Recipe for Green Goddess Dressing: Trying to boost energy and reduce inflammation? Then eating a huge raw, leafy green salad with plenty of fresh vegetables everyday should be high on your to-do list. Even if salads aren’t your thing, my Green Goddess Dressing Recipe is guaranteed to add a punch of flavor that tastes amazing!
Short on time? You’re in luck! This Recipe for Green Goddess Dressing takes only 5 minutes from start to finish, and is perfect for storing in the fridge for later use. Ready for the details? Keep reading!
Is Green Goddess Dressing Healthy?
When I was little, my parents frequently took me to steakhouse style restaurants with salad bars. One of the things I remember most about those salad bars was the ultra yummy, oh so pretty, Green Goddess Dressing. I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of salad, but if I could douse my greens in globs of good old Green Goddess Dressing, I was happy to eat my salad.
While Green Goddess dressing was always my favorite as a kid, I’ve always loved the taste of pretty much any cream-based dressing. However, basically any conventional recipe for a cream-based dressing (including most Green Goddess dressings) is a nutritional nightmare of empty calories with the bulk of the recipe being a mix of mayonnaise and/or sour cream. In other words, most creamy dressings pretty much cancel out the benefits of eating the salad in the first place!
Going back to the original question: “Is Green Goddess Dressing healthy?”, the answer unfortunately would have to be an astounding NO! Filled with dairy, refined oils, sugar, emulsifiers, and often gluten, most Green Goddess Dressings are nowhere close to the picture of health.
However, OUR Green Goddess Dressing IS healthy, and one that you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying. Loaded with real, whole food, anti-inflammatory ingredients, this recipe is just as delicious as its unhealthy counterpart. It will also leave you FEELING amazing! I assure you this one can compete head on with the steakhouse dressings I remember as a kid. It’s also incredibly easy to make.
How to a Make Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
By now, you’re probably wondering how we made our Green Goddess Dressing just as delicious as the real thing, without all of the dairy, sugar, and unhealthy ingredients. Well, many ingredients like the spices were able to stay, while we used a few simple swaps to clean up the rest. Here are the swaps we made to keep this dressing creamy, and full of flavor!
Swap Canola Oil for Extra Virgin Olive Oil: While most green goddess dressings use the cheapest oils possible (often canola oil), we opted for extra virgin olive oil in this recipe! Extra-virgin olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fat. Studied to be helpful in reducing your risk of heart disease, as well as improving blood vessel function, among much more, monounsaturated fat is an important and healthy part of a balanced diet. It also contains antioxidants and flavonoids that help prevent bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and becoming dangerous to your blood vessels.
An easy swap, and one that has no effect (except for positive) on the flavor or texture of the recipe, there’s no reason not to swap all of your empty-calorie oils out for nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory alternatives!
Swap Dairy-Based Cream out for Nuts or Seeds: When blended, nuts and seeds create a creamy, dairy-like texture. They’re truly the perfect swap for any cream-based recipe! Smooth, thick, and creamy, the only difference you’ll notice is the lack of digestive issues following consumption! They’re also a great swap for emulsifiers, as they help to thicken, and keep the recipe from separating.
How to Use Green Goddess Dressing
When most people hear the word “dressing”, they automatically think of salads. However, this Green Goddess Dressing is delicious on much more than salads!
From dips, to spreads, to your traditional salad dressing, this Green Goddess Dressing is versatile, and a great addition to many recipes! Here are some of our favorite ways to use our Green Goddess Dressing:
Carrot Fries: Crisp and perfectly air-fried, these Carrot Fries are the perfect way to get in more veggies, and add variety to your meals. Use our Green Goddess Dressing Recipe as a dip for Carrot Fries for the most perfect combination!
Black Bean Burger Recipe: This Black Bean Burger recipe is both delicious and satisfying. This is NOTHING like the store-bought burgers in the frozen section. It really will be a new favorite! Use our Green Goddess Dressing as a spread on these Black Bean Burgers!
Garden Salad: This Garden Salad is the perfect go-to recipe for a quick side salad for dinner, and can even be enjoyed as the main-course of a meal! A traditional yet delicious way to enjoy Green Goddess Dressing, this Garden Salad pairs perfectly!
Shrimp Scampi with Pasta Recipe: Shrimp Scampi with Pasta Recipe is delicious, savory and made within 20 minutes. Dairy free and gluten free with LOTS of garlic. Skip the broth, and mix in with this Recipe for Green Goddess Dressing instead!
Ready to learn how to make this quick and easy recipe on your own? Let’s get into all the details!
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Recipe for Green Goddess Dressing
Whether you’re a salad person or not, my Green Goddess Dressing Recipe is guaranteed to add a punch of flavor that tastes amazing!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh coconut water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unrefined extra virgin olive oil, can substitute for avocado oil
- 1/3 cup raw macadamia nuts, can substitute with cashews or sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- Unrefined salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy.
Last Step! If you loved our recipe, leave us a review below. This helps future recipe makers and ensures continued high-quality recipes for years to come!
Notes
You can substitute parsley for the chives and tarragon. If you want it to be completely vegan substitute pure maple syrup for the honey.
Rose
Thursday 24th of January 2013
Another keeper Ivy! We just happened to have coconut water on hand and wondered what we could do with it. We've just very recently decided to go raw. Come dinner time I realized we didn't have anymore dressing prepared and I wanted something quick. I found your recipe and saw that it required coconut water :) It was meant to be. Very delicious. I got those love looks at the dinner table from my family thanks to you. So grateful. You're amazing.