan Cheese
Olive oil, vinegar, corn syrup, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, mustard, parmesan, and mayo on a counter.


Making the Classic Olive Garden Salad

Combine fresh romaine lettuce, sliced red onion, tomatoes, medium black olives, pepperoncini peppers, parmesan cheese, and croutons in a large bowl. Toss your ingredients. This will create your salad. Add your dressing and you are ready to enjoy.

A large bowl with iceberg lettuce, olives, tomatoes, red onions, croutons, pepperoncinis, and parmesan.

Picking a High Quality Olive Oil

  • Higher quality olive oil tastes better. It tastes like fruit and herbs, from the fresh and perfectly ripe olives it was pressed from. Lower quality oil just tastes like oil, sometimes worse, because it could be rancid or the olives were no longer good when pressed.
  • Look for olive oils in dark glass bottles. This protects the oil from deteriorating in the light, as well as from absorbing the PVC’s from the plastic.
  • Look for extra virgin olive oil when you are shopping. This is a great choice! Also, cold-pressed is a great thing to see when looking for olive oil. This means that the olive oil was made without use of heat or chemicals.
  • Whole Foods has some great options for olive oils. But, you can find a decent olive oil almost anywhere, you just have to look!

Recipe Tip

Make sure to refrigerate the dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions about Olive Garden Salad Dressing

Is Italian dressing a healthy option?

Sure! Because it isn’t a dressing with a creamy texture, like ranch, it’s a bit healthier. Enjoy it with a salad mix, or veggies like carrots.

What is a good salad dressing for people who hate ranch?

This Olive Garden dressing is a great option, it isn’t creamy or thick, it’s thinner and a little sweet with some Italian seasonings. Another option- a balsamic vinaigrette, similarly lightly sweet and a bit tart!

What is the secret to making a good salad?

Vary your textures, put things in there that you actually like, get a balance of sweet and a little sour, use fresh and crunchy lettuce, don’t use too much dressing! Too much dressing is the downfall of any good salad. It drowns the lettuce and it just turns gross.

Read Next: 35+ Easy Lunch Ideas

A plate of Olive Garden Salad.

More Salad Dressing Recipes

How to Make Olive Garden Salad Dressing

Pouring Olive Garden Salad Dressing over a large bowl of salad

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

5 from 4 votes
Unlock the secret to Olive Garden's famous salad dressing with our copycat recipe! Say goodbye to store-bought dressings and hello to a taste of Olive Garden in your own kitchen!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Refrigeration Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12

Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until well combined.
    yellow liquid in a blender
  • Pour into jar, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
    yellow dressing in a jar

Notes

  • Serve over romaine, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, croutons, and parmesan cheese for the classic Olive Garden Salad! 
  • Make the dressing up to a few days ahead for a quicker lunch. 
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 1789mgPotassium: 9mgFiber: 0.03gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.1mg

Love this recipe?

We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.

Rate and Review



Share This With the World

PinYummly

About the author

Elise Donovan

More about Elise Donovan
5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How many stars would you give this recipe?




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’m so excited to make this olive garden copycat at home! Thanks for the recipe — their salads are legit cravable and it’s all thanks to this delish dressing!