Green Goddess Salad
Green Goddess Salad is full of fresh flavors and texture—crisp, crunchy, and creamy, with a lightened up dressing to bring it all together.
Why You’ll Love This Green Goddess Salad
- Healthy and Nutrient-Packed. This healthified green goddess salad shakes up the classic by taking that creamy, tangy, herbaceous dressing and swapping the mayonnaise with yogurt.
- No Anchovies! If you’re not a fan of anchovies, you’ll be glad to know I did away with those too—although technically speaking, they are still in the Worcestershire sauce.)
- Super Green. We keep the lettuce from the original recipe, but then I add all kinds of delicious green veggies, from crunchy broccoli to crisp snap peas. (Of course, you can feel free to customize your green goddess salad with any ingredients you like, green or otherwise.)
- Versatile. A big portion is filling enough to make a meal, but a smaller portion makes a nice side dish with something a little more indulgent, like Air Fryer Hamburgers or Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.
About this Green Goddess Salad Recipe
You may have seen the viral TikTok green goddess salad all over social media; and it’s for a good reason!
Even just the name green goddess makes you think: Light! Healthy! Fresh!
Now, the original green goddess salad is one of those retro salad recipes that pairs a scant pile of lettuce with a heavy, mayo-based dressing. We’re not exactly bringing the light, healthy, or fresh factor, eh?
So I set out to make a green goddess salad worthy of a goddess.
How to Make Green Goddess Salad
The Ingredients
- Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas. These deliver some crisp texture to your salad. Celery can be substituted, or if you can’t choose between the two, you can use half the amount of peas and swap in celery for the other half.
- Broccoli. A small head should work! Not a fan of raw broccoli? Blanch it first!
- Bibb, Butter, or Romaine Lettuce. Or use a combination of these.
- Baby Arugula. Arugula adds a nice peppery bite that complements the herby dressing.
- English Cucumber. Persian cucumbers make a good substitute; garden cucumbers work too, but I recommend scooping out the seeds.
- Green Onions. Added color, freshness, and flavor.
- Avocado. Making this for meal prep? Leave the avocado out until you’re ready to eat.
- Kosher Salt and Pepper. Classics.
- Green Goddess Salad Dressing. Here’s my Green Goddess Dressing recipe.
Market Swap
Fresh spinach or kale can be substituted for the lettuce. If you use kale, massage it first—you can see how in my recipe for Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad.
The Directions
1. Prep Your Veggies. Chop the peas or celery and broccoli and put them in a large bowl.
2. Combine. Add the rest of the vegetables to the bowl.
3. Dress. Spoon some of the dressing over the salad, then gently toss to combine.
4. Finish. Season to taste, add the remaining avocado, and serve with extra dressing. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
- To Freeze. While the green goddess dressing can be frozen, the salad won’t stand up to freezing and thawing, so enjoy it fresh!
Leftover Ideas
Leftovers can be tucked into pitas or wraps with Grilled Chicken Tenders or another protein for a healthy meal prep lunch. You’ll have extra dressing, too, which is awesome for dipping veggies and tortilla chips or Homemade Naan!
Recipe Variations
- Add Protein. Add Grilled Chicken Breast, Air Fryer Shrimp, or Instant Pot Boiled Eggs for a heartier meal.
- Add Beans. Keep with the green goddess theme and add shelled edamame to your salad, or try Roasted Chickpeas for some extra crunch.
- Add Seeds, Nuts, or Eggs. Pepitas or pistachios will keep it green, but walnuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, and hemp seeds are protein-packed additions, too. Hard-boiled eggs are a favorite salad topping and would add a punch of protein.
- Add Cheese. Feta cheese and shaved Parmesan cheese add some salty flavor (and cheesiness!) to your salad.
- Add More Veggies. Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green cabbage, fresh basil leaves, a small shallot, shaved radishes—add whatever you like because the green goddess dressing tastes good with just about everything!
- Make It Chopped. Swap the arugula and romaine for chopped green cabbage.
- Green Goddess Cobb. Do your own version of Panera’s Green Goddess Cobb by adding hard-boiled eggs, chicken, and Baked Bacon. Or use the dressing to top my Cobb Salad.
