Greek Salad Dressing
This Greek salad dressing comes together in one jar in under five minutes. It’s bright, garlicky, and ready before you’ve even finished chopping the salad.
We make this dressing more than any other one in my kitchen. It’s packed with fresh flavors from red wine vinegar, olive oil, fresh lemon, garlic, and oregano.
And there’s no mayo or added sugar. Just shake everything together and pour it over cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and olives. We usually serve it with warm pita and a side of tzatziki sauce.
It’s also delicious tossed with my rigatoni pasta salad.
Prepare the Lemon and Garlic First
Zest the lemon before squeezing the juice. Once the lemon’s cut, it becomes much harder to zest.
Peel the garlic cloves and have everything ready before you begin. Once the lemon’s zested and juiced, the dressing only takes a few seconds to mix.
Use a Jar, Bowl, or Blender
A glass jar with a tight-fitting lid is the easiest way to mix the dressing. Add the ingredients and shake until they’re well combined.
A blender creates a smoother dressing and breaks the garlic into very small pieces. Whisking it in a bowl leaves a little more texture. All three methods work, so use whichever one’s most convenient.
Don’t Skip the Lemon Zest
The lemon zest adds more citrus flavor than the juice can provide on its own. Leaving it out makes the dressing noticeably less bright.
Fresh lemon juice also works better than bottled juice, and it only takes another minute to prepare.
Shake Before Serving
The oil and vinegar will separate as the dressing sits. Give the jar another good shake, or stir the dressing well, right before pouring it over the salad.
I use it most often on cucumbers and tomatoes with feta and olives. You can also swap it into my cucumber tomato salad, toss it with Greek pasta salad, or drizzle it over warm Greek potatoes.
It also works as a simple marinade for grilled chicken.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
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Instructions
- Add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.⅓ cup red wine vinegar⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves1 tablespoon lemon zest1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice1 teaspoon dried oregano½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Shake well until the dressing is combined. Alternatively, whisk the ingredients together in a bowl or blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Shake or stir again just before serving.
Notes
- Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The olive oil may thicken when chilled, so let the dressing sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then shake well before serving.