I still remember my first visit to Olive Garden. I was in college, perpetually hungry, and the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks deal was miraculous for my student budget. While the warm breadsticks were undoubtedly a highlight, the salad truly won me over. That perfect blend of crisp lettuce, zesty dressing, and those little pepperoncini peppers created a combination I couldn’t stop thinking about.
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After countless visits (and countless dollars spent), I became determined to recreate that iconic dressing at home. After much experimentation and fine-tuning, I’m thrilled to share this copycat recipe that captures the magic of Olive Garden’s famous dressing – with the added benefit of being customizable to your preferences.
Why This Homemade Version Outshines the Store-Bought Option
Yes, you can find bottles of Olive Garden dressing in many grocery stores. But here’s why making it yourself is so much better:
- Fresher flavor – No preservatives mean a brighter, more vibrant taste
- Customizable – Adjust the sweetness, tanginess, or herb levels to your preference
- Cost-effective – Pennies per serving compared to buying the bottled version
- Fewer additives – Control precisely what goes into your dressing
- Always available – Never run out as long as you have basic pantry ingredients
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise – Creates a creamy base and helps emulsify the dressing; Hellman’s or Duke’s brands are recommended for best flavor
- White vinegar – Provides the signature tangy flavor and helps preserve the dressing
- Vegetable oil – Creates the proper consistency and mouthfeel; contrary to what you might expect, Olive Garden doesn’t use olive oil in their dressing
- Light corn syrup – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness and creates the signature texture
- Grated Parmesan cheese – Contributes savory depth and authentic Italian flavor
- Grated Romano cheese – Adds a sharper, more complex cheese flavor that balances the dressing
- Garlic powder (or fresh garlic clove) – Provides essential aromatic flavor that makes the dressing distinctively Italian
- Dried Italian seasoning – Contains the perfect blend of herbs to create that signature Olive Garden taste
- Dried parsley flakes – Add color and a fresh herbal note
- Lemon juice – Brightens all the flavors and adds a subtle citrus note
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Combine all ingredients: Blend or process the mayonnaise, white vinegar, vegetable oil, corn syrup, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, and lemon juice in a food processor.
- Blend thoroughly: Process until all ingredients are completely combined and the dressing is smooth, about 30-60 seconds.
- Taste and adjust: Sample your dressing and adjust to your preference. Add a little more corn syrup or sugar if it’s too tart. If it needs more zip, add more vinegar or lemon juice.
- Transfer to container: Pour the finished dressing into an airtight container or glass bottle.
- Refrigerate: For best flavor, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, or 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender until well mixed.
- If this is a little too tart for your own personal taste, add a little extra sugar.
- Store dressing in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
No Blender? No Problem!
If you don’t have a blender, you have two easy alternatives:- Whisk method: Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously until completely combined and smooth.
- Shake method: Put all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until well mixed. This method works great and makes for easy storage afterward!
Nutrition
How long does homemade Olive Garden dressing last?
If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, Olive Garden salad dressing can be enjoyed for about ten days.
What do you need to make an Olive Garden Salad?
To create an authentic Olive Garden salad experience at home, gather these ingredients:
- Iceberg lettuce – Provides the signature crunch
- Romaine lettuce – Adds nutrition and a different texture
- Thinly sliced red onion – Offers a sharp flavor contrast
- Pepperoncini peppers – Gives that distinctive tangy heat
- Black olives – Adds briny, savory notes
- Roma tomatoes – Provides fresh sweetness and color
- Croutons – Delivers the essential crunch
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – For sprinkling on top
Toss all ingredients except the Parmesan in a large bowl, add your homemade dressing, and gently mix. Sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.
Pro tip: If the dressing separates during storage, shake or whisk it before using.
