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What comes to mind when you think of summer? Fresh flavors and bright colors, of course! This Quick & Fresh Green Goddess Dressing will become a new staple that you can make in just about 10 minutes!
I’m having lots of fun recreating popular dishes that I made at the last restaurant I worked at. I left that job quite a few years ago, but I admit that they had some great dishes to serve for summer. Let’s just say that patio season here in Canada does not last long, so when it’s around, those summer days at work were extremely long and busy for us! I have to admit that it’s way more fun to make these recipes at home where I’m making a few portions on my own time and not as a result of the call-out on the screen with some anxious customers waiting for food!
If you’re looking to eat some more salads, then this baja goddess dressing will definitely help you achieve that goal! However, as you’ll soon see, Green Goddess is not limited to be used as a salad dressing! You can use this dressing as a sauce or dip for your favourite snacks, proteins, or even fries! This Green Goddess recipe is fast, fresh, and so satisfying! Pair it with your favourite summer salad or burger as part of a special meal to put your heart on a plate as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge, which you can get started for free by signing up for my email newsletter! Plus, all of my latest recipes will be sent straight to your inbox so you’ve always got new recipe inspiration!
To truly see how quick and easy it is to make your very own green goddess aioli at home, then be sure to watch the video! I would appreciate it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get blending!
What is Baja Goddess Dressing and Why is it Called Green Goddess?▼
You may think that the dressing is called Green Goddess because of the vibrant green colour. However, this is not the whole story! This salad dressing actually originated in San Francisco in 1923. At the time, the popular theatre actor George Arliss was staying at the Palace Hotel while he was performing the play The Green Goddess in San Francisco. Philip Roemer, the hotel’s chef, created this special salad dressing in honour of Arliss and the play.
Doing some digging online, someone was lucky enough to find the original recipe of Green Goddess written in a 1927 newspaper article. The original ingredients were:
- Mayonnaise, thinned out with French dressing
- Tarragon
- Parsley
- Chives
- Onion
- Anchovy fillets
- Garlic oil
Why Is Green Goddess So Popular?▼
From my research, it actually took some time for Green Goddess to take off in the “real world” beyond the Palace Hotel. It would not be until the 1970s until Green Goddess was all over - on restaurant menus and even commercially produced in the form of bottled dressing to be purchased at grocery stores. In my professional experience, it definitely has been brought back, as I used Green Goddess for the most popular dishes when I worked as a line cook! It has also made appearances by turn-of-the-century celebrities, including Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray. This recipe is over 100 years old now, and it sure has passed the test of time!
Why You’ll Love This Baja Green Goddess Recipe
- Fast: You can make the dressing itself in just about 5 minutes! The preparation takes a little bit of work, but I definitely vouch for Green Goddess as an every day dressing that can be prepared any time you feel like it.
- Fresh and tasty: I can’t get enough of this salad dressing recipe! Honestly I love to just take some licks of it, it’s too good! I love all the wonderful fresh flavors coming from the variety of herbs, and the creaminess from our avocado, Greek yogurt, and mayonnaise. This California Goddess dressing totally has all of the good stuff in one!
- Vegetarian: The original green goddess dressing recipe is actually made with anchovies. If you’re like me and you don’t care for anchovies very much, and/or you’re making this for vegetarians, then this is the recipe for you!
- Lots of uses: No need to stop at using Green Goddess only for salads! I’ve got plenty of serving suggestions listed later on in this post, so keep reading for some inspiration!
Is Green Goddess Healthy?▼
I would say that if you look at the big picture, then this is a healthy dressing. Whatever herbs you choose to use, they will all have antioxidant properties that will contribute to your overall health. Furthermore, if you’re using Greek yogurt in Green Goddess, then that has lots of protein to help keep you full. Greek yogurt also contains probiotics that will assist with digestion. The garlic in the sauce will contain a variety of nutrients, including fibre, vitamins B6 and vitamin C, manganese, and selenium. Garlic can assist in reducing cholesterol levels and can assist in reducing blood pressure, whereby both of these benefits can reduce one’s risk of heart disease overall. If you’re using olive oil, this also contains healthy mono-unsaturated fats that help with reducing cholesterol levels.
Yes, there is mayonnaise that is high in fat and doesn’t offer much. However, in my opinion all of the fresh produce and natural ingredients in Green Goddess certainly outweigh one “unhealthy” ingredient. They mayonnaise just adds richness and texture, but it is not central to the recipe. Therefore, I wouldn’t consider Green Goddess unhealthy - far from it! A little bit of mayo will indeed go a long way here!
So, Is Green Goddess a Dressing Or a Sauce?▼
As mentioned earlier in this post, Green Goddess originated as a salad dressing. However, you can use it as a dressing, dip, or sauce. based on the consistency of the final product. You have the power to make it as thick or runny as you want, depending on your needs. I made my Green Goddess on the thicker side so that I could use it as a spreadable sauce. On the other hand, to prepare your Green Goddess, you will need to thin it out a bit. You can make use of olive oil, up to a quarter cup, to get a dressing-like consistency.
Equipment Needed for Green Goddess
Ingredients for Baja Green Goddess Dressing
All ingredient quantities can be found in the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card which you can find by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. You can also save the recipe for later and scale the quantities based on how much dressing you’re looking to make - all the individual ingredients will adjust automatically for you!
