Incredibly easy and made with basic pantry staples, creamy garlic pepper salad dressing can be whipped up (literally) in just a few minutes. It's so delicious, it will become your go-to dressing for everything from main dish salads to chopped and pasta salads.
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A number of years ago I published a recipe on the site for a main dish steak salad. It used up leftover steak from a grilled meal, which is always one of my favorite things to do - make something totally new from a leftover.
Anyway, it's a good salad and you may want to put it on your menu if you have steak in your freezer.
But I always felt it was the dressing that made that salad special. It's a creamy garlic pepper salad dressing that is so delicious it really puts store bought creamy dressings to shame.
I have, in fact, made it numerous times, using it for dressing chopped salads like this one instead of the vinaigrette in the recipe, pasta salads (it's so good with a broccoli-bacon-onion pasta mix), and just to have in the fridge as an option for weeknight side salads with our basic vinaigrette.
So I thought - this is too good to be relegated to a specific salad! It needs its own recipe to shine and be shared.
Especially because I also think it's great as a vegetable dip, too - it's just so versatile to have on hand. And made with pantry ingredients you whir in a blender, you can have this ready in about five minutes.
See, I knew you'd agree with me - the world needs this dressing, right?
Creamy Garlic Pepper Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Okay, so right off the bat you are going to love this healthy homemade dressing because you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator. You'll need:
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- lemon juice
- mild vinegar (rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar)
- Dijon mustard
- fresh garlic
- coarse ground black pepper
- salt
- olive oil
To make it you'll need either a blender (I just got this one on a great deal and love it) or a hand-held stick (immersion) blender.
I suppose in a pinch you can use a good quality hand whisk (great price on this, btw), but it will take longer and may separate for you in storage.
Also, if you like the sweet little Weck jar I poured it into for these photos, you can find those here.
Directions
Simple ingredients and wonderful flavor aren't the only reasons you'll love this dressing.
Making it is as easy as dumping all the ingredients into your blender (or wide-mouth mason jar for a stick blender) and whirring it all up.
That's it - it might even take you less than five minutes if your kitchen is small and you can reach your ingredients easily!
Is this really healthy with all the olive oil and yogurt?
Personally I think all dressings you make at home are healthier than store bought - even the so-called "natural" versions - because the ingredient list is so long (I am always surprised that many organic bottled dressings contain soy bean oil...).
And good dressings don't need all those ingredients, as this pantry basic vinaigrette illustrates so well.
Olive oil is one of the better oils for you and is perfect for salad dressings, and the yogurt added for creaminess has calcium and vitamins. Fresh garlic is full of antioxidants and should be a part of everyone's diet.
If it's calories you're thinking of - all dressings should be used sparingly.
What can I use this dressing with?
Besides the original steak salad and chopped salad I mentioned previously, this is a good dressing for any green salad as well as pasta and grain-based salads when you want a creamy option.
Use it like you would ranch when you want a different flavor.
Also, think outside the box and use this for dipping vegetables and breadsticks as well as a spread on sandwiches. It's SO good with roast beef and sauerkraut!
Once you taste it, I'm sure you'll come up with some great ways to use it, too!
Creamy Garlic Pepper Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon mild vinegar white wine, white balsamic, rice, or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the jar of a blender and whir until blended.
- If needed, thin with 1-2 tablespoons of water as needed for pouring - leave as is for using as a dip.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Homemade Salad Dressings to Try:
Best Homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip Recipe
Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe
Creamy Feta Dip & Dressing Recipe
Easy Classic Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe
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