Last Updated September 28th, 2022 at 07:53 pm by Lisa
Green Goddess Dressing bursts with fresh herbs and flavor. There are so many ways to use this classic California salad dressing. Try it with a relish tray as a veggie dip, for a fried shrimp sauce, or toss it into hot pasta.
Growing up, I remember a mayo jar tucked neatly on the glass shelf of our fridge, with this gorgeous green dressing. Today, I am sharing my Mom's Green Goddess recipe exactly the way she made it back in the day...
For years, this recipe rested in my collection of California Food Recipes. When I finally made it, memories flooded back of weeknight dinners at home with my family around the table in the 1970s and '80s. Oh my gosh, I almost burst into tears when I licked the spoon and got a taste!
I cherish this recipe card in her handwriting, it was one of her all-time favorite recipes...
Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup finely minced flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives and or green onions
- 3 tablespoons anchovy paste (or swap 3 anchovy fillets)
- 3 tablespoons tarragon wine vinegar (see recipe notes to make it at home)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- pinch kosher sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- In a blender or food processor, add mayonnaise, sour cream, minced parsley, green onions (and or chives), anchovy paste, tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar), lemon juice, crushed garlic, kosher sea salt, and black pepper.
- Blend on high speed until smooth about 30 seconds until it reaches a creamy texture, then chill until ready to use.
Swaps and Variations
Anchovy Paste: You can substitute canned anchovies, use 2-3 whole anchovies for 3 tablespoons of anchovy paste. Also, you can reduce the amount of anchovy paste if you prefer as it is a strong flavor.
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Tarragon Vinegar: In the last year, I could not find tarragon vinegar at my grocery store. You can make tarragon vinegar at home. Mix 1 cup white wine vinegar and put 1 teaspoon dried tarragon in a tea strainer or a tablespoon of fresh tarragon leaves. Let it steep at room temperature for a few days, and it flavors the vinegar to use in recipes. You can also place fresh tarragon in white wine vinegar, and it will flavor the vinegar.
Variations: As recipes do, they all evolve over time. There are so many green goddess versions with mint, cilantro, basil, dill, ripe avocado, cashews, lime juice, and just a few teaspoons anchovy paste. The original recipe has been turned into a vegan green goddess dressing, and most modern recipes call for avocado. But in my humble opinion that is not the original recipe from back in the day. Those variations are all up to you, but hey this is so good, why change a California classic?
What's Green Goddess Dressing?
Green Goddess Salad Dressing became very popular in the 70s and most people might think it was named for its green-tinted color, but there is a great deal of history with this recipe. It has come in and out of popularity over the decades, both as a homemade salad dressing and sold bottled in grocery stores since the 1920's.
Modern Green Goddess recipes often include ingredients like Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise, avocado, egg yolks, Dijon mustard, and tarragon leaves. Recipes do change with time, but the original is so good.
History
Food historians give credit to Executive Chef Philip Roemer of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco California, who invented Green Goddess Salad Dressing in 1923 to honor actor George Arliss, who was staying in the hotel while he starred in a play called “The Green Goddess.”
It’s believed that Chef Roemer’s Green Goddess salad dressing was created after sauce verte au pain by a French Chef to Louis XIII. Today, sauce verte has a mayonnaise base, with herbs like tarragon, parsley, and sage.
Mom's Original 1970s Green Goddess Recipe
I will never be sure how my Mom got this recipe in the 1970s, but it was very popular among her friends, many of whom were home economists. She was an amazing home cook and taught cooking classes as a high school teacher in Southern California. Our home life was filled with delicious homemade meals, entertaining guests was a weekly event and part of our family life. We were either preparing for dinner parties or cleaning up from one!
Mom had many family friends who were cookbook authors, cooking instructors, appliance demonstration experts, and food stylists. From an early age, food, cooking, and entertaining were a big part of my life.
Ways To Use Green Goddess
- Drizzle on grilled, fried, or roasted shrimp.
- Serve with steamed artichokes.
- Serve as a sauce with oysters.
- Use as a roasted vegetable sauce topping.
- Dollup on grilled or baked chicken.
- Serve as a dip with a crudité platter with carrots, radishes, and broccoli...
This dressing can be made ahead for the week, chilled in the fridge, and drizzled over salads greens during your busy weeknights or your next dinner party. Or use it up as a dip with cut-up vegetables.
-Keep in a small Mason jar in the fridge for up to a week.
-Serve as a dip, or toss with salad greens for a dressing -makes 2 cups.
Over a simple green salad is the best, use fresh spinach, herbs, or mixed salad greens. Just pour, and toss.
Yes! This dressing is great for those of you following low-carb Keto diets.
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"Make and Shake" this Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette in a Mason jar in just minutes. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Better than any bottled dressing.
Parmesan Lemon Vinaigrette is made in a mason jar, this homemade salad dressing recipe is made in minutes with real lemon and parmesan cheese.
With just 5 simple ingredients, this Blue Cheese Dressing is an easy recipe made in minutes. It also works great as a dip for buffalo wings or a chip dip.
