This Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe is smooth, bright, and full of flavor, with a hint of tarragon, a splash of lemon, and the unique addition of arugula giving it a fresh, savory edge. It’s easy to make in just 10 minutes, beautifully balanced, and the kind of dressing that turns even the simplest salad into something special!
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A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe with Arugula and Tarragon
⏲️ Ready In: 10 minutes prep + 2 hours resting time
🥣 Main Ingredients: Sour cream, mayonnaise, arugula, tarragon, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste
📖 Dietary Info: Gluten free, low carb
♨️ Method: Food processor or blender
🍽️ Yield: About 1 1/4 cups
⭐️ Difficulty: Easy
Summarize and save this content on:
I’ve always loved Green Goddess dressing – that creamy, herby mix with garlic, lemon, anchovy, and tarragon – and since I’m also a big fan of arugula, it felt natural to bring the two together. Instead of just tossing arugula into a salad, I blend it right into the dressing itself!
After a few minor tweaks, the result is a bright, peppery, creamy salad dressing with tons of flavor that goes with just about everything. It’s excellent on my Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, and it’s also delicious on a fresh tomato cucumber salad or drizzled over oven roasted carrots arranged over mixed greens.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make with everyday ingredients.
- Unique, deeply flavorful, and subtly peppery, thanks to the addition of arugula.
- Creamy, smooth, and well-balanced with a splash of lemon.
- Versatile and delicious on salads, roasted vegetables, and more.
- A great way to elevate everyday meals.
Ingredients
This Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe has 10 ingredients, all of which should be available at your local grocery store. Here are some notes on a few:
- Baby arugula – Use baby arugula that looks bright and vibrant, and remove any wilted or brown leaves.
- Fresh tarragon – Tarragon is a very flavorful herb, so start with the amount called for in the recipe; you can always add a little more, but you can’t take it out!
- Mayonnaise – For the best flavor and texture, don’t use light or low-calorie mayonnaise. I prefer mayonnaise made with olive oil.
- Sour cream – Again, for the best flavor and creaminess, use full-fat sour cream.
- Green onion – Chop the white, light green, and a bit of the dark green parts for the best balance of flavor and color.
- Lemon – Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the dressing just the right amount of brightness and freshness.
Substitutions & Variations
- No anchovy paste? You can substitute anchovy fillets instead (the same way they’re used in Caesar salad dressing). Keep in mind that mashed anchovies have a stronger flavor than anchovy paste from a tube, which contains vinegar and spices that mellow the fishiness. If you make this swap, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon of mashed anchovies.
- Lighten it up: Swap nonfat Greek yogurt for up to half of the sour cream and/or mayonnaise. The dressing will be a little tangier but still creamy and delicious.
- Make it extra lemony: Add an extra squeeze of lemon juice for an even brighter, more citrus-forward dressing.
How to Make This Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe
- In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine the arugula, green onion, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and tarragon; process until well blended. (Dressing will be thick.)
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavors to blend and the arugula to mellow. Bring to room temperature and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
Tips for Success
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the brightest, cleanest flavor.
- Chop your own garlic. The prepackaged kind contains additives that can dull and alter the flavor.
- Use full-fat mayonnaise and sour cream for the creamiest, most flavorful result.
- Blend until very creamy to fully combine the ingredients and get the best texture.
- Let the dressing rest for at least 2 hours before serving. This gives the arugula time to mellow so its pepperiness doesn’t overpower the dressing.
- Use a light hand when dressing a salad. This is a thick dressing so you don’t need much; you can thin it with a small amount of milk if desired.
How to Serve
This dressing is very versatile; it’s great on salads, but it also works beautifully as a sauce or dip:
- On salads – Try it on my Beet and Goat Cheese Salad (it was made for this pairing), or use it in place of other dressings on a Tomato Cucumber Salad or Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushroom Salad.
- As a sauce or dip – it’s delicious drizzled over a variety of roasted vegetables, served with grilled chicken, or used as a dip for fresh vegetables.
Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe FAQs
Store this dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Although it tastes best at room temperature, it should be refrigerated for food safety and removed around 30 minutes before serving.
This dressing will keep for about 4 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes, in fact, this dressing should be made ahead. It needs to rest for at least 2 hours for the flavors to blend and the arugula to mellow.
Like most dressings, it tastes best at room temperature. Remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.
More Easy Salad Dressing Recipes
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Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe with Arugula & Tarragon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups baby arugula, about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces packed
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped green onion, white, light green and some dark green part
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste, in a tube – see Note below
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the arugula, green onion, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, anchovy paste and tarragon; process until well blended.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavors to blend and the arugula to mellow.
- Bring to room temperature and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
- No anchovy paste? You can substitute anchovy fillets instead (the same way they’re used in Caesar salad dressing). Keep in mind that mashed anchovies have a stronger flavor than anchovy paste from a tube, which contains vinegar and spices that mellow the fishiness. If you make this swap, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon of mashed anchovies.
- Lighten it up: Swap nonfat Greek yogurt for up to half of the sour cream and/or mayonnaise. The dressing will be a little tangier but still creamy and delicious.
- Make it extra lemony: Add an extra squeeze of lemon juice for an even brighter, more citrus-forward dressing.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Chop your own garlic. The prepackaged stuff includes additives that negatively affect the flavor.
- Blend until very creamy to fully combine all the ingredients and get the best texture.
- Let dressing sit for 2 hours before serving. Takes longer – need to allow time for the arugula to mellow; otherwise its pepperiness can dominate the dressing.
- Use full fat mayo and sour cream, for the creamiest, most flavorful dressing.
- Use a light hand when dressing salads. This is a thick dressing; thin with 1 tablespoon of milk at a time if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
