Pesto Salad Dressing

This simple creamy pesto salad dressing is delicious on any salad! Plus, it only requires 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make.

I love a good homemade salad dressing! This one is great even with some simple greens and homemade croutons, but also pairs well with our Steak and Tortellini Salad.

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an Old Spaghetti Factory favorite

Hello my Pesto lovers!

This super simple recipe is inspired by one of our favorite restaurants – Old Spaghetti Factory. Have you been there before? They serve a small salad before each meal and it’s topped with the most delicious creamy Pesto Salad Dressing, which is what we tried to re-create for you today.

I don’t know about you, but salad is something we always have in our fridge, although it doesn’t always get eaten unless we have a yummy dressing to go with it. Fortunately, this Pesto dressing is very simple and is so delicious, that it will turn any salad into a million bucks!!

Yes, we love ranch and the other classic bottled dressings, but sometimes you just can’t do any better than homemade dressing. If you love pesto, we highly recommend trying this simple recipe. It really is delicious and adds so much flavor to the salad. We usually just add croutons, but adding some shaved Parmesan or chicken strips would be even better. 😉

5 Ingredients + 5 Minutes!

This pesto dressing only takes five ingredients to make this delicious dressing!

• low-fat buttermilk
• mayonnaise
• sour cream
• pesto
• grated parmesan cheese

All you have to do is whisk all the ingredients until well combined. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve. ENJOY!

Tips, Substitutions, and Storing

Variations: If you like it spicy, add some paprika, cayenne or some hot sauce. Not only does this creamy pesto dressing taste great on a salad, you can use it for a vegetable dip, sandwich spread and even a chicken marinade. Try it on these recipes:

• Mini Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Veggie Panini
• Veggie Cup Appetizer
• Flatout Monster Sandwich
• Game Day Veggie Tray

Substitutions: For a creamier dressing use full fat buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can make your own. Fill it the rest of the way with milk. You can also use plain yogurt/greek yogurt instead of mayo, and of course try making your own homemade pesto!

How to ripen your avocado: This recipe calls for a very ripe avocado and the ones found at the grocery store are usually still a bit firm. You can get your avocado to ripen faster by putting it in a brown paper bag, along with one apple or banana, fold over the top, and leave the bag on the counter for a couple of days.

Storage: Store this dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

For more delicious dressings:

• Homemade Ranch
• Cilantro Lime Dressing
• Strawberry Vinaigrette
• Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
• Caesar Salad Dressing

5 from 12 votes

Creamy Pesto Dressing Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna

This simple creamy pesto dressing is delicious on any salad! Plus, it only requires 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make.

Servings: 1 cup

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 3 tbsp pesto
• ▢ 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Instructions 

• In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients until well combined.
• Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. ENJOY!

Nutrition

Calories: 1277kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 127g, Saturated Fat: 32g, Cholesterol: 126mg, Sodium: 1462mg, Potassium: 448mg, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 1845IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 534mg, Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe adapted from Savory Sweet Life.