Olive Garden Salad Dressing Copycat Recipe

copycat recipe olive garden salad dressing

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

  • 1/2 C. mayonnaise
  • 1/3 C. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. Romano cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp.  Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp.  parsley flakes
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

One of the best things about the Olive Garden is their never-ending salad bowl.  They sell the house dressing right there at the restaurant, but I thought it would be easier (and more frugal) to try and duplicate the Olive Garden salad dressing at home.  A quick internet search turned up dozens of recipes, most of which were exactly like the one above.

What’s nice about the Olive Garden salad dressing recipe is that the ingredients are readily available.  In fact, you may already have them in your refrigerator/pantry.  Toss with fresh tomatoes, Vidalia onions, black olives, croutons, pickled pepperoncini and freshly grated Parmesan cheese to give you a true Olive Garden restaurant experience.

Check out our other Olive Garden copycat recipes:

Like our recipes? For more frugal recipes and copycat dishes, visit our recipe blog Frugalbites.comFollow us on Pinterest

Sources:  Food.com, Group Recipes and Copykat.com



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60 Responses to Olive Garden Salad Dressing Copycat Recipe

  1. A says:

    how long does this last in the fridge for?

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  3. Ruth Ann says:

    fyi… Olive Garden does not use Mayonaise in their salad dressing. I have a severe allergy to mayonaise, and can eat the Olive Garden dressing… even double checked ingredients on their jar… although I had checked this years ago when I first started eating their dressing. So, sorry, this recipe may taste like the OG dressing…. which I do not know, but it certainly is not their recipe.

    • A says:

      FYI – It’s a ‘copycat recipe’. Don’t let this comment discourage any from trying the recipe- it’s a tasty imitation of a delicious dressing.

    • nurse says:

      Are you allergic to eggs? Mayo is eggs, oil and vinegar. If you can eat regular Italian dressing and eggs, I would find it hard to believe you’re allergic to mayo.

    • rux says:

      I am just curious, the pure form of mayo is egg, salt, oil so you are allergic to one or more of these items? Worked at OG and they used “mayo”.

  4. TashA says:

    It’s pretty dang close, I made it today and it’s yummy:) thanks for the recipe!!!

  5. TashA says:

    I made this today and it’s pretty close!! My husband and I loved it:) thank you

  6. Chrissy says:

    So delicious :) eating it right now!

  7. stacy says:

    No high fructose corn syrup in yours (like theirs)? AWESOME :)
    I’ll probably experiment with leaving out the regular corn syrup altogther, but this is very exciting!

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  9. Kelly says:

    What can u use to substitute the corn syrup?

  10. Jennifer says:

    I have tried to share this recipe using share beside the email button. But every time I do so it redirects me to a page saying the page I’m going to has been changed or moved. Can anyone help me figure out why it’s doing this? I would love to be able to email this to my mother & Mamaw.

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  13. Natalie says:

    I’m so excited to try this recipe it’s the only Italian dressing I like

  14. Rue says:

    This sounds really good, I’ve always loved the Olive Garden salad dressing so I might just try this out. :D
    Rue recently posted..Tragedy

  15. Gail Marcou says:

    This was the worst copycat recipe,it didn’t even look like olive garden dressing!!
    I should have suspected when there was mayonnaise and only a tsp of oil.I added some sugar
    As well and only then could I eat it!

  16. Markivy says:

    I HATE mayo! What can I substitute for mayo in this recipe? Thanks!!!!

  17. Marlene Donohue says:

    I tried this. It did not taste or look like Olive Garden dressing to me. Olive Garden dressing is colorless. This looked like milk. It did not taste bad. Just not what I was expecting. Not Olive Garden.

  18. Cathy says:

    Takes just like the Olive Garden’s salad dressing, if not better. My husband and I both loved it. Thank you!

  19. Cathy says:

    Sorry meant “tastes”

  20. Actually their dressing isn’t colorless. You can see this very clearly when you buy a bottle of the dressing. I think we may have the impression the dressing is clear because other “Italian” dressing is clear. The dressing really has a milky color.
    Stephanie @ CopyKat.com recently posted..By: Recipe Tuesday–Olive Garden Pasta Fagioly & Salad Dressing

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  22. Cassandra says:

    I just made this and I would suggest using less mayo.

