I still remember my first visit to Olive Garden. I was in college, perpetually hungry, and the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks deal was miraculous for my student budget. While the warm breadsticks were undoubtedly a highlight, the salad truly won me over. That perfect blend of crisp lettuce, zesty dressing, and those little pepperoncini peppers created a combination I couldn’t stop thinking about.
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After countless visits (and countless dollars spent), I became determined to recreate that iconic dressing at home. After much experimentation and fine-tuning, I’m thrilled to share this copycat recipe that captures the magic of Olive Garden’s famous dressing – with the added benefit of being customizable to your preferences.
Why This Homemade Version Outshines the Store-Bought Option
Yes, you can find bottles of Olive Garden dressing in many grocery stores. But here’s why making it yourself is so much better:
- Fresher flavor – No preservatives mean a brighter, more vibrant taste
- Customizable – Adjust the sweetness, tanginess, or herb levels to your preference
- Cost-effective – Pennies per serving compared to buying the bottled version
- Fewer additives – Control precisely what goes into your dressing
- Always available – Never run out as long as you have basic pantry ingredients
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise – Creates a creamy base and helps emulsify the dressing; Hellman’s or Duke’s brands are recommended for best flavor
- White vinegar – Provides the signature tangy flavor and helps preserve the dressing
- Vegetable oil – Creates the proper consistency and mouthfeel; contrary to what you might expect, Olive Garden doesn’t use olive oil in their dressing
- Light corn syrup – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness and creates the signature texture
- Grated Parmesan cheese – Contributes savory depth and authentic Italian flavor
- Grated Romano cheese – Adds a sharper, more complex cheese flavor that balances the dressing
- Garlic powder (or fresh garlic clove) – Provides essential aromatic flavor that makes the dressing distinctively Italian
- Dried Italian seasoning – Contains the perfect blend of herbs to create that signature Olive Garden taste
- Dried parsley flakes – Add color and a fresh herbal note
- Lemon juice – Brightens all the flavors and adds a subtle citrus note
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Combine all ingredients: Blend or process the mayonnaise, white vinegar, vegetable oil, corn syrup, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, and lemon juice in a food processor.
- Blend thoroughly: Process until all ingredients are completely combined and the dressing is smooth, about 30-60 seconds.
- Taste and adjust: Sample your dressing and adjust to your preference. Add a little more corn syrup or sugar if it’s too tart. If it needs more zip, add more vinegar or lemon juice.
- Transfer to container: Pour the finished dressing into an airtight container or glass bottle.
- Refrigerate: For best flavor, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Copycat Olive Garden Salad Dressing
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.
Video
Notes
No Blender? No Problem!
If you don’t have a blender, you have two easy alternatives:- Whisk method: Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously until completely combined and smooth.
- Shake method: Put all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until well mixed. This method works great and makes for easy storage afterward!
Nutrition
How long does homemade Olive Garden dressing last?
If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, Olive Garden salad dressing can be enjoyed for about ten days.
What do you need to make an Olive Garden Salad?
To create an authentic Olive Garden salad experience at home, gather these ingredients:
- Iceberg lettuce – Provides the signature crunch
- Romaine lettuce – Adds nutrition and a different texture
- Thinly sliced red onion – Offers a sharp flavor contrast
- Pepperoncini peppers – Gives that distinctive tangy heat
- Black olives – Adds briny, savory notes
- Roma tomatoes – Provides fresh sweetness and color
- Croutons – Delivers the essential crunch
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – For sprinkling on top
Toss all ingredients except the Parmesan in a large bowl, add your homemade dressing, and gently mix. Sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.
Pro tip: If the dressing separates during storage, shake or whisk it before using.
Beyond Salad: Creative Uses for This Dressing
This versatile dressing has many uses beyond your salad bowl:
- Drizzle for roasted vegetables – Add just before serving for a flavor boost
- Marinade for chicken or fish – The acidity tenderizes protein beautifully
- Pasta salad dressing – This creates a fantastic cold pasta dish
- Sandwich spread – Use instead of plain mayonnaise for extra flavor
- Dip for vegetables – Makes raw veggies irresistible
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 check out more of the best Olive Garden copycat recipes and easy salad dressing recipes.
