This Creamy Garlic Dressing is rich, tangy, and full of bold garlic flavor! Perfect for salads, dipping veggies, or drizzling over roasted meats—it’s a versatile, homemade favorite.

If you’re a garlic lover, this Creamy Garlic Dressing is a must-make. It’s bold, flavorful, and so much better than anything from a bottle. Made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand, it comes together in minutes and adds a delicious punch to salads, sandwiches, grain bowls, and more.

 

I am not sure if creamy garlic dressing is a Mid-West thing or not, but that is usually where I see it most often. I grew up in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and it was often on restaurant menus.

I am not a huge fan of ranch, but I like a creamy dressing, and this is seriously my favorite! It can be super garlicky, or just subtle if you want to cut back on the amount used. You can add fresh herbs like parsley to give it just a little bit of that something extra. And it is great for salads or even as a spread on burgers or a dip for veggies.

What You’ll Need

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.

• Sour Cream – I use light sour cream to cut down on the calories a little
• Mayo – you can use full fat or light mayo, whichever you prefer
• Milk – this thins out the dressing to your desired consistency, so as much or as little as you like
• Lemon Juice
• White Wine Vinegar
• Garlic – fresh garlic is needed for this, not the bottled stuff
• Kosher Salt
• Mustard Powder
• Black Pepper

How To Make Creamy Garlic Dressing

• Mix. Whisk together all of the ingredients until it is nice and smooth. Mix in enough milk to make it your desired creaminess. The amount listed is on the thicker side, so feel free to add more to make it more “pourable”.
• Taste. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. If you like more black pepper or salt adjust.
• Set. Cover and store in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. You want the flavors to blend together.

Recipe Tips & Suggestions

• Adjust the milk to make it as pourable as you like. As shown it is rather thick, that used 1/4 cup of milk. If I want it more pourable about 1/2 cup is usually what I end up using. But it will depend on if you use full fat or light mayo and sour cream as well, as they can vary in thickness.
• If you want a swap for sour cream plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt works great. It adds some protein and doesn’t really change the flavor a lot.
• Storage. Store the garlic dressing covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Let it rest. Let the dressing set for at least an hour before serving. You want the garlic to “calm down” a little in flavor and really blend together with the other ingredients.

Other Great Salad Dressings

It is so easy to make dressings at home and skip the bottled stuff from the store. You can usually make a small amount, so you can switch it up often!

• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
• Lemon Vinaigrette
• Ranch Dressing
• Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
• Avocado Dressing