Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing (+ Video)
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This Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing is as close as it gets to the real deal, without the high fructose corn syrup!
Two years ago I did some copycat Olive Garden recipes for you to make for Valentine’s Day. I did a variation of Olive Garden’s Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo and Black Tie Mousse Cake for dessert. Olive Garden is definitely one of my favorite restaurants to eat at. Don’t believe me? I have copycat Zuppa Toscana, Chicken & Gnocchi Soup, and the famous Olive Garden Breadsticks recipes too! I definitely used to go to Olive Garden a lot more before I got married and had kids, but honestly, I don’t need to go back. My homemade versions are just as good and a lot cheaper to make myself.
This recipe is top notch! Now, I know you can buy the Olive Garden Salad Dressing at pretty much any grocery store, but this is as close as you can get to the real deal, without the high fructose corn syrup. (Check the label!) My husband is obsessed with this dressing and won’t stop asking me to make more. He can down the whole bottle himself, it’s ridiculous! Haha. Next time you have salad, you need to try this dressing! You won’t regret it! It might even become an obsession for you like it has for my husband!
Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup oil (vegetable/canola)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix
- 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk briskly so that there are no clumps of mayo. Keep refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
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Video added 7/7/17
147 Comments on “Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing (+ Video)”
I LOVE their dressing and have tried a few recipes that claim to be a copycat but they don’t really meet the expectation. I’m so excited to try this one! It looks great! Is that just regular white distilled vinegar in the recipe?
This one is really, really close. My husband is the Olive Garden salad connoisseur, and he said it’s exactly like the same thing. I don’t get there salad very often, but I do think it tastes just like it too. And yes, regulate white distilled vinegar. Let me know what you think!
We live in Costa Rica… There’s no Olive Garden anywhere nearby! Just made this recipe and it’s really close. Now, if could just get the bread sticks right!
That’s great Steve! I’m hoping to work on a copycat recipe of the breadsticks soon! Stay tuned!
Have you had a chance to come up with a recipe for the breadsticks?
Not yet! Sorry! I will make a note of that now and will email you once I get it on the blog. Thanks Lisa!
I have figured out the zuppa toscana…it my fav
I have a copycat recipe of that too! I’m making it again this week actually! Definitely a favorite!
Mmm, this looks and sounds so good! I love olive garden salad dressing, and can’t wait to try this and make it at home!
Can’t wait to try this, Amber!
Thank you Amber! We LOVE Olive Garden and especially their salad dressing. A few years back we tried a recipe but it wasn’t the same. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for sharing Amber!
I’m not sure I can find the Italian dressing mix here in Canada. Could you give me some hints as to what’s in the mix so I can try to approximate the ingredients? No Olive Garden restaurants around either, so I’d love to be able to make their salad!
The ingredients say: Sugar, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Garlic*, Onions*, Spice, Red Bell Peppers*, Carrots*, Xantham Gum, Maltedextrin, Parsley*, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor, Soy Sauce* (wheat, soybeans, salt), Citric Acid
*DRIED
Thanks for the info!
For those who can’t find these packets, there are several copycat recipes online. I live in Puerto Rico, and sometimes it’s hard to find things. But, I’m lucky that every store here has these packets.
If I cannot find Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix up here in Canada could I use another brand or just use a bottle of dressing?
I would try a different brand before I tried a bottled dressing. Try and find something with similar ingredients on the package.
Here is a “copycat recipe” of the mix, but I can’t vouch for how close it is: http://www.budget101.com/seasoning-mix-recipes/liss-favorite-italian-dressing-mix-1212.html
I’ll check that out too! Craving salad now…
I don’t love salad, but for some reason the olive garden salad actually sounds good right now! I think it’s the tartness? Anyway your pictures look amazing!
I love Olive Garden’s salad dressing! However, I am the only one in my family that will eat it. How long will it last in the fridge?
You can store it for 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
My husband loves Olive Garden’s dressing! This will be happening soon!
Sweet! Let me know what you think!
That salad dressing sounds delicious. I really like the quality of the photos on your site.
I have been working on my photography and have come a long way in the last year, so it’s great to hear these kinds of compliments. Thank you!
the recipe calls for ‘italian seasoning’ but what is that? just a combination of basil oregano red pepper flakes garlic powder onion powder……..what? sounds like just up the amount of GP already in the recipe etc. does this work out if you just use the GoodSeasons packet and skip the other seasonings?
Italian Seasoning is a blend of Italian spices (thyme, oregano, basil, etc). You can find it in the spice section of any grocery store. The extra seasonings really make this dressing what it is, so I wouldn’t leave them out.
I totally want to make this. Thank you!
My husband will eat salad now. He loves this dressing. Mine is never as pretty as yours. I wonder if its the olive oil?
I actually use vegetable oil or canola oil. That might be why. Glad your husband eats salad now! This dressing is pretty rockin!
In regards to the oil, I feel like mine is really oily. I’ve tried both vegetable and canola oil and was wondering if I substituted some of this with water instead if it would still turn out okay? Besides that, it’s seriously amazing. I love it!
Make sure you mix it really well. The oil thickens up the dressing. You can try cutting back the oil to 1/2 cup and increasing the water to 1/2 cup, but I would definitely not change it to all water because the oil gives it that satisfying texture in your mouth, as well as flavor, and the oil balances out the vinegar.
This salad dressing makes a dynamite marinade for chicken. I put the chicken in a bag and pour the dressing over for about 2 hrs. I just used it last night with a Parm. Chicken recipe
NICE! I need to try that! Thanks for sharing your experience!
the vinegar is it white or Apple cider ?
White distilled vinegar. I will fix that in the recipe now.
Well I tried this and instead of white distilled (we had none and seeing that I’m only 14, I couldn’t go out and get some) I used a 1/4 red wine vinegar and 3/4 was apple cider vinegar and I think it turned out great and was VERY close to OG’s if not identical!
YAY! Glad you liked it! And props to you for getting in the kitchen at your age. I loved to cook and bake at your age too, it’s a fun/great thing to learn!
Love Olive Garden Salad.. can’t wait to try this !
Us too! Hope you like it!
My husband LOVES the OG dressing and I’ve been trying to figure it out now for awhile, thanks for sharing this! Pinning!!
My husband could drink this stuff! It’s so good! I hope your hubby approves 🙂
My son loves the Olive Garden salad dressing. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Great! You’re welcome!
This is great. We loved the flavor.
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Amber, this was fantastic! I had a serious craving for this dressing after hours and used your recipe, the best part was that it was all stuff I had laying around! Delicious!
That’s so great! Thanks for your review!
Where is your salad dressing container from? 🙂
It’s totally the one that comes with a pack of Good Seasonings Italian dressing packets. Right there in the aisle next to the single packets. Here’s a link to what the box on the shelf looks like: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Seasons-Salad-Dressing-Recipe/dp/B003OEYIGQ
I made this tonight after work. It is delicious! My son says this may even get him to eat “rabbit food”! This is huge coming from the anti salad king! 😉
That’s so great! Thanks for sharing!
When it says 1/4 tsp pepper is it black pepper?
Yes, ground black pepper.
Any replacements for distilled vinegar? I have yet to come across this.
Can you use white Vinegar?
White distilled vinegar is white vinegar. Sorry for the confusion. I’ll fix it in the recipe to just say white vinegar.