This Greek Salad dressing is actually a Greekified version of our Italian dressing. Even though so many of the ingredients are similar, it’s a totally different dressing and it will change your life. I’m not even kidding. It makes and an absolutely amazing marinade and packs a flavorful punch in this addictive Greek Pasta Salad. It’s perfect for marinating chicken and veggie skewers or lamb on skewers for a more traditional Greek twist. Trust me, you’ll come back to this one again and again!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- White vinegar
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Seasoning salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Black pepper
- Fresh garlic
- Oil – Any neutral oil will do. If using as a marinade I wouldn’t use a nice, expensive oil. Save that for use on salads!
- Feta cheese
- Greek or Italian seasoning
- Oregano
How to Make Greek Salad Dressing and Marinade
- Combine the lemon juice and vinegar in the jar of a blender. Add the salt, seasoning salt, sugar, pepper, red pepper, and garlic.
- Blend it all up until it’s smooth and then, while the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Whisk in the Italian or Greek seasoning, oregano, and feta.
- If possible, chill the dressing for at least an hour before serving, but it will still be awesome if you serve it immediately.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results. Just give it a good shake before using.
- If you’d like a slightly creamier dressing, feel free to blend some of the feta into the dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main differences are the addition of oregano and using feta instead of parmesan. Those changes may seem simple, but it is a unique dressing in its own right!
Absolutely! The flavors will blend and intensify as it chills. Feel free to make it one day and use it throughout the week as desired.
Greek Salad Dressing & Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes this will not make the dressing spicy, just flavorful
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 1 cup oil I recommend a neutral oil, but if you’re using this as a marinade, I wouldn’t use really nice olive oil; save that for use on salads
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¾ teaspoon Greek or Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
Instructions
- In the jar of a blender, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, salt seasoning salt, sugar, pepper, red pepper, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
- While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and add the feta and pulse the blender a few times (more if you want a creamier consistency).
- Whisk in the herbs. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Use as a marinade for chicken, lamb, or flank steak or drizzle over a Greek salad.
Notes
- Store finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results. Just give it a good shake before using.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
this is sooo soo good ! i also used olive oil and i made the amount you have here ; after nearly eating salad for bfast , lunch, i went back to double it so that i can use it as a mairnade. i love this dressing !
do you know how to make garlic paste?
Yum! Yum! Yum! Seriously Yum! Tangy, creamy and just a little hint of sweet. This is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Kate! I have a favourite dressing – it is called Goddess and it is only at Trader Joe’s. Have you tried it? Can you suggest how to make it or something similar? It is a really unique flavour and as I am living abroad now I really miss it!
Thanks!
We’ve never tried it, sorry!
Ok, ever since you posted this recipe it has been my dressing of choice! I just love it! Sometimes I make it with the feta and sometimes I make it with Greek yogurt and it is divine both ways (just really depends on my mood, creamy or lumpy). For those who asked before, I usually do it with olive oil for 3 reasons: 1 – olive oil is just more Greek-like, 2 – I love olives and I find the taste added to this dressing to be amazing, 3 – I just really don’t like the taste of canola (this is just me personally though). So if you are wondering if it is nice with olive oil, it is divine! I have also tried it using white wine vinegar and balsamic white and the only difference is that it is slightly more tangy with the balsamic. What I love most about this recipe is the very slight kick from the red pepper with the lemon twist. Plus it is so versatile that I have pretty much kept this on hand in the fridge (when you make it with the Greek yogurt and let it chill over night it is thick and creamy and perfect for dipping veggies in). Anyway, hands down a fab recipe that deserves praises and rewards! xo
Love this dressing/ marinade/ dip/ nectar-of-the-salad&condiment Gods!! ; ) I’ve been trying to keep track of calories lately (still made this dressing as is- full fat feta and all!) and entered the ingredients into a recipe calorie counter… Just FYI if anyone else is interested… **NB: I did use veg. oil instead as I had no canola oil on hand** (…but good luck trying to stick to just ONE Tbsp…This stuff is delicious!)
For 1 Tbsp serv: 70 cal; 7.5g total fat; 1.9mg cholesterol; 56.4mg sodium; 6.5mg potassium; 1g carbs; 0.4g sugars; 0.8g protein; Vit. A 0.5%; Vit C 2.1%; Calcium 1.4%
Simply a party for my taste buds! This is incredible, creamy and tasty. Every ingredient is spot on right. Yum! So simple to make & I like that!
