Our Green Goddess Dip is a combination of creamy textures, vibrant flavors, and wholesome fresh vegetables. This low-carb salad dressing pairs beautifully with crisp veggies, and crunchy tortilla chips, as a spread for sandwiches, burgers, or as a healthy salad dressing.
No anchovies, no avocado, this dip is light and fresh!
This dip is thick and flavorful, you can easily mix it in the Green Goddess Salad or Caesar Salad. If the texture is too thick for you, you can easily thin it out with little water, milk, or olive oil.
During this time of year we love healthy dips and salad dressings, from our Strawberry Vinaigrette, 5-Minute Herb Dressing to Tahini Dressing, this green goddess dip is sure to become your favorite salad dressing, dip, and sandwich spread too.
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Ingredients
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
For the best flavor use as fresh ingredients as possible, this will determine the quality of your dip and will greatly impact the flavor and texture of the salad.
- Lemon juice - freshly squeezed and not from the bottle. We also like to add lemon zest for an extra lemony aroma. Don’t have a lemon? Use lime or orange.
- Olive oil - extra virgin, and of a good quality. Not every olive oil is created equal. It really does matter for the taste. Olive oil should not be bitter and have a pleasant flavor and aroma.
- Greek yogurt - full fat is preferred, especially if you are making a dip without cream cheese. For green goddess salad dressing, you can use low-fat yogurt or add a couple of tablespoons of water, or olive oil to make your dip more runny. Alternatively, a healthy dip, sour cream, or plant-based yogurts (coconut yogurt), will taste delicious too.
- Capers - are optional. They add a sharp savory flavor to the dip, alternatively, you can substitute capers with green olives, Dijon mustard or a more classic ingredient for this dip: anchovy paste.
- Garlic - for a little zing use freshly minced garlic, garlic powder could work but will taste too bland here.
- Spinach - I used baby spinach but any spinach will work here. You can substitute spinach with arugula (more bitter, earthy flavors), or with watercress.
- Herbs - essentially, you can use a combination of herbs that you are comfortable with. The idea is to have multiple different flavor combinations that will give incredible flavor and a boost of nutrition. Oregano, chives, green onions, dill, basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, mint, marjoram, tarragon - all are great here. If you’ll be using other combinations that are stated in my recipe, there will be some experimenting involved as you’ll need to find the right amount of herbs to suit your personal taste.
- Salt - use kosher salt or sea salt for the best natural flavor. If you have more time, my homemade celery salt which is an excellent addition to healthy salads and dips.
- Sweetener - I wanted to keep it light and natural so you won't find any added sugar here. When you mix all the ingredients and taste the dip, you'll know if you need to adjust anything or add sweeteners such as agave nectar or liquid honey.
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Low Carb Salad Dressing
This dressing has a very small amount of carbs and is made with basic ingredients such as olive oil, greek yogurt, and a mixture of fresh herbs and seasonings.
All these ingredients are a great choice for those who follow a no-carb (keto diet) or low-carb keto diet.
Instructions
In a high-speed blender, combine lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil. You can also use an immersion blender here.
Add garlic, chives, parsley, spinach, cilantro, basil, mint, capers, salt, and pepper to the blender.
Blend everything on high speed until smooth and creamy. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes for flavors to meld better.
Serve in salads such as green goddess salad, cabbage cucumber salad, or as a dip with tortilla chips, veggies, or favorite crackers.
What Does the Green Goddess Dressing Taste Like?
Green goddess salad dressing typically consists of creamy and tangy ingredients such as lemon juice, yogurt, herbs, garlic, and olive oil.
The tasting notes are somewhat earthy, mostly bright and fresh flavors, bright, and lots of green herbal notes. Perfect for a healthy summer BBQ side dish!
Tips
- You can easily customize the consistency of the dressing to your liking. To make it thinner, simply add a bit of water or extra lemon juice. If you prefer a thicker dressing, increase the amount of yogurt or reduce the olive oil.
- Keep it fresh. If using this dip as a salad dressing don’t mix everything together if you’re not planning to serve it right away. Storing the salad and dressing separately will prevent the salad from becoming wilted or soggy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this dip as a tasty low-carb salad dressing instead. Greek yogurt has very few carbs and the addition of fresh herbs only adds great nutritional value without extra calorie-rich ingredients such as sugars or fats.
How To Serve this Low-Carb Green dip?
- As a salad dressing - you don’t necessarily have to serve it with the viral tiktok green goddess salad. We also love it with our Cobb salad, Kale salad, Potato salad, Cabbage salad, or Radish salad instead of the creamy dressing.
