The Viral Green Goddess Salad Recipe Review

Hype or Truth? We put the recent viral Green Goddess Salad and Dressing to the test! Our reviews may surprise you, or they might not. We’re pretty picky about what is and what isn’t delicious! Read about whether we recommend this simple recipe or punt and skip this viral recipe on social media and national food shows.

First of all, let me just say that I do enjoy a good Green Goddess dressing.

So let’s chat about the dressing first, shall we? After all, it’s the dressing that makes this salad so different than other salads.

What is Green Goddess Dressing?

Green Goddess dressing is a creamy, tangy dressing with a distinctive green color as a result of a blend of fresh herbs (Italian parsley, basil, chives, and tarragon), mayonnaise, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and anchovies for umami depth. It’s used as a salad dressing, a dip for vegetables, a sauce, or a spread for sandwiches or panini.

When you want more herbal, creamy complexity in your salad, Green Goddess dressing adds a fresh, bright vibrancy that wakes up any dish.

This dressing was first served in San Francisco, at the Palace Hotel, in the 1920s, when a play, “The Green Goddess,” was being performed. The hotel chef, Philip Roemer, created a new salad dressing specifically to honor the play that starred the famous English actor, George Arliss, the play’s lead actor, who was a guest at the hotel.

A reproduction copy (below) of the original recipe published in 1927 in the Oakland Tribune

The original version featured mayonnaise and was served on top of artichokes, which was considered quite opulent at the time, making it more in demand.

Since those days (over 100 years ago!), the hotel’s recipe has morphed significantly, for health and consumer preference reasons – – specifically using olive oil rather than mayonnaise, along with using tarragon vinegar, Dijon mustard, capers, and other bold flavors.

Through the years, the play was forgotten, but the dressing recipe persevered with various versions appearing in newspapers and cookbooks. In the 1930s and 40s, recipes were published in the “Joy of Cooking” and The New York Times (1948), at a time when salads were soaring in popularity, which helped the dressing’s continued popularity. Recipes appeared everywhere in the late 1960s and 70s, going beyond dressing simple salads to topping baked chicken and adding to sandwich recipes.

Recipes were published in prominent California cookbooks, including “The California Heritage Cookbook,” which I purchased a copy of during my brief years living in the Golden State during the 1980s.

It was finally bottled commercially in the 70s by Seven Seas, so home cooks could buy it ready-made in grocery stores.

Although most of us still view Green Goddess as an old-fashioned dressing, like a cat’s 9 lives, here it is again, rising with wild popularity, with a new focus on fresh and healthy ingredients. Even Ina Garten and Martha Stewart have jumped on the bandwagon and shared their own recipes. Ina Garten uses a heavy dose of lemon juice, but uses no vinegar, as does the recent viral recipe. She also includes anchovy paste, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Martha includes no lemon juice at all and agrees with Ina on the mayo and sour cream front. Martha also includes fresh tarragon, whereas Ina does not. With this comparison in mind, I have to say that Martha’s recipe wins my vote. Too much lemon juice sours this dressing, and Ina uses a whopping quarter cup of lemon juice. Smack your lips, that’s alot of lemon!

As I mentioned, recently, a vegan chopped salad version, served with tortilla chips, went viral on social media, catching my attention and prompting me to prepare and comment on it. This viral recipe may appear as the latest and most ‘definitive’ version of the dressing, but it is, in fact, NOT, and is a far cry from the famous dressing. In that sense, it was a letdown and a disappointment to both my husband and me. I respect creativity in all forms, but the viral recipe is NOT even close to the true Green Goddess recipe.

Oh yes, the recognizable, unique green ‘image’ appears consistent with the classic Green Goddess recipe, but what you taste is far too different to use the same name it was originally given.

Just sayin’!

Reasons Why Green Goddess Dressing Has Stood The Test of Time

• It’s packed with garden-fresh herbs (and so are the salad ingredients), and this is a VERY GOOD THING! Right?
• It has loads of delicious GARLIC included . . . perfection right there!
• It has a base of rich, tangy mayonnaise
• The flavor is BOLD, on ordinary lettuce and/or chicken, there is nothing boring about this dressing!
• It tastes good (gee, that’s kind of an important attribute, isn’t it?)
• It’s been very adaptable since its birth in the 1920s, thank goodness, since the viral dressing recipe was far too bitter for our taste buds.
• The earliest recipes used tarragon, anchovies, and mayo, while more modern recipes call for sour cream or yogurt and usually rely more heavily on fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, or chives.
• It’s the yummy, bold flavor that tastes so good that’s the most important reason for its resurgence in popularity!
• It feels healthy, regardless of whether it actually is.

Green is good!

The green color itself helps! The deep green color of this dressing has increased its popularity, since we associate the color green with so many positive things in our lives: a clean, fresh green environment, green grass to romp or play sports on, and fresh, in-season green herbs and veggies. Beyond the natural, untouched realm, we also view our own green creations as healthier, such as green smoothies.

Here’s my most popular green smoothie that cleans you out like nothing you’ll ever buy over the counter! Perfect for jump-starting a diet or clean food eating routine.

Pineapple, Spinach, and Ginger Super DeTox Smoothie

Andiamo a cucina! (Let’s go to the kitchen)

Ingredients you’ll need for Green Goddess Dressing

For the Dressing

• Mayonnaise, sour cream, or Greek yogurt, or a mix of any of these for the creamy base
• Whole milk or buttermilk to use if the dressing is to thick and needs a more fluid consistency.
• Herbs: These herbs are mandatory: tarragon, basil,  Italian parsley, chives, al and pepper.
• Aromatics: Garlic, shallots, or green onions
• Acidity: Lemon juice, sometimes vinegar
• Umami: Anchovies or Worcestershire sauce

For the Salad

• Cabbage or any green leafy lettuce that you enjoy
• Green/spring onions
• Cucumber
• Optional: Broccoli, Green pepper

How to make it

• Make the dressing first.
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until everything is finely chopped, but NOT pureed, and the mixture is smooth.
• For a thinner dressing, add a little bit of milk or buttermilk.
• Chill the dressing for 1 hour or more to let the flavors marry and blend. 
• Then mix all of the salad ingredients together and toss the dressing with the salad. Allow to set in the fridge for an hour or more, and wha-lah, you’ve got a side salad or dip ready for your guests.

How to use it

• Spread: Use on sandwiches, wraps, or panini, or in chicken/tuna salad. 
• Salad dressing: Toss with mixed green salads or pasta salad. 
• Dip: Serve with raw vegetables (crudités), crackers, tortilla chips, or pita bread. 
• Sauce: Drizzle over grilled chicken, fish, roasted vegetables, or baked potatoes.