Beyond Salad: Creative Uses for This Dressing
This versatile dressing has many uses beyond your salad bowl:
- Drizzle for roasted vegetables – Add just before serving for a flavor boost
- Marinade for chicken or fish – The acidity tenderizes protein beautifully
- Pasta salad dressing – This creates a fantastic cold pasta dish
- Sandwich spread – Use instead of plain mayonnaise for extra flavor
- Dip for vegetables – Makes raw veggies irresistible
Looking for more Olive Garden copycat recipes? Check these out
- Olive Garden Lasagna Mia
- Olive Garden Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Pasta Rustica
- Olive Garden Breadsticks Copycat Recipe
Popular Homemade Salad Dressings
- KFC Coleslaw Dressing
- Santa Fe Salad Cheesecake Factory
- Blue Cheese Salad Dressing Recipe
- Bacon Salad Dressing
- Ginger Salad Dressing
- Buttermilk Salad Dressing
- Green Jacket Dressing
Be sure to check out more of the best Olive Garden copycat recipes and easy salad dressing recipes.
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Despite all the critical comments about how this dressing is compared to the real Olive Garden dressing I LOVE this dressing. I make it all time and use it for a marinade as well. I widh folks would just be grateful for the fact that you took your time to make our lives a bit more simpler and more flavorful.
Thank you 😉 I am glad you enjoyed the salad dressing.
Tried last night and love it. We won’t eat anything but homemade salad dressings and this is the best Italian I’ve ever made!
what eggs are they talking about I didn’t see eggs in your recipe
Eggs are one of three basic ingredients in mayonnaise (oil, eggs, and vinegar/lemon). If you compare the ingredients in a jar of typical storebought mayo with those of Olive Garden’s bottled dressing, OG’s dressing has all mayo’s ingredients, plus some others. So while it doesn’t list “mayo” as an ingredient (FDA laws require more detailed breakdown), essentially it does have mayo, which contains eggs.
Could you please email me olive garden salad dressing recipe please thank you
the way the olive garden makes there dressing is like this–this is why after you open it –it has to be refrigerated –the base is wishbone dressing with parm chesse and romano cheese–and eggs you will whip the dressing til smooth–this is why the dressing is so smooth and don’t seperate because of the eggs
Thank you for your tips!
if you don’t want to use eggs in your recipe use a little mustard. either egg yolk or mustard can be used to keep oil and vinegar from separating too quickly. use the mustard of your choice, though I would not recommend using spicy brown mustard in this salad dressing.
As far as the Mayo, I have compared several recipes on line and I think the quantity may be wrong. All the others do call for mayo but just a Tbsp or so not 1/2 a cup.
Thank you 😉 I am glad you enjoyed the salad dressing.
you might want the updated version of the recipe–i was a manager for them they never put mayo in the dressing i know the recipe i worked for them from 1986 when they were owned by general mills til 2005.
Note by Stephanie: I do not believe that Debbie has shared this recipe. I will no longer allow posts with email address requests to go up. It puts a risk to you for having your email address farmed from the website.
Can you post the recipe or send it to me at ASHLEY_32006@sbcglobal.net?
sure will be happy too
Can you send me the recipe please Debbie Luck
Hi…
Can you, please,,, send the recipe…I know that mayo is not in Olive Garden’s dressing…that is why I was reluctant to try that recipe.
Debbie can you email the recipe to me thank you I would love to try it
Can you send me salad dressing without mayo from Olive Garden I would be so grsteful
me too
i live in trinidad and this is the only salad i love eating OG dressing yum!
can please send t me too at waunda@aol.com i would love it olive garden Italian is my fav thank u waunda
I love their dressing. Could you send me the recipe?
I live in Europe now and would love that recipe for the dressing.
I hope you can send it to me Ms Debbie.
Can you send me the recipe for olive grarden dressing please
Can you send me the recipe too? Thanks so much
Whimsy@hotmail.com
Hi Debbie,
Would you be kind enough to email me the salad dressing recipe please? I live in Australia now and am craving it sooooo much! Thank you heaps!
Serrah
serrah74@gmail.com
Hello,
Can you please email me the recipe for the Olive Garden salad dressing!?
Thanks you! 🙂
Could you please send me the recipe for the salad dressing from the Olive Garden.
Thank you so much.
Hi Debbie Luck. Would you send me the recipe please.. Thanks so much!
Hi Debbie Luck. Could you please please email the recipe for Olive Garden salad dressing. Im having guests next week for Italian night ad would love this salad as my appetizer. Thanks so much!
I would love to have the OG recipe as well!