- Or build your own salad from scratch - you can build your own salad with any combination of the following: lettuce, spinach, kale, cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, radishes, roasted chickpeas, onions, snow peas, dried fruit, feta or goat cheese and a mix of favorite nuts and seeds.
- As a dip - with tasty crudites boards and favorite dippers: fresh veggies (carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, radishes or any crunch vegetables), pita chips, pita bread, potato chips, tortilla chips, corn chips, crackers, kale chips.
- As a dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, roasted pumpkin, smashed potatoes, chicken legs, brussels sprouts, fritters, patties. To make your dip even more thicker, you can add ½-1 cup of shredded cheese (we like parmesan cheese, in this case, you may need to adjust the amount of salt) or cream cheese.
- As a burger or sandwich sauce for Salmon (it tastes excellent with fish!), Shrimp tacos, or drizzle over low carb lettuce wraps.
- As a sauce for roasted vegetables - drizzle creamy sauce over veggie sheet pan dinner, butternut squash, beets.
- Add to rice bowls (try our sweet potato buddha bowl for this), or top your baked sweet potatoes, roasted chickpeas.
Storing Instructions
- Make ahead. You can make this dip ahead and store it in the freezer. Personally, I find that freezing cold dips enhances the blending of flavors and result in the best taste. It's a convenient method that allows the ingredients to meld together perfectly.
- To Store. Store any leftovers in preferably glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Variations
- Greek yogurt - I like the light texture that Greek yogurt creates, however, feel free to switch up the creamy elements to low-fat options if needed. The classic version of the green goddess dressing/dip was initially made with a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream. For added creaminess, you can mix in cream cheese as well. Or for dairy-free and vegan options use plant-based yogurt. Coconut cream and yogurt will be the best for creating a luxurious creamy texture.
- Herbs - this dip consists of plenty of herbs but it doesn't have to. You can make it with fewer herbs and use your favorite herb combinations. We like cilantro and oregano, basil and parsley, or whatever you use, I recommend including at least 2 different herbs for this dip.
Green Goddess Dressing vs Ranch
These two are similar in terms of texture but the flavors are very different.
Green Goddess Dressing is made with a creamy base of mayonnaise, sour cream, or yogurt, and is paired with fresh herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic. It has bright vibrant green color and a tangy herbal taste.
Whereas Ranch Dressing typically contains buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, with the addition of garlic, onion powder, and a few herbs such as dill, and parsley. It is creamy, white in color, and has a tangy but lighter flavor.
FAQs
Some recipes yes and some no. The original version of this dressing happens to contain saturated fats such as mayonnaise and sour cream. However for the lighter version, we use Greek yogurt, but you can also mix in 1-2 ripe avocados for added creaminess and green color. With or without avocado, this is a quite flavorful dressing.
With roasted veggies, fries, fritters, chips, salads, or use it as a healthy sandwich spread.
Some restaurants do add milk or even buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
Healthier green goddess dressing typically shouldn't contain milk however it still falls into the creamy-based salad dressing category. We use plain, unsweetened yogurt for green goddess dip and dressing, if you want to make your dressing runnier, add milk, or simply water.
Healthy Salad Dressings and Easy Dip Recipes
- Sweet and Spicy Tahini Dressing
- Herb Yogurt Dressing
- Honey Mustard Sauce
- Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Cashew Basil Pesto
- Avocado Dip
Recipe Card
Low Carb Green Goddess Dip and Salad Dressing With Greek Yogurt (No Anchovies)
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup unsweetened greek yogurt, full fat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoons jarred capers
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, I used about 12 leaves
- Kosher salt or sea salt
- Freshly cracked ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a high-speed blender, combine lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil. You can also use an immersion blender here. If using sweetener (honey, maple or agave) add it now. See notes.
- Add garlic, chives, parsley, spinach, cilantro, basil, mint, capers, salt, and pepper to the blender.
- Blend everything on high speed until smooth and creamy. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes for flavors to meld better.
- Serve in green goddess salad or as a dip with tortilla chips, veggies or favorite crackers.
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
This Green Goddess Dip is light and fresh with no anchovies, or avocado!
Ola
Julia, the ingredients list does not have honey added but it is mentioned in the instruction part. How much of honey should b added if any? Thanks
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Ola hi, no sorry it is a typo, I mention in the post that you can add honey/maple/agave nectar if you like more sweeter dressing, but it is not necessary.