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Copycat Olive Garden Salad is loaded with fresh veggies, crunchy croutons, pepperoncinis, and a tangy, creamy parmesan vinaigrette dressing. Learn how to make a copycat of the famous dressing at home – it’s ready in just 10 minutes and made with only 5 ingredients!
This Olive Garden Copycat Salad is my go-to salad when I need a simple side dish to serve with dinner. It goes with everything, like Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, Baked Pork Chops, Spinach Lasagna Stuffed Shells and Million Dollar Spaghetti. And the copycat dressing is not only great on salads – use it to marinate chicken and pork, too!
What’s In Olive Garden Salad?
This Olive Garden Copycat Salad is simple and easy to make at home.
- Lettuce – I prefer romaine over iceberg, but you can use your favorite. A mix of the two (mostly iceberg) is traditionally what’s served at the restaurant. You can also just buy a bag of iceberg salad mix from the grocery store and it will already have the red cabbage and carrots in it.
- Tomatoes – Roma tomatoes are traditional, but cherry or grape tomatoes will also work. Slice larger tomatoes into thick slices to recreate the restaurant version.
- Olives – the olives always seem so big and juicy. Grab a can of the jumbo size olives to replicate.
- Onions – The classic salad has red onions but we prefer white. Again, totally your call – use what you love.
- Croutons – Did you know you can get Olive Garden croutons in the grocery store? I found them at my local Ralphs (Kroger) and on Amazon. You could also make your own Homemade Croutons.
- Pepperoncini peppers – Notice I left out the peppers – don’t like them, never have. But for a true copycat, you’ll want to add them to your salad.
How To Assemble Copycat Olive Garden Salad
- To make the copycat salad, wash and chop the iceberg lettuce mix, slice the white or red onion into strips and the tomatoes into medium-thin rounds.
- Thinly slice or shred the red cabbage (it will come out in shreds) and shred the carrots.
- Toss with the homemade Italian dressing and top with black olives and crunchy croutons.
Olive Garden Salad Dressing
When I was a kid we always had a bottle of the famous Olive Garden Salad Dressing in our fridge for our daily dinner salads. While you can still purchase a bottle at the restaurant and even at the grocery store, it’s so easy and in my opinion much more delicious to make it fresh at home.
The dressing is pretty simple. There are just 5 ingredients you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon juice
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Italian seasoning
I tested a few different recipes before being satisfied with the result. This one came the closest to that tangy, savory flavor that everyone loves for the perfect copycat salad.
Pulse the ingredients in a blender or simply shake them up in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
How To Serve
This classic Italian Olive Garden Salad recipe is great as a starter or side paired with some of our favorite classic Italian dishes. Of course, it’s perfect when you pair it with other Olive Garden copycat recipes, like Zuppa Toscana or Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
But it’s also a great no-fuss salad recipe to make with any main entree you’re serving, especially casseroles and one pot meals.
- Spaghetti Pomodoro
- Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Classic Baked Italian Sub Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Easy Chicken and Rice Bake
- Creamy Baked Feta Pasta
Salad Variations
- Add protein: This salad is a great meal starter, but you can also make it a complete meal by adding some Grilled Chicken Breast, Grilled Steak or Easy Baked Salmon.
- More cheese, please! Add grated, shredded, or even chunks of fresh Parmesan, balls of mozzarella, or chunks of Feta.
- Veggies: Add any of your favorite veggies or beans to the salad, like artichokes, avocado or chickpeas, or feel free to omit or swap things you don’t like. For example, we often prefer cherry tomatoes to the Roma.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to store salad: Chop the lettuce and store in a container or plastic bag with a few paper towels to absorb moisture. Cut/slice other vegetables and store in containers. Make the dressing and store it separately. Salad ingredients store separately will remain fresh for 2-3 days. Stored together, serve within 12 hours. For more tips, check out How to Store Fresh Produce and How to Wash and Store Lettuce.
How to store dressing: Dressing should also be kept in the refrigerator. Store in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid and it should remain fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Store the salad dressing in an airtight bottle or container in the fridge and it will last up to 2 weeks.
- Use fresh ingredients – the fresher the better.
- Add protein to make this salad a full meal.
More Salads You’ll Love
- Herb & Citrus Vinaigrette
- Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salmon Salad
- How to Store Fresh Produce
- Wedge Salad with Thousand Island Dressing
- Grilled Salmon Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad
Olive Garden Salad Dressing Copycat
Ingredients
Salad dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 8 cups romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 3 ounces jumbo olives
- 1/2 cup sliced onion
- 1 cup croutons
- 6 whole pepperoncinis drained
- optional – fresh grated parmesan for topping
Instructions
Salad dressing
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a seal-able jar and shake until completely combined. Pour over salad.
Salad
- Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve with salad dressing on the side and fresh grated parmesan for topping, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
This is delicious! To cut calories a bit, I used water for half of the olive oil. It was still super thick and creamy. I also used veganaise and plant based parm. No one would have ever guessed! SO good! Thanks!
You are so welcome! Thank you for stopping by to share some feedback.
When you say “The Parmesan cheese is what really makes the dressing”, are you using Kraft grated parmesan in a jar (the dry crumbly kind), or freshly grated real stuff? I’m really looking forward to trying it, and don’t want to mess up the star ingredient.
I have used both. You can find fresh grated in the deli section. But in a pinch I’ve used KRAFT and it’s still delicious.
I have been making Olive Garden’s Copy Cat salad since it appeared in our local paper back in the late 80’s, way before the internet. However, that recipe did not include the dressing. We had company for dinner last week &I made this salad including the dressing. I a man here to testify the dressing takes this salad to a whole new level of awesomeness. Now I am someone who hates raw onion but have found if you let the salad marinate in the dressing about an hour before serving it cuts the onion taste.
Oh that sounds perfect! Yes you have to have the dressing with the salad!!
Fabulous !! The salad looks so special. I would to prepare this salad tonight. Thanks Kristin.