  23. Karen says:

    I just made this and it taste fantastic. Can’t wait until dinner tonight. I used olive oil mayo and it turned out fine. Thanks for the recipe!! I’ve always wanted to copy this.

  24. Looks delicious. I’ll try to make and let you know how it will turn out. Thanks for the recipe.

  25. lisa stalcup says:

    i think KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing is so close in taste i use it all the time………….. mayonaise ,,,emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, so what is your severe allergy to Ruth Ann

  26. Christal says:

    I love Olive Garden salad and the dressing. I just made this dressing and it looks nothing like it and it definitely does not taste like it. I really dont even like it. Sorry!

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  28. Carole says:

    I was going to say the same thing as Ruth. The original dressing that I remember didn’t have mayo, it had olive oil, along with vinegar, Parmesan, Italian spices, and garlic. They must have changed it since the last time I visited (which is entirely possible because I gave up on the poor food quality/service at our local restaurants).

  29. Kim says:

    NOT even close! what a waiste of all my ingredients “/

  30. Britney says:

    Olive Garden uses purple/red onion, not Vidalia onion.

  31. Reketa says:

    I rarely post but i made this recipe while it did not look like og dressing it did the job and tastes well. What kills me is folks try a copy cat recipe and instantly become offended when they do not have their desire result. Bottom line if you are unhappy with your results then move on or buy the “real” thing. good damn grief

    • Aub says:

      I totally agree, it’s a “copycat”, clearly not the original so stop being so rude and just make something different :-)

  32. Reketa says:

    Oh and thanks for taking the time to post the recipe

  33. katerina says:

    yummy!!! been craving og salad for awhile now, found this on pinterst, drug my daughter to the grocery store to get the things that i was missing & came home to make it. SUCCESS!!! it definitely hit the spot for this pregnant woman!!

  34. Jill says:

    I think it’s great. I’m surprised at the negative reviews and how rude people can be. Thanks for the post. :)

  35. Hilda says:

    Wow sooooooo goood!!!felt like I was at the olive garden

  36. Rhonda says:

    I made this recipe tonight. It was yummy but I also deviated from the recipe. I added a little extra Mayo and mixed cider & white vinegar. Also used EVOO, extra Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. I also didn’t want to use corn syrup so I used Splenda a small amount at a time and tested it as I added! I have bought OG’s dressing before and it is a creamy yellowish color. I would definately make it again! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  37. Kylee says:

    Looks tasty! How long is this good for, once I make it and stick it in the fridge?

  38. Kelli says:

    I made this and it was awful. Not sure what I did wrong. It was as thin as water. Tasted like pure vinegar. Just seemed like too much vinegar. There were a lot of good comments, so I surprised at my results. I tried mixing it longer, refrig overnight thought it might thicken it up, but no luck. Any suggestions?

  39. Chris says:

    Does anyone know how they keep their lettuce so cold and crispy fresh? I don’t know of any restraunt that has such good lettuce.

  40. Jan says:

    I agree with previous commenters– too much mayo and nothing like OG dressing. Sorry, but that’s a fact.

  41. This has become the go-to dressing for my daughter and I. We haven’t used anything else in months! Thanks for sharing. =)
    Tara @ Movie Bites recently posted..Red Carpet Balsamic Feta

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  43. Keisha says:

    This sounds yummy! I love making salads during the warm weather, so I will have to try this out sometime.
    Keisha recently posted..Paid to Purchase Haircolor!

  44. Becky says:

    I am surprised to see lemon juice in the ingredients. I am allergic to lemons, but have eaten the OG salad dressing many times without getting sick.

  45. Dotty says:

    WAY too much vinegar. I am going to try to “doctor it up” so it is edible. Very disappointing.

  46. Mary Palmer says:

    My sister puts her lettuce in a bowl and covers it with cold water and a cover in the fridge till needed.

  47. Victoria Lynn says:

    Hi! The only good thing about Olive Garden’s salads? The dressing. Iceberg lettuce is awful, and there are few onions, tomatoes, or olives on it. Still, I love the dressing and found it at Sam’s. A little over 6 bucks for 2 large bottles of it. Do you think the homemade version tastes as good???

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