If you’re still buying bottled salad dressing, it’s time for a delicious upgrade. Making your own dressings at home is a total game-changer—it tastes exponentially fresher, unleashes your kitchen creativity, and lets you tailor the flavors perfectly to your meal.
When experimenting, just keep a quick notebook handy. Jot down your first attempt so you know exactly how to adjust the ratios next time.
Today, we’re diving into the world of creamy dressings. Unlike high-acid vinaigrettes, these recipes lean into a rich, velvety depth of flavor powered by ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, and cheese. Start with our foolproof base recipe below, then use our variation guide to customize it your way!
CREAMY DRESSING BASE
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream (or yogurt, or half of each)
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed to incorporate better in the dressing
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk until well blended. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to two months. During that time take out smaller amounts and customize to fit with a particular salad. Thin, as needed, with water to achieve perfect consistency.
Customize the creamy base by going crazy with any number of ingredients:
- Blue cheese dressing – take a portion of the base and to it add some crumbled blue cheese, dry mustard, a splash of Worcestershire, maybe a pinch of sugar and perhaps a little cayenne. You could use goat cheese, feta cheese and Parmesan with the same ingredients and get three more cheesy varieties.
- Thousand Island style – take the base and add a little ketchup and sweet pickle relish.
- Ranch – simply add some garlic powder, lots of coarsely ground pepper and salt to taste.
- Chipotle-honey – add some very finely minced chipotle peppers to the base or just the adobo sauce they are packed in. Sweeten with a little honey. Include cumin for an added flavor boost.
- Creamy herb – to the base add most any finely minced herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Maybe include a little more pressed garlic and some fresh lemon juice or rind. If using dried herbs allow the dressing to sit overnight so that the flavors will impart into the creamy ingredients.
Meet Chef Doughty
We know her as part owner of Silvercreek Realty Group and the smiling face behind the brokerage accounting department, but did you know that Joyce Doughty has an affinity for culinary arts?
Chef Doughty is a successful food writer and restaurateur who hosted the nationally syndicated daily Public Radio food program “Food for Thought” for 17 years and was also host of the local ABC affiliate morning program “In the Kitchen” highlighting practical recipes and techniques for the kitchen. Recipient of the James Beard Foundation Top Three Chefs in Idaho Award and owner and chef of Idaho’s critically acclaimed Doughty’s Bistro. Chef Doughty was trained at Le Cordon Bleu and received her executive chef certification from the American Culinary Foundation.