My Grandma’s Greek Dressing Recipe
In My Grandma’s Greek Dressing Recipe you’ll find simple ingredients like fresh garlic and lemon juice, oregano and olive oil. Seasoned, simply with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for the absolute BEST Greek salad dressing you’ll ever taste.
This is by far my most popular salad dressing on Simply Scratch. So popular I knew I had to include in my cookbook. I think people love it because it tastes real and authentic and all that’s required are just a few simple pantry ingredients, a jar and of course, a yummy big fat Greek salad. To make my grandma’s Greek salad dressing is so incredibly easy, just add everything into a jar, secure the lid and shake! The end result? Amazing. I could literally drink this stuff from the bottle. Just kidding, that would leave a horrible oil-stache which would be so not attractive.
This Greek salad dressing is can also be a marinade for chicken. Toss chicken breasts or thighs into a resealable bag or Tupperware container, pour and toss. Marinade for a 30 minutes to 1 hour and grill! You can see it done here in my Greek Chicken Pita recipe and it was simply delicious. This is as straightforward as it gets and I think you’ll love it just as much as I do!
Let’s roll.
Like I mentioned before, all you need is a few fridge and pantry items. Ingredients like olive oil, a large lemon (two if smaller), one good-size garlic clove, dried oregano, kosher salt and ground black pepper.
First grate one large garlic clove directly into a glass jar. If you don’t have a microplane, then finely mincing or squeezing the clove in a garlic press will do the trick just fine.
Measure and add in a teaspoon of the dried oregano (I crumble this in the palm of my hand before adding), a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out all of the juice. You will need 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice, which it typically one whole large lemon. Strain the juice through a small mesh strainer to catch and seeds and pulp.
Pour the lemon juice into the jar with the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
Then measure and pour in a 1/2 cup of good quality olive oil.
Now if this wasn’t already so boringly easy, screw on the lid…
…and shake it good.
That’s it! I know, a whole step-by-step post on how to make Greek dressing.
However, this Greek dressing recipe is far from boring. Now all you need now is a nice big fat Greek salad filled with chopped fresh lettuce, crumbled feta, juicy tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, salty kalamata olives and pickled beets and then serve with as much or as little of the Greek dressing as you like.
Here’s my go-to Greek salad recipe. You can drizzle this dressing over it or if you’re craving a creamy Greek dressing, I took My Grandma’s Greek Salad Dressing and swapped in fresh herbs and made it luscious with a little mayo and Greek yogurt.
Enjoy! And if you give this Greek Dressing recipe a try, let me know by snapping a photo and tagging me on twitter or instagram!
My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance!
My Grandma's Greek Dressing Recipe
Only the easiest and best Greek dressing recipe!
Yield: 3/4 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large clove of garlic, grated or squeezed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried oregano, rubbed in palm
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon), strained of pulp and seeds
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
Directions:
In a glass jar or container with a tight fitting lid, grate in a clove of garlic. Then measure and add in the oregano, salt and black pepper.
Pour in the (strained) freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil.
Shake. Pour. Swoon.
Store salad dressing in the fridge. Pull the dressing out 10-15 minutes prior to using to warm it up if the oil solidifies or simply run the jar under warm tap water.
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Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours! (
I'm Jealous – looks great!
The dressing looks amazing. Full of flavor and so healthy!!! I wish a plate of that salad and dressing would appear in front of me right now 🙂
Oh jeez-louise…now I have to make this for dinner…if I can last that long. This looks fanstastic!
Greek Salad is one of my favorites! I love to make dressing in jars…they come together so well and quick without much fuss. Thanks for sharing!
You had me with the pour spout! I want to find this Olive Oil!
LOVE Greek Dressing! Your recipe looks simply marvelous!
Laurie….I went looking all over town for this Olive Oil and couldn't find it. Is it at a health food store or does it have to be specialty ordered online? I couldn't find it at my local grocery stores! I had to settle for Western Family brand 🙁
Haley… Try going to the Olivari website and entering your zip code to locate a store.
