Olive Garden Salad Recipe

This Copycat Olive Garden Salad & Dressing Recipe is tangy, bright, and tastes exactly like your favorite salad from that popular chain Italian spot. Made with fresh, crispy lettuce and a homemade creamy Italian dressing, you’ll have a fantastic salad in under 30 minutes. Don’t wait for your next Olive Garden trip to enjoy this healthy, flavor packed salad, make it now from your own kitchen!

Their endless salad is now actually endless thanks to this recipe. Now you can make it whenever you want! Seriously, their salad is so good, I would eat there everyday if I could. But, because we can’t, well, shouldn’t eat out everyday, you can learn how to make some of your restaurant favorites on your own!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Olive Oil – Extra virgin or just regular olive oil both work. Since this is the base for the entire dressing, I don’t recommend substituting this ingredient.
• Avocado Oil – The avocado oil adds a nice, rich flavor. If you don’t have any, you can replace it with additional olive oil, or even water, but it will taste a bit different. 
• Vinegar – White vinegar is great for this recipe. You can use apple cider vinegar instead, it just may have a different taste than the Olive Garden version.
• Mayonnaise – Just plain mayonnaise works great, and will give the dressing that creamy texture. If you’d like to make a plant based version, vegan mayonnaise works with this recipe as well.
• Zesty Italian Dressing Seasoning – You can find a packet of this at any of your local grocery stores. You will just use the dry mix, so ignore the directions on the package.
• Sugar – White granulated sugar is fine. You can substitute this for a different sweetener, there will just be a different flavor.
• Lemon Juice – This ingredient will give you an extra tangy dressing. You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled, it doesn’t really make a huge difference. 
• Romaine Salad Mix – You can make your life easier and use bagged, pre-cut romaine salad mix. If you’d rather not, a regular head of lettuce works fine.
• Salad Fixings – If you want a salad just like Olive Garden’s, some toppings you’ll want to get are Roma tomatoes, red onion, black olives, pepperoncini peppers, croutons, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. However, if this list is missing a few of your favorite things, feel free to add other things like fresh herbs, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, carrots, cucumber, marinated artichoke hearts, salami, etc.

How to Make Copycat Olive Garden Salad & Dressing

1. Start by grabbing a large bowl, and adding the olive oil, avocado oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sugar, salt and black pepper to taste, as well as that Italian dressing seasoning packet. Whisk this together extremely well until everything is combined. 
2. Once combined, pour the dressing in a container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes while you assemble your salad. 
3. Start by prepping your toppings. Slice your tomatoes and your red onions to your liking. Drain the olives and pepperoncinis and pat them dry with a paper towel. 
4. To a large serving bowl, add your romaine lettuce and all of your toppings including the croutons and parmesan. 
5. Use ½ a cup of the dressing you just made and pour it on top of your salad. Use some tongs to toss the salad and make sure everything is coated evenly with the dressing. Feel free to add more to taste, and you’re ready to serve!

Recipe Tips and Advice

• Storage – You probably won’t use all of the dressing in one serving, so if you’re going to store it, store it in a container with an airtight lid like a mason jar. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The benefit of keeping the dressing in a container with a lid is that you can shake it up before using again because the dressing will separate after sitting for a while. You can also freeze this dressing in an airtight container for up to 3 months. 
• Equipment – You’ll need a few large bowls, a whisk, measuring cups and some tongs for this Olive Garden Salad Recipe. 
• Just Chill – Allowing the dressing to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes will help the flavors combine and dressing to thicken. If you are in a hurry you can skip this step, but it really enhances the dressing texture and flavor.
• Make In Advance – You can easily make the dressing in advance, even days before you need it.

Recipe FAQs

What To Serve With Olive Garden Salad

You can make several of your Olive Garden favorites from the comfort of your own home! Pair this famous Olive Garden Salad Recipe with Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo, regular spaghetti, or a fancy dish like chicken marsala. Even a bowl of homemade soup like Zuppa Toscana or Pasta e Fagioli makes a great pair with this salad. And of course, you can’t go wrong with some garlic knots or bread.

Looking for more delicious salad recipes? Try Green Goddess Salad, Carrot Raisin Salad or Red Cabbage Slaw.