Olive Garden is known for its salads. The salad and the Olive Garden salad dressing are served with every meal. Their cold, crisp salad is hard to beat, and you can make this recipe anytime when you have the copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing whenever you want.
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Table of Contents
What makes the Olive Garden Salad dressing so good?
I don’t know about you, but I love the Olive Garden Soup and salad combination. The hard part is deciding between the Zuppa Toscana and the Pasta e Fagioli, but you know what isn’t hard? Digging into their crispy salad. It has the perfect balance of flavors. Their take on Italian dressing has the perfect combination of herbs, tartness, and sweetness.
Ingredients you will need to make the homemade Olive Garden Salad dressing
First, gather all the ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Mayonnaise – I prefer Hellman’s or Duke’s
- White vinegar
- Vegetable oil – you could use extra virgin olive oil, they do not use olive oil
- Light corn syrup – this gives the salad dressing the right texture
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Grated Romano cheese
- Garlic powder or 1 garlic clove
- Dried Italian seasoning
- Dried parsley flakes
- Lemon juice
How to Make Olive Garden Salad Dressing at Home
It doesn’t get much easier than this to make this salad. If you do not have a blender, grab a bowl and a whisk. Or you could put all of the ingredients and place them in a jar, fasten a lid, and shake vigorously.
- Place all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your personal taste, add a little extra sugar.
How long does homemade Olive Garden dressing last?
You can enjoy your Olive Garden salad dressing for about ten days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Other uses for Italian salad dressing
Another great use for the Olive Garden salad dressing is as a marinade for vegetables or even meats that you might like to grill. So you can see the Olive Garden salad dressing can be used in more than one way. This salad dressing also makes a great dressing for your favorite pasta salad.
What do you need to make an Olive Garden Salad?
Now you have your dressing, but what else do you need to make it complete. I love making a salad at home, this way I get to add all of the tomatoes and croutons I want. Here is what you will need.
- Iceberg lettuce
- Romane lettuce
- Red onion
- Pepperoncinis
- Black olives
- Roma tomatoes
You can get the exact portions right there Olive Garden Salad.
Making Olive Garden Salad Dressing at home is easy to do. You can make other recipes that taste just like they do in a restaurant.
How about Applebee’s Dressing for Oriental Chicken Salad? This is a terrific way to bring the taste of a restaurant home with this recipe.
Update
Yes, this dressing can be purchased at many stores such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s, and other grocery stores. Why would you want to make this from scratch? This recipe still has fewer preservatives, and you can always tweak a recipe when you make it from scratch.
So you can add a little more sugar, or maybe you want to add a few more spices. I know their bottle does not say it has mayonnaise on it. It does say oil and eggs, and when you beat those two together you get an emulsion that looks a lot like mayonnaise.
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 take a look at more of the best Olive Garden copycat recipes and easy salad dressing recipes.
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Olive Garden Salad Dressing Copycat
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.
Beverly A. Dugar
I just made this recipe and it is really good. A little tart for my liking (which I can adjust) and exactly tart enough for my husband’s liking. We can’t wait to have it on our chef’s salad tonight. Thanks!
Stephanie
Oh awesome 😉 So glad to hear that!
Mary Dunaway
I love eating at Olive Garden, so thanks for the recipes.
d.lanzius
I’ve tried this recipe from here before and it’s always been a hit. I’ve reduced the vinegar some and love the corn syrup as it makes it a bit more hardy tasting imo. Thanks!
Stephanie
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Lee Trochlil
After reading all the comments I wonder if the problem might possibly be the white vinegar. White vinegar is a lot stronger taste than other vinegars. After reading many articles about it, I use it only for cleaning purposes!! Lee Trochlil
Dawn
Hey Stephanie- what can I substitute the corn syrup? Regular sugar, perhaps? My grandson is allergic to corn syrup. His heart races and turns him into a one boy destructive machine if he eats/drinks it. ????
Dawn
Never mind,I should have read comments first. Thanks! I can’t wait it to try the recipe as I often buy store bought but prefer homemade.