Hopefully that helps!
http://www.olivarimediterraneanoliveoil.com/
Thanks! I checked the website to find a store and there is none within 150 miles from me. Sometimes I hate living in Montana! We never get the good stuff! 😉
Hi everyone – I work at the company that supplies Olivari Mediterranean Olive Oil. It is available nationally right now at Walmart Supercenters (yup, any of the big Walmarts that have the large grocery sections).
Otherwise, it is mainly in the Northeast right now. We are working hard to expand… Thanks for your support!!
Opa! This is the best, most authentic recipe I found when I typed “Greek Salad Dressing” into my search. Can you believe some sites made a Greek dressing with no oregano and no lemon juice?! That’s crazy! This is the only one I wrote down.
Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I just wanted to tell you that I love the way you put all of the ingredients in the photos. Somehow it makes things seem simpler to make. 🙂
simplyscratch replied: — August 19th, 2012 @ 2:03 am
Thanks Ally! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. The proportions are great and make it versatile. The original is quick and tasty. Have also tried with red wine vinegar, oregeno, dill and mint, kept the same proportions. Thanks for sharing your grandmother’s recipe – those recipes are usually keepers!
OMG!!!! Just made this dressing to marinate some grilled chicken and I am completely speechless (mostly because my mouth is full). Awsome dressing and marinade!!!! I can’t wait to try other recipes!!! A++++
So glad this post come up in my search for Greek Salad Dressings! I love the use of lemon instead of a wine vinegar! It was perfect with our Greek salad tonight! Thanks for posting it!
simplyscratch replied: — February 19th, 2013 @ 8:19 am
You are welcome 🙂 I love this dressing and more so that it’s my Grandmas recipe!
This dressing was SO incredibly delicious!!! Thanks for sharing. It is officially a new staple in our house! 🙂
I made this and it tasted amazing! Added a bit more lemon juice because I like tangy dressings and some rosemary too. Yum.
Hello, I made Grandma’s Greek Salad dressing, twice. I didn’t have a jar, I wisked it. The oil taste overcame the other flavors. Was it the wisked that changed the taste?? Was a flop @ my dinners. 🙁 Please help.
Thanking you in advance,
Jacqueline Kossoff
simplyscratch replied: — March 19th, 2013 @ 9:28 am
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you as I’ve been making this for years and never had that happen, but since I’m not in the kitchen with you I cannot be sure. It could be the olive oil you used, some are better than others, also if the dressing settles you may get more oil then lemon juice. If you do try this again and you get more of an olive oil taste try adding more lemon juice to it and see if that helps 🙂
I have a similar recipe that I’ve been using for a few years now but lately it seems to have a little too much heat to it & I don’t know why. Could too much garlic make it hot or could it possibly be too much lemon juice or maybe not enough red wine vinegar? This is my recipe:
4 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp oregano
1 TBSP crushed garlic
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
This was amazing!!! Thank you!!!! I made this and it was hit … party in my mouth!!!
simplyscratch replied: — January 7th, 2014 @ 12:02 am
Ha-ha! I’m so glad!!
This is the best! I just made it and it is awesome! I did not change a thing; I made it just as you wrote it.
simplyscratch replied: — February 17th, 2014 @ 10:44 pm
I’m so glad! Thanks Ella 🙂
I’ve made this dressing several times and used it in a “Greek” pasta salad of farfalle, red onion, lots of kalamata olives, feta, and celery. The dressing is the perfect complement to the strong flavors of the olives and red onion. I get rave reviews every time….thanks for such an easy and delicious dressing recipe.
I love this dressing… so easy and so full of flavor! Great for marinade as well..
Thank you
Wyndi
Wow Wow! Love this dressing….my family is requesting it again and again!! Thanks for sharing with all of us who don’t have a grandma 🙂
This recipe is great thank you!! So easy and so delicious!!