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I have been reading and trying many of the OG dressing recipes. May I add mine. 1/3 cup white vinegar, 3 TA vegetable oil, 2 TA sugar. Add the sugar to the vinegar and let it dissolve into a simple syrup. Add oil and shake. It keeps well in a glass jar with cover. I realize it is just three ingredients but they are those which appear consistently. Plus, the dressing is consciously created to be palatable to the American taste and thus is not made with olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegars. My husband likes it and we eat at the OG fairly often.
i worked at olive garden, its very close:) but i still love theres more.lol….and some is massed produced and shipped but i know the olive garden I worked at…we made fresh soup daily!the cooks made it early in the morning and the let it cool and put it in the fridge and heated it through the day…i watched them…so not every thing is put in a microwave and cooked…:)
Very good not exactly like Olive Garden Dressing, But good substitute.
All these chain restaurants do not create their food from scratch. All of the food is mass produced and shipped frozen to the restaurant. The main cooking implement in an Applebees or olive garden kitchen is an industrial microwave to warm up the food. There is no cooking that takes place in these kitchens – just a little reheating.
I am guessing at one time they made more of their stuff from scratch. I know TGI Friday’s doesn’t make their own soup anymore.
But isn’t it great that Steph can give us recipes that are made from scratch, right in our own homes, that taste exactly like the restaurants! Thanks Steph!
Actually, I worked in Olive Garden for 2 years. We make a lot of things fresh, every day, and if/when we ran out of something, we went to the market to go get it.
True about Applebee’s, but not OG. They make a lot of their food fresh. Applebee’s is a sit down drive thru… Terrible.
I Googled for this recipe, read thru all the comments and found the whole thing entertaining, as well as informative. A lot of good comments, and honest reactions.
I made the recipe as written, I thought, and found it sour and runny. Then I realized that I had never put in the mayo. Duh.
So I remade it, with a few changes inspired by previous comments:
Add the egg, but boil it, let it cool and pulverize it in the food processor first, adding all other ingredients on top. Double the oil, double the corn syrup. I used an olive oil based mayo. I also used granulated garlic 1/4 tspn. instead of garlic salt. (less sodium)
It tasted okay, and was definitely less runny but I think it could still use a little more corn syrup, but I have to admit I like a slightly sweeter dressing! It still seemed a little too runny.
I think I will remake it, using Miracle Whip, as someone suggested. Maybe cut down on the vinegar and lemon juice just a bit.
What fun! and I don’t really like to cook!
Go to Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Recipe website and try his version. I think it tastes just like the Olive Garden’s. No mayo in his, but he does use pectin
This was horrible, I followed the recipe to a “T” and it has so much vinegar in it that I started choking. As soon as I saw the mayonnaise in the recipe I thought it was wrong, but I gave it a shot.
I did the same thing last night – smells DISGUSTING!!!
I did the same thing last night – smells DISGUSTING!!!
The recipe I have is from a former employee at OG who made the dressing and the one listed here is close to be being what they use and they do put mayo in it, because I remember thinking my husband would die if he knew there was mayo in the dressing, which he loves, but he can’t stand mayo.
hi!
you wrote in a forum that you have a recipe for olive garden salad dressing and that you got it from a former og employ. would you mind sharing it with me? i would really appreciate it! thanks, maya
maya_gut06@walla.co.il
heyyyyyy, just like others whom I’m sure replied to your post pertaining to you getting the ‘REAL’ OG dressing from a former employee, please, would u mind sharing it with me PLEASSEEEE!! I sort of got hooked on the darn thing and honestly there isn’t another dressing to me which comes close, it makes my entire family enjoy salads. Thanking you in advance, Leslieann
I am employee at OG and they do not make the dressing there it already comes in a clear sealed bag
thank you Jazmin for the response, I must say that do enjoy their salad dressing so much, its a boomer I can’t get the information I needed though!!!
I was thinking that-it would look creamy if they put mayo in it.
really, mayo. I don’t believe I have ever detected mayo any time I have eaten this dressing at the restaurant.
Yes, really Mayo, the salad dressing is creamy. Mayo makes a salad dressing instantly creamy.
