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
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- Blue Cheese Salad Dressing Recipe
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- Buttermilk Salad Dressing
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Be sure to check out more of the best Olive Garden copycat recipes and easy salad dressing recipes.
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Just tried this recipe after trying many that have claimed to be the famous Olive Garden dressing and was excited as always to taste it… But just like the others it did not taste like it. It still tasted good, but it needed more oil (which I did add) and less vinegar. But overall it was a good tasting dressing. I give it three stars! 🙂
This isn’t Olive Gardens current dressing but its amazingly delicious. Minus the corn syrup and sugar. Yumm. Thanks for the post.
I made this dressing for Christmas and we all loved it. Very good!
Any substitutes for Romano cheese? I don’t know where to find it in the country I live in
Most creamy dressings are made with eggs and oil (mayo), sour cream or cream. I make this dressing all the time using apple cider vinegar, mayo, oregano and seasoning salt. Yes, OG dressing is very salty, I love it. I am a person that cannot have too much salt but OG dressing and food have never caused me problems. I love their salad and could eat just that when I go. I don’t use sugar in mine and it tastes more like OG to me without it. I don’t even use that much seasoning salt, however, and lemon always enhances the saltiness. I don’t know what the label says but very little OG dressing is needed to dress a salad.
Nothing like Olive Garden dressing, but not bad.
Ok, about to try it now….ew………ew, ew, ew…very tart…but good. No, I just went to olive garden yesterday and…ew, ew…ya not quite like olive garden. But, it is good. I didn’t have any Romano cheese, so that might improve the taste if I added that. Good recipe, despite all the negative comments. I’ll have to try tweaking it a bit, though. …ew
You can buy the Olive Garden Dressing at any Sam’s Club. They have exclusive rights for the first year. It is at a great value as well.
thanks for the info….
I’m confused by the ingredients. The list says 2 TABLEspoons of Romano and 2 TABLEspoons of Parmesan but when you watch the video the author says 2 TEAspoons of each. So which is it? I’d like to try this dressing but want to make sure I’ve got the right amounts.
Alex, please send me your Olive Garden salad dressing recipe. bhmartin@charter.net
Thanks!!!!
I am going to agree with Crystalbeasley. I made this tonight, along with a typical salad from OG, and while it wasn’t exactly like theirs, it was very yummy. I wanted a larger amount of dressing so I tripped the recipe, except the vinegar, I only used 1.5. This dressing was very yummy, although I am not quite sure it is the recipe that OG uses.
This isnt exactly like the OG dressing. But it’s very good and so easy to make. I never buy bottled anymore. I just whip this up in a few minutes.
I rarely buy bottled salad dressing any more either.
Olive Garden salad dressing doesn’t have mayo in it!
I bought a bottle of their dressing and the ingredients mention oil and eggs. That is what mayo is made of. 🙂
After long research and many good italian dressings, but not OG dressings I have came up with THE one:
1Tbsp mayo,
4 Tbsp distilled venigar (other venigars are off- just look at the ingredients in OG),
3 tsp canola oil (olive oil gives too much distinct taste),
1/2 tsp sugar,
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice,
4 Tbsp romano cheese ( there is NO PARMEZAN cheese in the OG ingredients!), this is the main ingredient!
1/4 tsp garlic powder,
1/4 tsp dried parsley,
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
salt to taste
Was not impressed with this salad dressing. Too much lemon or something – did not think it was like OG’s.
i like these ingrendiants very nice
Love this recipe. I did have to add a little more sugar and italian seasoning. I don’t care if it isn’t exactly like OG, but it was delicious just the same. Thanks anyway.
Love this recipe. I did have to add a little more sugar and italian seasoning. I don’t care if it isn’t exactly like OG, but it was delicious just the same. Thanks anyway.
This is amaaaaazing!!! Thanks for sharing!!
This is awful!!!!
Ive never commented before but I feel like I have to because this dressing it outstanding!!! And i personally think it tastes a LOT like Olive Garden. I didnt have corn syrup & used only a Tbsp of Mayo & 2 tsp sugar to account for the corn syrup but left everything else the same & it was fabulous. Thank you for the recipe!!
I have not tried this recipe after reading the reviews. I did, however, purchase a bottle of their salad dressing from Olive Garden for $4.95 and exactly recreated their salad at home. Just use Dole’s Just Lettuce mix, add sliced tomatoes, black olives of the American canned variety, pepperoncini peppers, and sliced red onion if you like. It is perhaps noteworthy that their dressing is manufactured by McCormick’s. And while mayonnaise is not specifically listed as an ingredient, they do list eggs, soybean oil, and lemon juice concentrate (probably RealLemon) — prime components of mayo, though less sweet than regular American mayo. They also list milk, probably because of the Romano cheese from cows. The result is an opaque (not translucent) fluid which, when applied to the salad in one or two tablespoons, assumes a translucence. Almost invisible. It freshens the salad ingredients delightfully. I recommend just buying it.
where did you buy it?
Olive Garden is great for buying right there at the restaurant. I always buy the black tie cake for my sons birthday (call in advance) the whole cake only cost me $38 and I think it is cut in 12. I have also bought the dressing years ago there.