Laurie McNamara replied: — June 4th, 2014 @ 10:06 am
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing. Love the lemon without vinegar. Fresh and tangy!
Made it and loved it! Flavour develop overnight, even better the 2nd day.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. So simple and such a delight. Thank you for sharing.
Best dressing ever! Thank you so much! Can you tell me what the shelf life of this is if kept in the fridge? I would think quite a while since the ingredients themselves have such a long life.
Laurie McNamara replied: — April 20th, 2015 @ 1:02 pm
Hi Claire! I’m so glad you love this dressing as much as I do! If refrigerated it can last for 3 to 4 months. 🙂
habe gerade Ihr Rezept gefunden und es würde mich interessieren, wielange man dieses Dressing aufbewahren kann.
Vielen Dank
Whipped this dressing up this morning to go with my salad. I love it. I actually used Greek Seasoning instead of the salt/pepper/oregano. It was delish! Thanks for sharing.
Perfect! I used it in my greek wheat berries salad WOW!
I am going to make this for my Yai Yai! Thanks 🙂
Just want to let you know I have been coming back to your Grandma’s recipe for a few years now <3 It is my absolute favorite!!
Laurie McNamara replied: — April 5th, 2016 @ 10:02 pm
I love to hear that! FYI I just posted a creamy version today! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!❤️
Love this dressing…exactly what i was looking for!!!
I am curious about beets in the salad..are they pickled beets or boiled-seasoned beets? How are they prepared? The salad photo looks fantastic!!
Just made this for a Greek salad that I am taking to a friends for dinner. WOW!! It is delicious and will sure to become a staple in my kitchen.
Laurie McNamara replied: — July 2nd, 2016 @ 8:37 am
I’m so glad!!
Looks really good. The only things missing from my Greek salad are lettuce and anchovies. All the Greek diners I’ve had Greek salad at all used lettuce so I feel its necessary for a good salad. I’m also not a fan of kalamata olives.. too strong tasting.
Thank you for this lovely recipe! I was looking for a Greek salad dressing that does not use red wine vinegar, and this was perfect. It complemented my salad beautifully. I’m a new visitor to your website, and this has me hooked!
Do u have a Greek house dressing for pepper steak subs?
Laurie McNamara replied: — September 30th, 2016 @ 5:05 pm
I do not. Sorry, but I am curious as to what sandwiches these are and I can investigate!
I just wanted to say that I have made your dressing every week for months on end and it has been a hit with my husband and friends that come for dinner. THANK YOU a million times over!
Laurie McNamara replied: — February 24th, 2017 @ 8:34 am
That’s great, Caitie!! <3
I am trying to eat healthier and start doing meal preps. chicken Greek salad was on my list this week. I wanted to make my own dressing instead of buying the stuff at the grocery store that’s laced with chemicals. I found yours and instantly when I saw that it was your grandma’s recipe I knew it had to be the best. My instinct was correct; it was delicious! This is something I will probably keep in my rotation and use forever. Thanks for sharing this with us. 🙂
Laurie McNamara replied: — May 18th, 2017 @ 1:56 pm
Yay! That’s so great to hear, Nicole! It’s my most favorite dressing recipe
What a simple yet so delicious dressing, Best Greek Salad dressing I’ve never had. Thank you for sharing.
Laurie McNamara replied: — November 7th, 2017 @ 9:24 pm
I’m so glad Kate! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I don’t have Twitter or Instagram, but I did make this Greek salad dressing, and it was hands down my favorite dressing ever (and I used lemon juice instead of fresh squeezed!). The whole family loved it!!
One caveat – the yield is 3/4 of a cup, which corresponds to a massive portion of salad (4+ people), otherwise you’ll drown it in dressing…
Also, I found it to be too sour (2:1 oil to lemon ratio seems too much), so bear that in mind.