Jeanie Lowe
Gosh she didnt say it was the Olive Garden dressing, its a copycat. If you dont like it try your own thing. As far as me Im going to try it just the way she did it. Why so many neg. Coments!!! I dont understand people doing that, just try it your way. Thank you for all your copycats I love them!!!! I’ll be looking for your next new one!!
JANE MICJEL
I AM LOOKING FOR A RECEIPT FOR OLIVE GARDEN
IT IS AN ORDERVE
IT LOOKS LIKE A HUSHPUPPY BUT IT IS FRIED WITH A VEGATABLE IN IR I THINK IT HAS SOUR CREAM INSIDE ALSO
CAN YOU HELP?
Stephanie
Jane, I haven’t ever had that served that my local Olive Garden, is this still on the menu?
Joan Anglin
You’re probably thinking of their amazing artichoke heart deep fry. They don’t offer it anymore.
Jennifer Von Canon
My step son works at Olive Garden and specifically told me that neither of the dressing they sell in the restaurant know where the ones in the stores are the recipe in it to use daily. The daily recipe has raw eggs in it and spoils quickly.
Lucky G
Thank you for putting this out there but are you sure that there is not an error with the vinegar?
For me there was WAY too much. A tablespoon would have been plenty instead of 1/3 cup. I had to add a cup of oil in addition to re-adding the other ingredients in order to even it out.
I too think that using a natural sugar or anything other than corn syrup has to be better healthwise.
Stephanie
Thank you for your comments. Let me address the sugar/corn syrup issue first. I agree sugar is healthier than corn syrup. My objective is to recreate the recipe as originated by the restaurant. Therefore I used corn syrup. You are always free to modify recipes as you bet see fit. You may want to consider a product called golden syrup, it is like corn syrup but made with sugar.
I am sorry you thought the vinegar was too much.
I appreciate you taking the time to make the recipe.
Orcish Salsa
Sugar and corn syrup are the same thing. Their both just a combination of fructose and glucose either crystallized(table sugar) or dissolved in a liquid(syrups).
Honey is also just mostly fructose and some glucose.
Calorie for calorie, no sugar or syrup is healthier than another.
Ceci
I would use maple syrup. The thing with table sugar and corn syrup is that they are more processed and chemicals are used during the processing. There is a difference between simple corn syrup (Kero) and High Fructose Corn Syrup. Some studies suggest that an excess of fructose can be toxic for the human body but regular corn syrup is still not as bad as artificial sweeteners.
Cat
Corn syrup is produced with genetically modified corn, so there is a HUGE difference in the sugars you use and which ones are healthier.
Dixie J Pederson
Not true. Sugar is simply sucrose. Not the same as corn syrup, which contains fructose. And they are metabolized differently, and taste different. This is emphasized in the medical weight loss program I work with.
B
Good try but you are way off on the real Olive Garden recipe. I worked at the original Olive Garden on International Drive in Fl. I’ll give you a hint though. Start with Wishbone Italian and add ingredients. In a way it’s irritating how people act like they know something and have no idea.
Lisa l
Rude
Dawn Jones
After making this as written I have to agree about the vinegar. I made it again with 2T and it was a lot better. Thanks for the suggestion Lucky G!
Connie
First thank you for your copycat recipes!! We live far away from restaurants and when it is families birthdays they will ask for certain items for their birthday such as olive garden salad and dressing. As far as people wanting to substitute for items such as mayonnaise, I usually just substitute natural ingredients such as all natural organic mayonnaise and olive oil. Again thank you from a grateful viewer and keep up the wonderful work!!
Carol
Vehemently recipe has wy tp much vinegar An 1/8 of a cup would be plenty. I agree with the other comment. Start with wishbone or Paul Neumann Italian and add ingredients
Sharla
maybe leave out the vinegar totally, and increase the lemon juice.
nancy iver
I too found the Kopy Kat recipe wasn’t even close – too vinegary and runny. 🙁
Latisha Mitchell
OG salad is the only salad i eat with out meat So I made this tonight for me and my husband. I didn’t tell him what I was going to do. Man it was great. He loved it as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you
Delia McCaffery
Great alternative if you don’t genetically manufactured organisms (GMO’s)
I noticed it on the bottle so disappointing because we really like OG.