I used to work at OG, and mayo is in the ingriedients.
Everyone does realize that Mayo is made of Oil, egg, vinegar, and a touch of salt right? If you don’t like mayo fine, but all of these ingredients are already in salad dressing anyway.
This is not Olive Gardens salad dressing. I have the recipe for one that taste almost identical to the real one. Even if wishbone does make the dressing I have their recipe! They use no mayo and thats where this recipe is completely wrong. Sorry. F-
Alex, why don’t you share your recipe? I am sure others would love to have your recipe since you think it is better.
Yes Alex please share!!!!!
Yes Alex, please share your recipe!
I HATE mayo, and so seeing that as an ingredient was a huge turn off. I won’t eat or use anything with a mayo base.
Now I know that for this recipe the mayo is used to thicken and keep the vinegar & oil from separating…I’ve seen other copy cat recipes using Pectin though.
I personally don’t like using ingredients like pectin, because is it is a little out of the way. Mayo words well as an emulsifier.
I just wanted to make a quick comment…if you look at the ingredient list on the olive garden dressing bottle you’ll see that it contains oil and eggs…which is all mayo is. This recipe might have a bit too much mayo in it…however..if you love the olive garden dressing…you’re eating a dressing with a mayo and vinegar base. Try making your own mayo once when making this recipe (using soybean oil, eggs, and lemon juice as the flavoring agent like the ingredient list states), it might have a different effect on the flavor than using a store bought kind. Also, olive garden uses xanthum gum (which you can purchase) to stabilize and thicken their dressing, not pectin.
I just wanted to make a quick comment…if you look at the ingredient list on the olive garden dressing bottle you’ll see that it contains oil and eggs…which is all mayo is. This recipe might have a bit too much mayo in it…however..if you love the olive garden dressing…you’re eating a dressing with a mayo and vinegar base. Try making your own mayo once when making this recipe (using soybean oil, eggs, and lemon juice as the flavoring agent like the ingredient list states), it might have a different effect on the flavor than using a store bought kind. Also, olive garden uses xanthum gum (which you can purchase) to stabilize and thicken their dressing, not pectin.
Alex,
Can you email me the recipe you have for Olive Garden salad dressing??
THANKS
Pam
davisbillpam@hotmail.com
I was wondering if you have the OG salad dressing recipe???
If so can you email me the recipe
Thanks
Jeneve48@verizon.net
I also just tried this recipe and did not think it even came close to Olive Gardens dressing and was way too thin. We ate it as it was already in the bowl, and it wasn’t too bad, but not Olive Gardens.
Please, please, please send your recipe to pamrf@yahoo.com. It will be greatly appreciated.
could you please send me your OG salad dressing recipe? I would greatly appreciate it!
Hi Alex, Please send me your recipe. I have been looking for one that is like olive garden for a while now. Thanks
I also would like the OLive Garden Salad dressing recipe.
Thanks
Could you send me your Olive Garden salad dressing recipe please? simplygoldcandles@yahoo.com
alex please send me your olive garden recipe:) readeroftheriderwaite@gmail.com i would so appreciate than you!
Alex – could you please share your recipe with me: rbullis@nycap.rr.com
thanks so much. greatly appreciated. :0
Hey, can I have the recipe too? It’s my absolute favorite!!! THANKS! mgriswold66@gmail.com
Alex..would love to have your Olive Garden recipe…dkeeshen@comcast.net. Thanks!!
Alex..would love to have your Olive Garden recipe…dkeeshen@comcast.net. Thanks!!
Alex..would love to have your Olive Garden recipe…dkeeshen@comcast.net. Thanks!!
Alex..would love to have your Olive Garden recipe…dkeeshen@comcast.net. Thanks!!
Alex, I would love to have the salad dressing recipe–dwgully@tritel.net
Thank you
Comment removed. Please do not post materials that violate copyright protection rules.
Did Alex post/send the recipe to anyone?
Nope – big talk – no action…..
What I have found that tastes the closest is Ken’s Steakhouse Northern Italian salad dressing.
oh my god this creeped me out. i am reading this recipe because i am currently working for an olive garden, and my name is Beth, and I LOVE love love that dressing (ken’s northern italian) it has tomato basil and either parmesan or romano cheese in it and it is amazing dressing. i was starting to think… wow… did i write this comment???
