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Catalina Dressing - A Family Feast

Catalina Dressing

★★★★★ 5 /5
Jump to Recipe
Home Dressings + Sauces Salad Dressing

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

A fantastic homemade Catalina Dressing recipe! This homemade version is so much better than store bought.

Our Catalina Dressing is the perfect dressing to top off our delicious Taco Salad.  And why use store-bought when a homemade Catalina dressing is so easy to make?!

The key to a good Catalina dressing is to strike the perfect balance between the sweet, savory and spicy flavors!  And – you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen!

If you are a regular here at A Family Feast, then you might have noticed that I often like to research the history of foods and recipes (blame it on my journalism background) and share what I’ve learn with you – but I’ve read conflicting theories on the origin of Catalina dressing.  Some sources merely attribute the original dressing to Kraft Foods which has sold Catalina dressing for many years.  Others claim this dressing was inspired by Catalonia (a region of Spain) – where the Catalan people often prepared recipes with a mix of sweet and savory flavors.

Either way – this dressing is fantastic on salads like our taco salad, and it works great as a marinade on meat as well!

We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!

recipe
Catalina Dressing - A Family Feast
★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

Catalina Dressing

Note: For a bolder sweeter tangier dressing, substitute half of the red wine vinegar for champagne vinegar.

Yield: 2 cups 1x
Prep: 10 minsTotal: 10 minutes
Pin for Later Rate Recipe Print Save
Scale:

Ingredients

  • ½ cup diced onion
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup agave nectar
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Pinch of salt
  • Few grinds black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
  • ¼ teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup canola or grapeseed oil

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender. Blend until liquefied. Remove the center opening of the top to the blender and while on low speed, slowly add all of the oil. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
  2. Refrigerate for up to one week.
  3. Note: For a bolder sweeter tangier dressing, substitute half of the red wine vinegar for champagne vinegar.

Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.


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Martha

Martha is part of the husband-wife team that creates A Family Feast. She loves to cook and entertain for family and friends, and she believes that serving a great meal is one of the best ways to show someone that you care. Martha is a self-taught home cook, who loves to read cookbooks and try new recipes. After a decades-long career in business and online marketing, she now runs A Family Feast full-time. Her specialties are baking, desserts, vegetables and pasta dishes.

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Updated: 1/23/23

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  1. Ginette says

    Posted on 10/19/22 at 1:19 pm

    Very deli without agave. Deserve 5 stars.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 10/20/22 at 7:31 am

      Thanks Ginette!

      Reply
  2. Shelly Mitchell says

    Posted on 5/10/22 at 7:26 pm

    Utterly fabulous dressing recipe! I halved the sugar, lessened oil, used champagne vinegar and I couldn’t be more delighted with results.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 5/10/22 at 7:43 pm

      Thanks Shelly

      Reply
  3. NELLIE RIZK says

    Posted on 9/5/21 at 5:31 pm

    Great tasting recipe. How can I thicken the dressing next time? It turned out a llittle watery/runny for me.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 9/5/21 at 7:31 pm

      Hi Nellie – I suppose you could start with less oil and add more to achieve the consistency you’d like.

      Reply
  4. Darlene says

    Posted on 7/21/21 at 2:37 pm

    Great dressing. This will be made again, thank you Martha!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 7/22/21 at 8:04 am

      You’re welcome Darlene – so glad you enjoyed the dressing recipe!

      Reply
  5. Laura says

    Posted on 5/13/19 at 3:25 pm

    Can’t count how many times I have made this dressing. ..my husband loves it! The only thing I do that’s different, is that I leave out the granulated sugar. Tastes amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 5/14/19 at 1:09 pm

      So glad you are enjoying the recipe Laura – good to know it’s still delicious without the sugar.

      Reply
  6. Marisol Benal. says

    Posted on 6/19/17 at 11:32 am

    Great recipes, how long can we keep them in a jar?

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 6/20/17 at 8:52 am

      Hi Marisol – See step #2 – we suggest up to 1 week.Hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
  7. Pam Wood says

    Posted on 2/23/17 at 1:29 pm

    This is a great dressing. It is very good on top of a spinach, citrus, and avocado salad too.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/23/17 at 9:03 pm

      Thanks Pam! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  8. Cristina Jones says

    Posted on 11/5/15 at 8:07 pm

    Yum! Just made this, so good! I subbed onion powder for the onion but it was fabulous! Thanks so much for a great recipe 🙂 will be making over and over again because it is so simple to make!

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 11/5/15 at 8:54 pm

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe Cristina!

      Reply
  9. Lydia @ The Thrifty Frugal Mom says

    Posted on 6/26/14 at 9:55 pm

    This looks good! Any idea what I could use as a substitute for the agave nectar?

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 6/27/14 at 8:02 am

      Hi Lydia! You can use honey instead. It has more of a flavor than the agave, but it will still work in this recipe. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Lydia @ The Thrifty Frugal Mom says

        Posted on 6/30/14 at 12:54 pm

        Thanks! I kind of thought that might work. Can’t wait to try it. We love salads and I’m always looking for new homemade dressing ideas.

        Reply
        • Martha says

          Posted on 6/30/14 at 3:27 pm

          I hope you enjoy the dressing Lydia!

          Reply

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