What to Serve With Green Goddess Salad
- Grains. I love serving this green goddess salad with a scoop of quinoa, farro, or brown rice (this Instant Pot Brown Rice is great too).
- Meat. Green goddess salad makes a light side dish for Pan Fried Chicken Breast and Grilled Pork Chops.
- Soups. Have a soup-and-salad lunch with your favorite store-bought soup or my Roasted Carrot Soup.
- Sandwiches and Burgers. Skip the fries and serve green goddess salad with Salmon Burgers or my Air Fryer Grilled Cheese.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Sharp Chef’s Knife. You’re going to be doing a lot of chopping, so you might as well invest in a good knife!
- Mixing Bowls. I love this set of glass bowls because they work for prep and for serving.
- Salad Spinner. Because soggy salads are a bummer. Bonus for using your salad spinner to help dry off produce when you wash it! We love a two-for-one.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Prep It Smart. If you’re making this green goddess salad for meal prep, store the salad and dressing separately to extend their storage life. You’ll also need to either skip the avocado or add it just before eating.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Use Your Hands. The best tool for tossing this salad? Clean hands! I love using my hands because it’s gentler than using salad tongs and it’s also better at making sure all the ingredients are evenly coated with dressing.
- Make Sure Your Veggies Are Dry. Any water that’s still clinging to the lettuce or veggies when you put them in the bowl will create a soggy salad and water down your dressing. Not good!
Green Goddess Salad
Ingredients
For the Green Goddess Salad:
- 2 cups snow peas or sugar snap peas or 2 celery stalks
- 1 small broccoli crown
- 1 head bibb, butter, or romaine lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces (about 3 to 4 cups)
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 English cucumber quartered lengthwise, then cut into thin slices (about 2 heaping cups)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 ripe avocado cubed, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Goddess Dressing:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt nonfat, low fat, or whole
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups roughly chopped mixed fresh tender herbs: parsley, dill, basil, chives, cilantro, tarragon, or mint*
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder omit if using chives
Instructions
For the Salad:
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Thinly slice the snap peas (or celery). Chop the broccoli into fine florets (you will have about 1 1/2 cups). Place in a large serving bowl.
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To the bowl, add the lettuce, arugula, cucumber, green onion, and half of the avocado. Top with several big spoonfuls of dressing. Very gently toss to combine (I find clean hands work best for this). Everything should have a light coating of fressing, and the avocado will break down a bit to make the salad even creamier. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Scatter the second half of the avocado over the top. Serve immediately with extra dressing on the side.
For the Dressing:
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In a food processor, place the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, oil, mixed herbs, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
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Blend until smooth and only tiny specks of herbs remain. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy on salads, as a dip, over pasta, with meat or fish, and more!
Video
Notes
- *To keep stronger herbs from over-powering the dressing, use a max of 1 cup parsley, 1/4 cup chives, 1/4 cup mint, and/or 2 tablespoons tarragon. Parsley, dill, tarragon, and chives is my favorite combo.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container for up to a day.
- TO FREEZE: While the green goddess dressing can be frozen, the salad won’t stand up to freezing and thawing, so enjoy it fresh!
- Dressing is my Green Goddess Dressing
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Green goddess dressing typically contains mayonnaise and/or sour cream, tender fresh herbs like parsley, chives, tarragon, and mint, garlic, lemon juice, and sometimes anchovies. My lightened-up version replaces the mayo with Greek yogurt and the anchovies with Worcestershire sauce.
Green goddess salad has a bright, fresh, herbaceous flavor thanks to the creamy herb-packed dressing and lots of vegetables. Overall it’s a vibrant, flavorful salad perfect for a light spring or summer meal.
With loads of fresh veggies and a Greek-yogurt-based dressing, this green goddess salad is a nutritious meal or side dish. It has healthy fat, protein from the yogurt, and plenty of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
According to the New York Times, the San Palace Hotel in San Francisco gained fame for creating the green goddess salad in 1923 in honor of George Arliss, the lead actor in the theatrical production “The Green Goddess.” Several versions of the recipe have been passed down through generations; many of them, such as the one featured in “American Cookery” by James Beard, are based on key ingredients like tarragon, anchovies, chives, and scallions.
Related Recipes
Salads are an easy way to work some extra veggies into your day! Here are some of my favorites:
