Make a Basic Greek Salad Dressing

By
Nancy Gaifyllia
Nancy Gaifyllia
A resident of Greece, Nancy Gaifyllia is a cook who writes about the country's regional specialties.
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Updated on 11/24/21
Greek salad dressing in a glass jar

The Spruce 
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
91 Calories
10g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 91
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 133mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 3mg 0%
*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're going to take the time to make a proper Greek salad (horiatiki salata), with all of its delicious ingredients such as onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta cheese, you need the proper dressing. Greek salad dressing doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming to make. You need the proper olive oil, which ideally should be Greek and extra-virgin, for starters, but at the very least, the latter—it will have much more flavor to it than regular olive oil.

This oil and vinegar-based dressing is quick, easy, and requires the most basic of ingredients. It will also bring a bit of Greek flavor to the simplest salads, such as romaine lettuce, spring onions, and fresh dill.

You can certainly make this dressing as written, and use it on a Greek salad to your liking, but there are other ways of dressing a Greek salad. The simplest of all methods involves merely a drizzle of Greek extra virgin olive oil and wedges of lemon on the side, and just squeeze to taste—and that hardly needs a recipe. However, for any salads with feta cheese, such as an authentic Greek salad, you could consider straight olive oil (with a little water). For salads with cucumber, try oil and vinegar.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Greek salad dressing
    The Spruce

  2. Whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, or place in a tightly covered jar and shake to combine.

    Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients
    The Spruce

  3. The dressing will turn a light color with a creamy texture as the oil and vinegar combine.

Tip

  • If you can't find fresh dill for the salad, add 1 teaspoon of dried dill to the dressing.


Variation

You can use fresh oregano instead of dried if you like. Start with 1 teaspoon of fresh, finely chopped oregano, and add more to suit your taste.


Feel free to add some freshly cracked black pepper to the salad dressing if you'd like the flavor to be a bit more assertive.

How to Store Greek Salad Dressing

Freshly made salad dressings with just oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper can stay at room temperature for several weeks. If you make this dressing with herbs, or add lemon juice or shallots, for example, you'll need to refrigerate it. Store it in a jar or container that's easy to shake up again before use.