Greek Green Goddess Dip
This Greek Green goddess dressing or dip is a garlic and herb, yoghurt and feta-based dip that is a fun Greek take on a classic green goddess dip. It is packed full of delicious fresh herbs, is super smooth and creamy and takes just minutes to prepare! Food writer and recipe developer Melissa Clark of the New York Times has one of my all time favourite recipes for Greek Goddess Dip. It’s always on repeat and I had to share her recipe on the blog. It’s so tasty and the only tweak I made was adding capers for a little extra briny flavour and also some chili flakes for more flavour than heat. One of the best things about this Green Goddess Dip is the delicious, vibrant flavour of the fresh herbs. As such, it is not possible to substitute with dried herbs. Aside from making a tasty appetiser or snack, this dip can also be used as a dipping sauce or salad dressing. See recipe notes more info about that. The fact that this dip takes about 5-10 minutes to prepare makes it even more appealing.
What is Green Goddess Dip?
Green goddess is a classic salad dressing or dip that was pretty popular in the 70s and 80s. I see why. It’s fantastic tossed into any salad and works beautifully as a dip for veggies. It is usually made with mayo, garlic, anchovies, parsley, and green onions or chives. Other versions add watercress and tarragon as well. A 1948 New York Times article featured an “authentic” recipe that combined Worcestershire sauce, anchovy filets and oil from the fish tin with mayonnaise, chives and parsley. So this dip/ dressing goes way back and is still popular and beloved and there are so many variations out there of it. This dip is based on that lovely green dressing, but with a Greek spin adding some very Greek forward herbs and of course feta!
I don’t have the greenest thumb around, but I do love growing herbs. I usually choose ones that are easy to maintain and ones I will use often in the kitchen. I still end up buying some because we use quite a bit of herbs for the client work that we do and all of our recipes and day to day cooking at home. This dressing is packed with fresh, green herbs. Consider it a great way to use up and dump any and all the green herbs you have in your kitchen or garden right now into it. I make it every time I notice my herbs getting a bit wilty and this helps prevent too much food waste.
Greek Green Goddess dip ingredients:
- Lots of Fresh green herbs - You can play around with which herbs you add and the proportions of each, but we especially love parsley, basil, green onion and definitely mint and dill if you are making it GREEKSTYLE. Other green herbs like cilantro, and tarragon or very commonly used to make it too. Basic rule of thumb here is to use 1 ½ cups to 2 cups of fresh green herbs.
- Greek yoghurt - Green goddess dressing is creamy so a solid base of Greek yoghurt is the best place to start. Typically it’s Mayo but I’m not a real fan of Mayo based dips. The yoghurt makes this recipe a tad healthier, and it adds a nice tangy flavor to it.
- Lemon juice, salt and pepper - Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must and always brightens up this herby creamy dip. Salt and pepper are essential for seasoning the mixture.
- Garlic and Green onions - I love them both in this recipe but since the green onion add an onion-like flavor to the dressing, and you think it might be too overpowering you can leave it out.
- Feta cheese - This adds so much to the texture and flavour of the dip. It adds that distinct salty briny flavour associated with feta plus it adds to the richness and thickness of the dip.
- Capers & Chili flakes - both optional but the capers add extra savoury briny goodness to this dip. It also sort of replaces the anchovies in the classic recipe keeping this vegetarian. The chili flakes add a very subtle background warmth - I wouldn’t call it heat though - for heat I would add a little more than the recipe calls for.
- Olive oil - It adds extra richness and thins the creamy sauce.
How To Make Green Goddess Dip
As I mentioned above, this dip literally takes minutes to throw together. The ingredients are pretty mainstream, so you may have them readily available. This is such a great dip to use for entertaining especially if you are short on time. Here is how it’s done:
- Start by adding the herbs, garlic, green onions and lemon juice to Food processor and pulse until finely chopped (see recipe notes for more blending options)
- Pour in the olive oil while the processor is going until combined
- Add the feta and pulse until combined
- Add the yoghurt and process until smooth - season with salt and pepper as needed and then serve.
What To Serve With Green Goddess Dip?
- Serve a variety of crackers, chips or even toasted pita rounds. I chose my new favourite gluten free Oat Crackers from Bob’s Red Mill. They make the perfect crunchy vessel to carry this dip on. They make the perfect addition to any platter. They come in 4 delicious flavours and unlike other gf crackers they deliver on crunch with no waxiness.
- Toss with salad greens.
- Use as a dressing for potato salad
- Use as a dip for fresh cut veggies like cucumbers, carrots or snap peas as shown
- Serve as a sauce for grilled meats, fish or chicken.
- Drizzle over roasted vegetables
- Serve with grain bowls or rice bowls.
- Or use it as a dipping sauce for fries
- This would make a great dressing on a sandwich too - a grilled veggie one would be so good with it.
How to make Greek Green Goddess dip smoother & creamier?
The original recipe from NYTCooking suggests adding Mayo to the dip if needed at the end for a creamier finish. I have never tried it with the Mayo because I’m always happy with the consistency of the dip as is, but feel free to add a little in if needed. Another suggestion is to add a ½ or 1 whole small avocado to the dip - process it along with all the rest of the ingredients for a creamy and rich dip.
More delicious dips you will love:
- Roasted Red Pepper And Feta Dip
- Easy Tzatziki Sauce (Garlic Yogurt Cucumber Dip)
- Creamy Hummus and White Bean Dip With Roasted Garlic and Rosemary
- Easy Greek Fava recipe (yellow spilt pea puree dip)
- Greek feta cheese dip (Tirokafteri)
I have partnered up with Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango.
Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup packed fresh Dill
- ½ cup packed fresh Mint
- ½ cup packed fresh Parsley
- ½ cup packed fresh Basil
- 2 cloves of Garlic peeled and smashed or chopped
- 2 Scallions, ends trimmed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons Capers
- ¼ teaspoon Chili flakes
- 1½ tablespoons Lemon juice
- ½ cup Olive oil
- ½ cup Feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup Greek Yoghurt
- 1-2 boxes of Bob’s Red Mill Oat Crackers for serving plus fresh veggies for dipping
Directions
- Place the fresh herbs, garlic, scallions and lemon juice into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
- While the processor is still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
- Add the crumbled feta and process until mostly smooth
- Add the yoghurt and process until nice and smooth, adding more if needed. Taste dip and season with salt and pepper as needed
- Empty into a bowl and serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- I like to use a feta cheese that is in briny water as opposed to the dried crumbles you sometimes find at the grocery store. The block of brined feta will taste creamier and more fresh. It will blend a lot better.
- For the best texture, a high-speed blender is recommended. If your blender isn’t powerful, I recommend finely chopping the herbs first.
- It is best on the day it is made, as the colour may deteriorate slightly the following day. It will, however, last for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
- You can do this in a food processor, or using an immersion blender or in a blender. If you don’t have one of these blending devices, you can always finely mince the herbs and anchovies, and then mix them into the mayo and sour cream.
How To Make Green Goddess dip into a Dressing?
- If you wanted to turn this dip into a salad dressing, that can easily be done by adding a little more lemon juice or water and or reducing the amount of yogurt called for in this recipe.