Would you please entail me the recipe ? I know this is an old post about Olive Garden dressing but would appreciate it very much thank you !
I don’t think this person has ever emailed anyone their recipe.
Please, please email me this recipe. My spouse got very very sick, it was odd, but he could eat this salad. If I could make it at home it would be a huge money saver!! Thank you!!!
I sure would like to try your recipe for the OG salad dressing please email me it thanks so much
Hi Debbie,
Whenever you have some free time could you please e-mail me the recipe as well? Thank you! ashleydeldebbio@gmail.com
Hi Debbie, I looove Olive Garden’s dressing, if you still know the recipe, would you please e-mail it to me when you have the time? Thanks so much in advance!
I too worked at an Olive Garden restaurant. The salad dressing is not made in the restaurants it’s shipped in all ready made. So unless someone has worked at the manufacturing site where it’s made, it’s just a good guess and a good palate that can come close to the real thing.
You did a great job Stephanie, thanks!
She was talking about years ago, Sharon. Years ago, they DID make the dressing in he restaurant. I worked there from 1990 to 1994. They also had a pasta machine where they also USED TO make their own fresh pasta. That was out in the open for all the guests to view.
The eggs and oil make mayo
why would u make a comment and ignore all the people who want the recipe, that is just plain rude not to write back…..
if they learn to copy and paste off a weh page then they don’t have to be lazy and ask somebody else to do what they can do for themselves. It is simple to do and only takes a minute to do. scroll to the recipe, move the mouse cursor over the top of the recipe and hold down the left mouse key and pull the mouse down the page to the bottom of the recipe. everything should highlight, then hold down the control key and kit the C key or click on the right mouse key and hit copy. Open a text or word document , set the mouse cursor at the top left part of the page then hold down the control key again and hit the V key or with the mouse cursor blinking on the text page kit the right mouse key and select paste. Control + z= undo , control + x = cut, control + c= copy, control +v = paste. now go practice getting that recipe.
For every one who is saying that OG never put mayonnaise in their salad dressing…..have you ever looked at the ingredients in mayonnaise? Julia Child used to have a cooking show and I learned to make mayonnaise from her…the basic ingredients, not including any spices……oil and eggs with a little lemon juice or vinegar….the same ingredients in a lot of store bought or restaurant salad dressings….so before you criticize her ingredients for this copy cat recipe, look up how to make mayonnaise and you’ll see she’s right on the mark.
May I please request a copy of the recipe also please? I thank you in advance. This is one of the only salad dressings I like and I don’t want to eat the bottled, terrible ingredients anymore. <3
Just because Olive Garden has oil, vinegar, and eggs in their dressing does not mean that mayo would be a substitute for that. There is definitely NO mayo in the OG recipe.
I appreciate that. I know we both will agree that the dressing is creamy. I used the mayonnaise to ensure the emulsification. I appreciate your comment, and you dropping by.
Stephanie,
Could you come up with heart healthy, low fat, and diabetes friendly versions of your receipes?
Stephanie,
Do you know of a healthy substitute for butter for the scalloped-potatoes recipe?
I would try to use a little less, or perhaps you can use coconut oil instead of the butter.
Thank you for your videos Stephanie! They help a lot.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Thank you Pam. I am glad you liked them.
Delicious!
Just like being at the restaurant at home!
Absolute genius to come up with this receipe!
Thank you Pam! I appreciate your kind words. I hope you enjoy many other recipes.
Thank you Stephanie!
I am planning on using your Learn to Cook series with my 12 and 1/2 year old.
What fun it would be to eat at your house!
We loved the Olive Garden salad dressing! It was just like eating at the restaurant at home!
Thank you for sharing!
You are a great cook!
Thanks Pam. I hope you enjoy the Learn to Cook series, it is a lot of fun working my way though the book.
Thank you Stephanie.
We are making your Olive Garden salad dressing almost every night now, and everyone is eating salad now and loving it!
Thank you for sharing your receipies!