- Avocado: One ripe avocado with the seed removed.
- Garlic: Whole garlic cloves that will be added right in the food processor.
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt. You can use any fat percentage you want, but the fattier the Greek yogurt is, the smoother your Green Goddess Sauce will be. I only had 0% plain Greek yogurt in my fridge, so that’s what I went with. You could also use sour cream, but I didn’t have any sour cream on hand! As I describe in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, if there is a suitable substitute, then go ahead and use that instead of taking the time out to go to the grocery store just for one item you’re missing! Greek yogurt still gives a tang that sour cream does, so it works perfectly fine!
- Japanese mayonnaise: Of course you can use regular mayonnaise, but I like the fluffiness of Japanese mayo, also known as kewpie mayonnaise. It just has a smoother texture than regular mayonnaise, so this will give you some great results! If you don’t want to use mayonnaise of any kind, you could use some buttermilk.
- Rice vinegar: Adds some acidity to the dressing. You could also use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or of course regular white vinegar. Since I’ve been cooking up lots of sushi dishes lately, including Sushi Rice that can be used in Poke Bowls and Sushi Cones, I’ve been using lots of seasoned rice vinegar! The salt and sugars already added to this rice vinegar will contribute to even more flavors in our dressing overall.
- Thai green chillies: My holy grail ingredient to add a little bit of heat! Feel free to omit if these if you don’t want the heat.
- Herbs: The herbs that I used here are cilantro, basil, and mint. However, if you compare Green Goddess recipes, you’ll see lots of variation in terms of the herbs used. The original dressing that was prepared in 1923 used tarragon, chives, and parsley.
- Worcestershire sauce: A splash adds some excellent umami flavour to the sauce. This actually serves as the vegetarian replacement for anchovies, which are added to the original version.
- Lime juice: Alternatively, you can use lemon juice. Both add some tanginess and acidity to the dressing.
- Olive oil: This is optional, but it helps to yield a smoother sauce. As mentioned earlier, my yogurt was fat free, so the olive oil helped in my case. If you’re using Greek yogurt with a high fat content, you may not need the olive oil!
- Salt and pepper: Essential seasoning to bring out all the fresh flavours going on here!
How to Make Fresh and Fast Green Goddess Sauce
In a food processor, add the fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, mint), along with garlic and chillies. Process until the herbs are finely chopped.
Add the avocado, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt to the food processor and process until smooth and well combined. Remove the lid of the food processor and add the rice vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Process for 20-30 seconds.
Remove the lid, add the lime juice, and if needed, thin out the dressing/sauce with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Process once again and then taste and adjust for seasoning.
Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tips for Making Super Creamy Green Goddess
- Use fresh herbs to ensure the flavour and the colour is as bright and vibrant as possible.
- A food processor will work much better for this sauce, than powerful blender like a Vitamix, since a food processor will not completely puree the herbs. The finely chopped herbs adds a nice visual touch and freshness to the dressing/sauce.
- There are lots of elements in this recipe that add sweet, sour, salty or umami flavours and fine tuning these ingredients to match your palette may be fun for you to experiment with to personalize this Green Goddess Dressing.
How to Serve This Dressing
- Salad dressing: As the name suggests, Green Goddess is typically served as a salad dressing. You can try it over my Arugula Goat Cheese Salad or even switch up your classic Chicken Caesar Salad with this dressing!
- Dipping: You could dip some tortilla chips in your Green Goddess, or some vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, or peppers. You can also use your Green Goddess as a dip for some snacks, such as Panko Chicken Nuggets, Crispy Popcorn Shrimp, or even Indian Mushroom Puff Patties. I wanted to make this in time for my puff patties, but I just couldn’t resist and I ate them before making the sauce!
- Tacos: This is what we used Green Goddess for at the restaurant I worked out! You could use it in your Crispy Chicken and Shrimp Tacos, but the iconic way this was used where I worked at was at Baja Fish Tacos! Another amazing topper idea would even be Loaded Beef Tostadas! Potatoes: Drizzle some over Super Easy Butter & Garlic-Herb Sautéed Baby Potatoes, spread a dollop over Ecuadorian Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes (Llapingachos), or use it as a dipping sauce for Indian-Style Air Fryer Baby Potatoes or Sweet Potato Air Fryer Fries.
- Protein: Green Goddess would be incredible on the side paired with some Italian Herb Grilled Chicken Breast, Lemon and Herb Baked Salmon, or Brazilian Beef Churrasco Skewers.
- Bread: Spread over any type of bread you want, really! You can spread it over some pita bread or even try to pair it with naan bread or rumali rotis, which are so thin and soft. I’m sure it would all work!
- Sandwiches and wraps: You can use this as a sandwich spread for so many awesome sandwiches! Try it with your Tandoori Chicken Wrap or Mexican-Style Shrimp Wraps. You could also pair it with burgers, including my California Grilled Chicken Burger or Power Bean Burger.
How to Store Green Goddess▼
Transfer your prepared dressing into a mason jar or in an airtight container. I’ve been liking to use these storage containers lately because they don’t take up much horizontal space in your fridge. Depending on how fresh your ingredients are, Green Goddess can be fresh in the fridge for about 7 to 10 days.
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