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Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup finely minced parsley
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives and or green onions
- 3 tablespoons anchovy paste (or swap 3 anchovy filets)
- 3 tablespoons tarragon wine vinegar (see recipe notes to make it at home)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- pinch kosher sea salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- In a blender, add mayo, sour cream, minced parsley, green onions (or chives), anchovy paste, tarragon vinegar, lemon juice, crushed garlic, sea salt, and pepper.
- Keep in a small Mason jar in the fridge for up to a week.
- Serve as a dip, or toss with salad greens for a dressing - makes 2 cups.
Notes
Anchovy Paste
You can substitute canned anchovies, use 2-3 whole anchovies for 3 tablespoons of anchovy paste. Also, you can reduce the amount of anchovy paste if you prefer as it is a strong flavor.Tarragon Vinegar
In the last year, I could not find tarragon vinegar at my grocery store. You can make tarragon vinegar at home. Mix 1 cup white wine vinegar and put 1 teaspoon dried tarragon in a tea strainer or a tablespoon of fresh tarragon leaves. Let it steep at room temperature for a few days, and it flavors the vinegar to use in recipes. You can also place fresh tarragon in white wine vinegar, and it will flavor the vinegar.Swaps & Variations
As recipes do, they all evolve over time. There are so many green goddess versions with mint, cilantro, basil, dill, ripe avocado, cashews, lime juice, and just a few teaspoons anchovy paste. The original recipe has been turned into a vegan green goddess dressing, and most modern recipes call for avocado. But in my humble opinion that is not the original recipe from back in the day. Those variations are all up to you, but hey this is so good, why change a California classic?Storage
This dressing can be made ahead for the week, chilled in the fridge, and drizzled over salads greens during your busy weeknights or your next dinner party. Or use it up as a dip with cut-up vegetables!- Keep in a small Mason jar in the fridge for up to a week.
- Serve as a dip, or toss with salad greens for a dressing - makes 2 cups.
Ways To Use Green Goddess
Over a simple green salad is the best, use fresh spinach, herbs, or mixed salad greens. Just pour, and toss.- Drizzle on grilled, fried, or roasted shrimp.
- Serve with steamed artichokes.
- Serve as a sauce with oysters.
- Use as a roasted vegetable sauce topping.
- Dollup on grilled or baked chicken.
- Serve as a dip with a crudité platter with carrots, radishes, and broccoli.
Loved, loved, loved the history and especially, the handwritten recipe card. I've got lots of my Mom's cards... they are treasures.
Anyway, I settled here for your Mom's recipe, it just sounds right >S<
An old friend a long time ago served Green Goddess dressing as a dip for kebabs
that were threaded with shrimp and small wedges of pineapple; same size as the shrimp. Very pretty and unbelievably delicious !! He served his chilled but I've been
dreaming about them grilled. Yum...
Oh thank you so much Janice! I absolutely treasure this recipe for many reasons as you read in my post. The modern versions of this recipe use avocado and other ingredients which is what recipes do, they evolve! But this will always be the real Green Goddess Dressing for me. I hope you whip up a batch and come back and share how you used it! We love recipe star ratings, they really help others know how the recipe turned out. Have a lovely summer Janice!
Absolutely perfect! I substituted lime and added an avocado! It is out of this world delicious! Love it and thank you ! Your truly a goddess lol
Absolutely perfect! I substituted lime and added an avocado! It is out of this world delicious! Love it and thank you ! Your truly a goddess lol
LOL!! LOVE THIS COMMENT~ awwww well Dawn I thank you. This is truly one of my favorite recipes on my site, and my Momma would be so tickled you love it too. Love that you added lime and avocado...great idea!
This recipe is more authentic to the actual 1970's California style Green Goddess dressing my mother used to make, with some variation, but still far more similar to the original than you'll see in so many "modern" day green goddess dressings which substitute yogurt for mayo, or add practically no vinegar. We made ours with mayo and heavy cream instead of mayo and sour cream. Each is equally good. The amount of vinegar is key to creating this original flavor and this is missing from so many other newer recipes.
Hi Sharon! Thanks so much for the nice comment. This in fact is my Mom's 1970s recipe that I believe she some got from a friend somewhere here in Southern California. My Mom was a Home Economics Foods teacher and was a great cook. Glad you enjoyed the recipe! And thank you for the rating too.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I love that included the hand written recipe card.
Aww thanks so much Laura! I have to admit this recipe is so sentimental and reminds me so much of my Mom's cooking, and I know she would love that you saw her recipe card!
I love old recipes from our families! Such a great post Lisa with the family history of this recipe! And, such a great salad dressing that we use on everything!
I love to make this recipe up and eat it on pretty much everything all week. Salads, veggies, pretzels, chips. It's so easy to make, makes the perfect amount, and I love the history of your recipe and your recipe card pictures. Reminds me of all of the wonderful recipes my grandmother passed down to me. Thanks for sharing!
Thank YOU Lisa, a restaurant in my home town of Ojai, Ca use to make this dressing and I LOVE it. I have not made it yet but will in the near future and I'll let you know if it is the flavor I'm looking for.