Um. This is so good I almost wanted to drink it.
this looks amazingly tasty! Is there any way I can lighten it up just a bit? Like for instance, could I do half water, half oil? I LOVE greek salads and this just looks perfect!
Hmmmm…I’ve never tried it. I probably wouldn’t do just straight water–maybe vegetable broth? Give it a shot and let us know how it goes! 🙂
This is delicious! I made it to mix with a couscous salad (couscous, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and feta). Yum!
Tried this on cucumber and sprout salad last week when I made Greek Penne and chicken…..it was GREAT! and super easy ~
can you PLEASSSSSSSE tell me where you got your hand blender?!?! i have two cuisinart hand blenders given as gifts and both times they told me they tried to find me a blue one!
Oh, my gosh, it’s so gorgeous! I got it at Amazon!
http://astore.amazon.com/oubebi-20/detail/B003WIZ99E
A couple friends and I do a Freezer-Cooking day together once a month, and we loved your Italian Turkey Meatballs so much, that we’re doing that one again this month and we keep adding more of your recipes to our plan 🙂 Your Asian BBQ Chicken and this Greek Salad recipe are also on the agenda for this month! We plan to marinate chicken breasts in this recipe to freeze and we’re making extra to use as salad dressing. 🙂 Mouth is watering already!
Excellent! We really enjoyed this on salad with chicken I had marinated in it and grilled. A wonderful dinner! Thanks! Kate, keep these dressings coming. I will never purchase poppy seed dressing again. I only make yours now.
This greek dressing was PHENOMENAL! Probably the best I’ve ever had. I marinated some chicken with it and then had a greek salad the next day. It was so good that I bought a Costco load of lemons and feta cheese to make tons more!
Oh.My.Yum! I made this the other night. If it wasn’t considered bad to eat dressing with a spoon, I might have done that…I may have used my fingers to wipe the edges of the blender, and then lick them off…I may have licked my plate. Did I mention this was delicious???!!! I marinated chicken in this and then made a salad with the chicken, mixed greens, cucumber, tomatoes, Greek olives, and croutons. I couldn’t get enough of it! Thank you!
Can you use olive oil instead of Canola oil in this, or might that over power it? I am hearing how bad vegetable oils are for you and am tring to do dressings without them. Thanks!
I was wondering the same thing about olive oil. Have you tried it that way yet? How did it turn out?
i tried it with olive oil, it’s great. Olive oil is always a good salad dressing base. I’ll try canola oil as soon as I have a chance to get some.
I LOVE your blog! Thanks soo much for all your yummy recipes! But I have to agree with Jen on this one! Stay away from Canola oil!!!?
Kate – I love this dressing! It’s so easy, light and has great flavor. My 8 yr old and 3yr old both loved it – this will be a new standard dressing at our house. I’m excited to try it as a marinade. Thanks for the great recipe!
I a newbie to bestbites and the dressings are my favorite. This was the best one yet– it was AMAZING!!
You all made me look good yesterday. Had some ladies over for lunch and made greek salad with grilled chicken that I had marinated in this dressing. One lady asked if it would be rude to lick her plate! It was a HUGE hit. Thanks!
This looks like a terrific go-to recipe! So versatile. Thanks for sharing!
I am so excited to try this for dinner tonight! Unfortunately I couldn’t find feta at our local supermarket. Argh. So…I’m going to substitute with greek yogurt. Probably won’t be near as yummy as the feta, but hopefully it’s edible.
I’ve been in the mood for Greek-style pasta salad and have been meaning to look around for a fabulous dressing to go with it, but hadn’t gotten around to it just yet. What do you know…once in a while, procrastination does pay off! Sounds delicious. 🙂
I have been jonesing for some Greek food….. I’ll take this. 🙂 Hope your Memorial Day weekend was good!
I love how you describe this as a Greekified Italian dressing. That sounds GOOD!
This looks amazing!
Also…you said y’all…that makes me giggle!
Yum, that looks so good. The recipe I use is similar but I never thought of blending it all together with my immersion blender! Thanks for the awesome idea, I can’t wait to try that next time 🙂
Of course you just posted a greek version because on Friday I was searching & searching your site for a greek-style marinade for chicken to use along with the greek couscous salad in the cookbook. And here it is, right on schedule! The italian version of this dressing just might be my favorite marinade so I’m sure this will be just as perfect!! Looking forward to trying this on the salad too … OH MY! Amazing Timing, can’t wait. Thanks so much!
I love feta, so I definitely have to try this one!
Mmmm, this sounds really good! I think I’ll give it a whirl and try marinating in chicken as well.