Creamy Salad Dressing With Sour Cream

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 08/29/21
Creamy Salad Dressing With Sour Cream

The Spruce / Bahareh Niati
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1/2 cup
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
125 Calories
13g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 125
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 0g
Calcium 16mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

If you've never tried it before, making salad dressings yourself can be really rewarding. The taste is simply incomparable to the mass-produced dressings you can buy in the store. This creamy salad dressing is a delicious blend of sour cream with vinegar and seasonings.

The recipe yields a half cup of dressing, which is enough for one dinner-sized salad that serves two to four, or a side salad for four to six, depending on how much you like to use. Try it on a basic tossed salad or a heartier salad with beef or chicken. Creamy dressings work best on greens that are sturdy; they would overpower delicate greens, such as arugula or mixed greens. You could also try this dressing with a simple chicken or steak salad. For something different, serve it over an iceberg lettuce-based salad, such as a wedge salad.

The recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Feel free to add some fresh chopped chives, a little dill weed, or fresh basil for extra color and flavor.

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Ingredients

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Creamy salad dressing with sour cream ingredients

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  2. Whisk together the salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, oil, and vinegar until sugar is dissolved.

    Whisk together the salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, oil, and vinegar

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  3. Add sour cream and whisk the mixture briskly to combine.

    Add sour cream to the spice mixture and whisk together

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Creamy salad dressing with sour cream

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

Variations

  • Use minced garlic or granulated garlic in place of the garlic powder.
  • Jazz it up a bit by adding a little dried thyme, parsley, or basil, or your favorite herb.
  • Feel free to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil if you prefer.
  • You can also use plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
  • For a different version, try Easy Tex-Mex Sour Cream Salad Dressing.
  • Make this recipe vegan by using vegan sour cream or plain yogurt. Taste the dressing, and adjust other seasonings accordingly, as vegan versions of sour cream and plain yogurt may have slightly different flavor profiles than their nonvegan counterparts.

How to Store

  • This dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. But because it is so easy to make, you can prepare it fresh and not worry about wasting it; just make only what you need.