Olive Garden Salad is easy to recreate at home with sweet tomatoes, peppers, olives, and croutons, all tossed in creamy Italian dressing or the bottled version from the store.
author’s note
The Salad That Outsold the Entree!
If I’m being honest, I mainly go to Olive Garden for the salad and Pasta e Fagioli soup. They’ve seriously nailed both, and they always hit the spot. So I made it my mission to recreate that same flavor at home.
I’m obsessed with this Olive Garden Salad copycat. It’s light, fresh, and packed with flavor. The Italian dressing is super simple and made with feel-good ingredients like olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and lots of herbs. It ties everything together in the best way.
And don’t skip the crunchy garlicky croutons and freshly grated Parmesan. They take it over the top.
What Is Olive Garden Salad Made Of?
- Lettuce: Olive Garden uses an iceberg lettuce mix, but we like it best with Romaine lettuce; either type of lettuce works!
- Red onion: Onions add a nice bite to the salad. If they seem to have too much of a bite, see my quick tip below to help tame them.
- Pepperoncini: These are sweet, mild chili peppers, usually sold pickled.
- Tomato: Any good ripe tomatoes will work in this salad. We often use cherry tomatoes.
- Black olives: We like them whole, but feel free to halve or slice them.
- Croutons: Olive Garden sells their croutons at the grocery store, and they work great in this salad. You can use any garlic-herb flavored croutons. Or, you can even make your own!
- Parmesan cheese: I like to grate fresh Parmesan cheese on a microplane and add it to this Olive Garden Salad.
Quick Tip
If raw red onions are too strong for you, soak them in salted ice-cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and dry before adding to your salad.
How To Make Olive Garden Salad
- Place chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Add olives, tomatoes, onion, and pepperoncini.
- For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and shake until well mixed. Chill if desired.
- Before serving, mix salad with desired amount of dressing. Top with croutons and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Featured Comment
“I always just get salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden. NOW I don’t have to go there anymore! This SALAD looks yummy and tastes even better than the version that inspired it. WAY less salty. Love it!”
– Lisalia
Tips For Success
- Only add dressing, cheese, and croutons to the portion you’ll eat that day. They get soggy if they sit too long.
- Make ahead: Prep all the ingredients in advance and store them separately. Toss together just before serving.
- Parmesan: Grate it with a microplane. for a light texture that spreads evenly. It makes a big difference.
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Olive Garden Salad
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces romaine lettuce coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 2 large Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1/4 of a large red onion very thinly sliced
- 6 pepperoncini peppers
- 1 cup garlic-herb flavored croutons store-bought or homemade
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayo full-fat
Instructions
- Coarsely chop the lettuce, wash, and thoroughly dry (I love a salad spinner for this step). Place lettuce in a large bowl. Top the salad with black olives, thinly sliced tomatoes, very thinly sliced red onion, and pepperoncini.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a large glass jar. Seal and shake to combine. It might take a minute of good vigorous shaking, but the mayo should completely integrate (keep shaking until it does). If you have time, make this ahead and chill in the fridge to intensify the flavors. Shake again right before mixing into the salad.
- Right before eating (see note 1), toss the salad with the dressing (you probably won’t use all the dressing—see note 2). Add the croutons and freshly grated Parmesan on top and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I thought the red wine vinegar was overbearing. I’d like to try it again with half. Needs more sweetness too.
You can absolutely cut it back to personal preference!
I just made this salad and it’s spot on! The dressing is so close to Olive Garden’s and I love that it’s made with fresh ingredients. Definitely making this again
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
It was a huge hit at the party I took it too. Delicious!
Thanks so much Lora! 🙂
This didn’t really taste like OG dressing to me but not bad. The vinegar is overpowering. I would reduce the vinegar next time. Now that I’ve made it, what can I add to tone down the tanginess? Thanks!
You can reduce the vinegar or add some sugar