This tastes notin like Olive Garden’s salad dressin. I really question the use of mayonnaise; it tasted and looked more like a coleslaw dressing.
How many servings does this make?
The recipe yields about 1 cup, so I believe that would be 12 tablespoons. So if you are using a tablespoon of dressing as a serving, this would yield about 12 servings.
Olive Garden salad dressing. It is “Wish Bone” Dressing. Plain and simple.
I used to work there at Olive Garden and I saw it come in huge canisters which would be opened and distributed into smaller containers. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found out it was “Wish Bone,” dressing.
I am going to guess that maybe they got the folks at Wishbone to make them up their own personal recipe for this.
REALYY??!!
Dude, it doesn’t even look like Wishbone dressing. Wishbone is translucent and OG is opaque. Wishbone has no cheese in it, either.
Perhaps Wishbone makes salad dressing for Olive Garden but it is not the Wishbone Italian variety on our grocery store shelves.
You should try Wishbone “House Itailian” dressing. It is not translucent and it resembles Olive Gardens dressing and taste like it.
I’ve tried it and it doesnt’ taste the same; it’s ok; not a mayo guy; good effort though.
I appreciate your comment, the dressing is a creamy dressing, I know it is really had to see when they have already placed it onto your salad.
Blah blah blah, let’s see your recipes. This one is BETTER than Olive Gardens, and it does taste a little like it but BETTER! Everyone’s taste buds are different, so these are opinions, not facts.
Not bad if you like sweet dressings, but definitely not Olive Garden’s recipe.
How about everyone say thank you for trying??? I haven’t tried this recipe yet but plan on making it tonight so I don’t know if it tastes like the real deal or not but just want to say thanks in advance for taking the time to try and duplicate their recipe!
I agree with the others – this recipe makes an interesting salad dressing, but it’s NOTHING like Olive Garden! The mayo makes it very thin, milky and sweetish. It tastes okay, but I was hoping to duplicate the OG recipe, and avoid driving 45 min. to the restaurant and paying $7.00 for a bottle!
a little extra sugar? there is no sugar indicated in the recipe.
Thanks for pointing that out, I will put sugar down as an optional ingredient. ~Stephanie
corn syrup is sugar
Corn Syrup is NOT sugar. Sugar is made from Sugar Cane, Sugar Beets, etc. Our Sugar has a majority of Sucrose, with (possibly) some Glucose and / or Fructose.
Corn Syrup is make from grinding up corn and adding an enzyme extracted from genetically “enhanced” bacteria and fungi (fungus) to turn it into Glucose (or Fructose if you’re talking about High Fructose Corn Syrup-HFCS). The enzyme “digests” the corn and we eat and drink the results. Yum!
Think about that while you’re using Corn Syrup or drinking a soft drink containing HFCS…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_syrup
Go spaam your agenda somewhere else Hitler!
I had clipped the recipie from a magazine and misplaced it. But I specifically remember it called for Miricle whip and not mayo. That jumped right out. I will try your recipie and substitute the mayo for miricle whip and see how it tastes.
Before you start on a tirade about how different high fructose corn syrup is compared to table sugar, maybe you should do some more research, or understand what you’re reading. High fructose corn syrup contains almost the SAME RATIO of fructose to glucose as regular table sugar does. the “digestion” that you’re talking about is using bacteria to add an enzyme that breaks the molecular bonds between the repeating chains of glucose that makes up the starch in the corn. Then, they add another enzyme (from bacteria, as most are) that isomerizes (changes the shape of) the molecule, turning some of it into fructose. Viola! HFCS! Remember, it’s the dose that makes the poison.
This isn’t the recipe they told me they use kraft dressing with cheese
I find it odd they would say that. You can buy a bottle of the dressing there, so I believe a supplier is making the dressing for them. Just ask your waiter if you want to purchase a bottle of dressing, they will be happy to sell you a bottle of their dressing. ~Stephanie
while I don’t think this recipe tastes anything like the Olive Garden dressing, it is DELICIOUS and I would without a doubt make it again.