This is not a negative comment. I have made this recipe a couple of times, thought it might be cheaper than buying the bottles at the restaurant but it’s not really and since I have an Olive Garden just one mile from home its easier than getting all the ingredients and making it so now I just buy a bottle occasionally at the restaurant (just go in and they have a counter where you can buy it). Then all I have to get at the store are the salad ingredients. Easy peasey!!! If you love cooking and spending time in the kitchen and usually keep these ingredients on hand then it is fully as good as if not exactly the same as Olive Garden’s.
Thank you very much. I am glad you find the salad dressing a good substitute for the real deal. I also know some places other than the Olive Garden now sells the salad dressing, I believe Sam Club, and perhaps even Wal Mart sells it by the bottle.
Olive Garden does NOT put mayonnaise in their salad dressing, and no halfway decent restaurant would cook with it.
Not sure how OG qualifies as “halfway decent” really.
Do you people understand that eggs and oil make mayonnaise so instead of putting raw eggs and more oil in she just put the mayo in. The reason I am making it and adding raw can sugar instead of corn syrup is corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are the reason this country’s weight and diabetes cases have increased so dramatically. Those two items are killing Americans and the food industry doesn’t care.
So that is why I am taking this recipe and removing the corn syrup and putting the raw cane sugar and removing the oil and using olive oil. Corn by products (I.e corn syrup, corn oi,l etc) our bodies don’t use or break down that is why when you eat corn it comes out the same way it goes in but with the by products it passes through your kidneys and pancreas and destroys by tricking them into dumping sugars into our system thereby raising our sugar levels and killing our bodies. So with that in mind the only thing I would ask copy cat to do is figure out the raw cane sugar substitute for any and all corn by products and figure out a great substitute for all soybean by products because the genetic modifications of the soy beans are also killing us and the FDA is ok with that because they are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies that produce the high cost medications to treat the cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes these cheap alternatives cause the American public.
This recipe is delicious! Don’t be fooled by the mayonnaise and the color. Cut back on the vinegar slightly. I added a table spoon of sugar and 2 tsp of veg oil because I started with too much vinegar. Start with 1/4 cup and add more to taste. Also add a couple of tsp of salt and boom! To die for….
I have tried so many recipes including this one and none are closer that my own copykat.
Ingredients:
3/8 cup of lemon juice
1/4 c white vinegar
2 splenda packets
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs romano cheese
1 package Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup 2% milk
3/4 cup canola oil
Mix all of the ingredients well except the oil then whisk in the oil or, put all the ingredients except the oil in a Good Seasons container, shake well, add the oil and shake again. Let it set in the fridge at least a day to allow the cheese and other ingredients to merge.
This recipe is close but there still is a distinctive flavor missing. I hope to figure it out some day…..
Just tried it, it was delicious. Thank you!!!
I just tried this because I’ve been madly craving an Olive Garden salad. Followed the recipe exactly and it came out way too tart/sour, unfortunately. It ends up with a very watery consistency and what I felt was an overly strong vinegar bite and the color comes out like a milky white color. I ended up putting in probably a tablespoon of sugar to cut the intense vinegar bite…it was better then. Honestly haven’t been to OG in a while but this didn’t have the lightly oily consistency I remember…this version seems much more liquidy so I would suggest maybe a little less vinegar and maybe a tad more oil? Overall, it’s not awful and the aftertaste really is pretty close….I used the proper salad ingredients, so it tasted close enough to make me happy and satisfy my craving. Thank you!
I’m not bashing this recipe, but doesn’t adding mayo make it creamy? I didn’t think OG had a creamy look to it. Maybe its me, bc I hate creamy dressings and hate mayo on sandwiches… But I always thought of OGs being light and more vinegarette like?
I could eat this salad every day of the rest of my life, but I don’t think we can ever recreate the dressing.
Not even employees, coz some mixes and other ingredients come from Italy.
Unless you have access to the chef’s archives and know what to do.
It’s actually a creamy dressing, it isn’t clear and see through, but rather it is quite opaque.
You can purchase Olive Garden dressing from Sam’s Club. Comes in a two-bottle package. Not that expensive.
I tried this recipe, followed it to a T, and it came out of the blender like water, too much vinegar, it tastes nothing like Olive Garden’s dressing. Why didn’t you use a blender in the video as it is noted in the recipe?
I was renting that kitchen. I forgot the blender.