Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad (copycat)
If you love Olive Garden’s Salad, then here is you ticket to the best experience you can imagine! The sweet and tangy flavors of the salad dressing along with all the delicious bits in the salad make this Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad you’ll have over and over again! Add in our savory Soups and fluffy Breadsticks, you’ll eat in more often Enjoy!
Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad
Here it is! The BEST Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad you’ll find! What makes this stand above the rest?
First, the salad. Olive Garden’s salad has red cabbage and carrots. Many others don’t include those. I also found some that use a different lettuce. Really, the salad is so simple, it’s pretty hard to mess up. So I kept mine authentic.
Second, many other dressing recipes I found seem to just copy each other and adjust the measurements of the ingredients. I don’t do that here. I started from scratch using my as my starting point since it is very similar to Olive Garden’s. One example is the use of Italian Seasoning. That has ingredients like rosemary and savory that are not in the dressing at all. The list goes on . . .
The Olive Garden Soup and Salad Experience
Here are my recipes for the soups, salad, and salad dressing to have the complete Olive Garden experience. As mentioned earlier, these are hands-down better than Olive Garden’s versions!
Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef
Italian Breadsticks (Olive Garden Copycat Fixup)
What Ingredients Are in Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad (copycat)?
Salad Dressing
- 1 packet Italian Dressing Mix
- 3/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoons Table Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon White Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1/4 cup Grated Romano Cheese
Salad
- 4 cups Iceberg Lettuce
- 1/2 cup Red Cabbage, shredded and cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup Carrot, julienne slices
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup Red Onion, sliced
- 1 cup Small Black Olives
- 8 or more Pepperoncini Peppers
- 1 cup Olive Garden Garlic & Romano Croutons
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grates (as much as you want)
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Italian Dressing Mix – I’ve experimented a lot with this recipe, and this is still the best option until I find a better homemade mix.
Mayonnaise – I typically use an egg since I like the flavor better. You can emulsify an egg with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and a pinch or 2 of salt. Then use 2 tablespoons of that simple homemade mayo. It tastes better, in my opinion.
Dried Herbs – dried is the way to go here. Fresh herbs don’t work very well with dressings.
Iceberg Lettuce – this is what Olive Garden uses, but you can use the lettuce of your choice like Romaine, Baby Greens, or others.
Other Lettuce Options – many stores carry a bag of a precut lettuce mix of iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and sliced carrots. By all means, use that if you have objections to using bagged lettuce mixes. It’ll save you a lot of time!
Roma Tomatoes – you can use any tomato you like, even cherry tomatoes
Olive Garden Croutons – unless you’re going to make your own crouton, might as well use theirs, right? But you can sub your favorite croutons here. I recommend using one that is garlic flavored.
Carrots – I use the pre-sliced carrots
How Is Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad (copycat) Made?
Salad Dressing
- Add the water, vinegar, and mayo to mixing bowl and whisk until well blended. Slowly add the canola oil while whisking until the mixture thickens slightly.*
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk until mixed thoroughly. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Salad
- Cut the lettuce and cabbage. Place them in a bowl along with the carrots and toss well.**
- Top with the tomatoes, onions, olives, pepperoncinis and croutons.
- Depending on personal taste, you can either add fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the entire salad, or you can let each person add it individually to their own.
Notes
*Use a wet towel or paper towel under the bowl to help it stay in one place while whisking.
**Olive Garden serves their salad with the dressing already on it. You can add the dressing to the entire salad while tossing the salad, or you can serve it on the side to let each person serve themselves.
FAQ’s for Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad (copycat)
1. Should I pred-dress the salad?
I love serving my salad pre-dressed. The only downside is if you have leftover. The salad will get soggy and be inedible in a couple hour.
2. What can I do with the leftovers?
Salad – First, remove all topping and store them in separate containers or bags. Next, place the lettuce mix in a ziptop bag, letting out most of the air. This will allow the longest storage time. Store the lettuce mix and topping in the fridge. The lettuce will last up to a week, but the topping will vary in storage time, with the tomatoes being the shortest.
Dressing – store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last up to 1 week.
Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!
Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad (copycat)
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- 1 packet Italian Dressing Mix
- 3/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoons Table Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon White Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1/4 cup Grated Romano Cheese
Salad
- 4 cups Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup Red Cabbage, shredded and cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup Carrot, julienne slices
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup Red Onion, sliced
- 1 cup Small Black Olives
- 8 or more Pepperoncini Peppers
- 1 cup Olive Garden Garlic & Romano Croutons
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated (as much as you want)
Instructions
Salad Dressing
-
Add the water, vinegar, and mayo to mixing bowl and whisk until well blended. Slowly add the canola oil while whisking until the mixture thickens slightly.*
-
Add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk until mixed thoroughly. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Salad
-
Cut the lettuce and cabbage. Place them in a bowl along with the carrots and toss well.**
-
Top with the tomatoes, onions, olives, pepperoncinis and croutons.
-
Depending on personal taste, you can either add fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the entire salad, or you can let each person add it individually to their own.
Recipe Notes
*Use a wet towel or paper towel under the bowl to help it stay in one place while whisking.
**Olive Garden serves their salad with the dressing already on it. You can add the dressing to the entire salad while tossing the salad, or you can serve it on the side to let each person serve themselves.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Italian Dressing Mix – I’ve experimented a lot with this recipe, and this is still the best option until I find a better homemade mix.
Mayonnaise – I typically use an egg since I like the flavor better. You can emulsify an egg with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and a pinch or 2 of salt. Then use 2 tablespoons of that simple homemade mayo. It tastes better, in my opinion.
Dried Herbs – dried is the way to go here. Fresh herbs don’t work very well with dressings.
Iceberg Lettuce – this is what Olive Garden uses, but you can use the lettuce of your choice like Romaine, Baby Greens, or others.
Other Lettuce Options – many stores carry a bag of a precut lettuce mix of iceberg lettuce, red cabbage, and sliced carrots. By all means, use that if you have objections to using bagged lettuce mixes. It’ll save you a lot of time!
Roma Tomatoes – you can use any tomato you like, even cherry tomatoes
Olive Garden Croutons – unless you’re going to make your own crouton, might as well use theirs, right? But you can sub your favorite croutons here. I recommend using one that is garlic flavored.
Carrots – I use the pre-sliced carrots