This Vegan Green Goddess Dressing is our homemade copycat of Trader Joe’s popular store-bought version! It’s packed with loads of fresh herbs, is easy to make, and is perfect for weekly meal prep. Use this versatile dressing on your favorite salads, sandwiches, wraps, buddha bowls, and more.
A Modern Spin on the Early 1920s Green Goddess Dressing
You may not know that the Green Goddess dressing recipe is believed to have been created in the early 1920s at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco by executive chef, Philip Roemer. The dressing was an ode to actor George Arliss, the star in a hit play of the time, “The Green Goddess”.
The original 1920s version is traditionally made with a base of mayonnaise and sour cream, then flavored with an abundance of fresh herbs including parsley, chives, tarragon, and anchovies for an umami-packed flavor. Over the last century, variations of the popular dressing have emerged, including Trader Joe’s popular pre-bottled dressing.
While this dressing has a history in both the culinary and theatrical spaces, our homemade dressing is most inspired by Trader Joe’s modern vegan version. No tarragon, dairy, or anchovy paste, yet tons of fresh flavor and a creamy texture that’s perfect for drizzling on much more than salads!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Avocado: The source of the creaminess, richness, and healthy fats! It’s the perfect substitute for the original mayonnaise and sour cream and helps keep this healthy version oil-free. Any avocado of choice will work – we used a Fuerte avocado.
Fresh herbs: We recommend a combination of leafy herbs including fresh parsley, basil, and chives (for an oniony flavor). Feel free to experiment with the amount of each. For example, if you prefer the flavor of fresh parsley, replace some of the fresh basil with additional parsley, or vice versa. Use your own favorite combination of fresh herbs.
Lemon: For the best flavor you’ll need both fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest. Pre-bottled is not recommended!
Onion: A small amount of fresh, white onion adds a subtle, savory bite that helps to enhance the flavors of the fresh herbs. If you’re out of white onion, substitute in green onion.
Apple cider vinegar: Adds tanginess and brightens up the creamy dressing!
Garlic: A fresh garlic clove will add the best garlicky flavor, but 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder will work in a pinch.
Equipment Needed
How to Make Green Goddess Dressing
The original Trader Joe’s dressing is an interesting consistency. It’s not silky smooth, but not chunky either. If I had to compare it to something, I’d say it’s most similar to the texture of Classic Vegan Pesto.
When making this homemade version, we prefer it smooth and creamy but below are instructions for both a smooth and chunkier dressing.
For a smooth dressing: Add all of the ingredients to a blender or the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth, using the tamper as needed to push the ingredients down into the blade. Once smooth, taste and adjust the seasonings as desired then enjoy!
For a chunkier dressing: Add the avocado, cup of water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, and sea salt to a blender or bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. Then, add in the fresh basil, parsley, chives, and white onion and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust the seasonings, as desired. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
The best part about this homemade green goddess dressing is it can be used for much more than a homemade salad dressing! Below are just a few of our favorite ways to use it, but don’t be afraid to experiment on your own.
Dipping sauce: Use this dressing as a dip for raw veggies, falafel, homemade pita bread, or even tortilla chips.
Sandwich spread: Skip the mayo and use this vibrant dressing as a condiment spread on sandwiches and wraps. Try it on our TTLA sandwich or Oyster Mushroom Sandwiches.
Drizzle on Buddha bowls: Just like salads, drizzle it on Buddha bowls, grain bowls, roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables, and more.
Guacamole substitute: Replace the guacamole with this dressing and serve with Potato & Bean Quesadillas, Walnut Taco Meat, or Potato Tacos!
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this dressing like the original recipe?
If you prefer to make this dressing like the 1920s classic, we suggest making the following substitutions: Replace the 1/3 cup of fresh basil with 2 tablespoons of tarragon, replace 1/4 cup of the water with 1/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise or plain yogurt, and add 1 teaspoon of capers (as a vegan anchovy substitute). Add additional water as needed to achieve the right consistency.
Is this dressing gluten-free and oil-free?
Yes. Trader Joe’s dressing is naturally vegan and gluten-free, but it is made with an olive oil blend. Our version is made without oil and is instead made creamy with a full avocado.
I don’t have a blender. Can I make this dressing using an immersion blender?
It is easiest to blend this dressing smoothly using a blender or food processor, but an immersion blender will work in a pinch. Place the ingredients in a tall, glass jar such as a mason jar and blend until smooth using an immersion blender. It may take a bit longer, but it will work!
Storage Instructions
This homemade dressing will keep for up to 1 week when stored in the fridge in an airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months if desired.
More homemade dressings and sauces you may enjoy:
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
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Description
This Vegan Green Goddess Dressing is our homemade copycat of Trader Joe’s popular store-bought version! It’s packed with loads of fresh herbs, is easy to make, and is perfect for weekly meal prep. Use this versatile dressing on your favorite salads, sandwiches, wraps, buddha bowls, and more.
1 medium ripe avocado (we used Fuerte)
1 cup water
1/3 cup packed basil leaves
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white onion
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until it reaches your desired consistency. We prefer ours smooth but a chunky dressing would work as well. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes
This recipe is intended to replicate the avocado-based green goddess dressing from Trader Joe’s. If you would like to make this more like the “classic” green goddess dressing (from the 20’s) we suggest using 2 tablespoons tarragon instead of the 1/3 cup basil, adding in 1 teaspoon of capers, and adding 1/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise OR plain vegan yogurt. Blend this and add more water as needed to thin.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