Thank you
Patti Maloney
Love this salad
Aaron
Ingredients: Water, Soybean Oil, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Egg, Romano Cheese (Milk, Salt, Cultures, Enzymes), Dehydrated Garlic, Sugar, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Dextrose, Calcium Disodium Edta Added to Protect Flavor, Annatto Color, Natural Flavors. Contains: Egg, Milk.
These are the ingredients list from the real olive garden dressing. Just thought it might help
Stephanie
Thank you.
Rose
Love the recipes here, and have such fun recreating restaurant favs! I find everyone has different pallete, remembering it so distinctly sweet or tart, or salty, etc… keep up the good work, and please email me the OG dressing recipe! This forum is appreciated by so many!!
TSandy
Thanks Stephanie for the great copycat recipe. I stupidly purchased a bottle of the OG Signature Salad Dressing at Costco last weekend without looking at the ingredient list. Ingredients included HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and soybean oil. I removed soybean oil from our diet several years ago so the bottle went into the trash. Most of the copycat recipes I found use a packet of Good Seasons salad dressing mix and I want to make it totally from scratch. Thanks for your great recipe.
Stephanie
I am glad you liked the recipe. I also like to cut out chemicals and preservatives when I can. I love using ingredients I can pronounce and that occur naturally in nature.
Heather
I was excited for this at 1st till I read the ingredients. That’s not healthy at all 🙁 If that is how they make it I think Im done eating there. Mayo?? Vegetable oil…one of the worst to ever consume. Bummer
Stephanie
Why don’t you substitute with an oil that you would like better. I think an olive oil would work well. I write recipes to duplicate what it is in the restaurant, it isn’t my goal to change the recipe.
Maybe as I finish culinary school I would be more equipped to give better solutions and healthier alternatives.
Ann Marie Torrey
Go eat a carrot
JO
Vegetable oil is cheap, many companies use it in dressings to keep costs down. Even the dressings that advertise they’re made with olive oil are cut with vegetable oil or soybean oil, which is not much better. Avocado oil and olive oil both work well for homemade dressings. Try a light or extra light olive oil (I use Bertolli) if you don’t want a heavy taste.
JO
For those of you scoffing at the use of mayo, the base of homemade mayo is olive oil and egg (the other 3 ingredients are for flavor and preserving). Here is the recipe: http://whole30.com/2014/05/mayo/. Yes it’s really that simple.
canizam53
Hey Stephanie. Thanks for all the recipes. All those negative comments really irk me. After all, it is COPYCAT!
Not sure I ever tasted eggs in the Olive Garden dressing and hopefully they were not raw eggs! Yikes.
Anyway, keep those recipes coming Stephanie, and than you.
Stephanie
Pasteurized raw eggs are safe to eat. Many salad dressings used to be made with raw eggs.
Laurel
The vinegar would kill any bacteria in the egg anyway…. I too try to avoid soybean oil which is in most conventional mayo. I’m going to try your recipe with sour cream substituted for the mayo.
Lou
I agree. If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say it.
Vicky
i had to sub a few ingredients, and I really hate doing that and then review the recipe. I used 4 tbls. of parm, sugar for corn syrup, and garlic powder for garlic salt. Not too bad on subs..[ it’s better than someone’s review that I read who subbed dry cod for turkey and lettuce for spinach in a soup recipe! Seriously!! And she didn’t like it.] I don’t keep garlic salt in my pantry because it has too much sodium in relationship to the garlic powder, and I would have no use for corn syrup other than this recipe. Delicious!! And I thank you for sharing and your time to do so.
Megan
I literally did exactly as you had for the exact reasons and had the same results. Was really good.
waunda
i want to thank u cant wait to try s is my most fav dressing in world