Blue Cheese Dressing
Blue cheese adds some funk to this irresistibly creamy, tangy dressing recipe. Fresh chives send this mayo-free dressing over the top.
- ½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola dolce
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives or green onion (mostly green parts)
- 1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Taste, and add another pinch of salt and/or several more twists of black pepper until it’s just right. For the best flavor, let the mixture chill for 30 minutes before serving.
- Drizzle over your salad or cover and refrigerate for later. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.
I don’t always love blue cheese, but I love this blue cheese dressing. It’s a great introduction to blue cheese if you’ve been hesitant to try it, and a guaranteed winner if you love it. You can use mild cheese, as I prefer, or a more intense blue cheese for a bolder dressing.
This blue cheese dressing recipe is creamy but not too heavy, nicely tangy, and tastes like the best restaurant versions, thanks to the fresh chives and garlic. It’s similar to my Easy Blue Cheese Dip, but ready to drizzle over greens.
Salads are my specialty, and my collection of dressings was incomplete without this classic. It’s so much better than store-bought!
Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients
You’ll find the full recipe further below. Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make this creamy and flavorful dressing.
Sour cream
Sour cream offers a creamy, tangy base for this dressing. No mayo necessary!
Crumbled blue cheese
The best blue cheese for dressing depends on your taste buds. I prefer a milder blue cheese, like Gorgonzola dolce or Danish Blue. Blue cheese lovers might prefer a stronger cheese, such as Roquefort. Generally, creamier blue cheese with less veining is going to taste milder than hard, crumbly cheese with lots of marbling.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk adds more tangy flavor and thins the dressing’s texture. Use real buttermilk if you can, because the flavor payout is worth it (you can always make pancakes with leftovers). Or, substitute milk with an extra squeeze of lemon juice instead.
Lemon juice
Fresh lemon adds a zing that makes this dressing taste lively.
Chives and garlic
Thinly sliced chives and minced fresh garlic offer irresistible allium flavor. If you don’t have chives, you can use green onions instead (mostly the green parts).
Salt and pepper
No salad dressing is complete without salt to balance the bitterness of the greens. Finish it with lots of freshly ground pepper, added to taste.
Blue Cheese Salad Suggestions
Start building your salad with a base of fresh greens. Choose from romaine or little gem, iceberg, spinach, or arugula.
- Apples
- Beets
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Endive
- Fennel
- Grapes
- Pears
- Radishes
- Sunflower seeds
- Tomatoes
The salad shown in my photos features a wedge of romaine lettuce topped with blue cheese dressing, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radish, and a sprinkle of bread crumbs and additional chives. It’s a great combination.
