This Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing is super quick and easy to make but is full of flavor and great to use on salads or as a vegetable dip.
Today I'm coming at you with a salad dressing recipe. This one came to me a couple of weeks ago when I was about to make a pesto-inspired salad dressing but from scratch. I quickly realized that I had leftover pesto in my freezer, and decided to use that instead.
No need to mince garlic, no need to buy fresh herbs, wash them, and pull the leaves off the stems. Just simply scoop a couple of spoonfuls of pesto out of the jar, and mix it up with a few other fridge and pantry staples.
My result was a thick, creamy pesto dressing that could easily be used as a dip for fresh veggies, or thinned with a little water to make pouring over fresh greens a little easier. Today I bring you Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing and Dip.
How to make Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing:
Making this thick Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing really could not be easier. You don't need any special equipment (an immersion blender will make the process quicker, but it isn't necessary), and the recipe takes only 5 ingredients!
All that's required to make this dressing is to add all of the ingredients (see below) to a bowl or measuring cup. Simply whisk or blend the ingredients together until smooth.
The dressing will be thick and can definitely be used as a vegetable dip. If you want to thin it out a little bit to make it easier to pour over salad, simply add water a teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Any of the leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container or jar for up to two days.
Since this recipe uses pesto as a main ingredient, it's best to make this dressing when you have leftover pesto hanging around in the fridge, or to plan to make it when you know you'll be using pesto in another meal during the week.
Creamy Pesto Dressing Ingredients:
- Plain Greek yogurt or use plain regular yogurt or buttermilk
- Pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- Lemon juice: fresh-squeezed is best, but bottled will work fine too for this recipe
- Olive oil
- kosher salt or use MSG-salt
- Water as needed, to thin the dressing
Creamy Pesto Dressing Substitutions:
When I made this recipe, I used homemade basil pesto that I had made several months prior and froze into individual cubes in an ice tray.
However, you don't necessarily need to use basil pesto to make this salad dressing. Whatever flavor of pesto you happen to have or like should work just fine. The resulting salad dressing's flavor will reflect that of the pesto that it's made with.
If you want to make your own pesto for this recipe or to serve with pasta, try my Carrot Top Pesto, or if you're lucky enough to have access to fresh ramps, my Wild Ramp and Swiss Chard Pesto.
Want more Dip recipes?
Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing and Dip Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one Tablespoon of dressing, assuming that it has not been thinned with water. If it has been thinned with water, each Tablespoon of the dressing will have slightly lower amounts of all nutrients.
This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian as written. Keep in mind that most pestos contain nuts of some sort, so be careful not to serve this salad dressing to anyone with a nut allergy.
Creamy Pesto Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or use plain regular yogurt or buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or use MSG-salt
- water as needed, to thin the dressing
Instructions
- Add the Greek yogurt, pesto, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to a bowl or 2-cup measuring cup. Use an immersion blender or whisk to blend the ingredients together until smooth. If the dressing is too thick for your preference, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Pour the dressing over your salad of choice, or use it as a dip for raw vegetables or crackers/chips. Store any leftovers in an airtight container or jar in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
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