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A terrific Greek Salad Dressing recipe inspired by the dressing served at Christo’s Restaurant in Brockton, Massachusetts
The Best Greek Salad Dressing
The best Greek Salad we’ve ever had was served at Christo’s Restaurant in Brockton, Massachusetts. For more than forty years, this landmark Greek restaurant was known for serving the best Greek food in the area south of Boston.
Christo’s was most famous for their Greek Salad – so much so that former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis named Christo’s owner, Chris Tsanganis, the “Greek Salad King” – and that name was proudly used until his death in 2013. Sadly, Christo’s Restaurant closed later that same year.
This Greek Salad Dressing is my husband Jack’s attempt to recreate the famous, secret recipe that was served on every Greek salad at Christo’s.
Our Greek Salad Dressing is delicious and quite bold in flavor – so when making it for the first time, you might want to start with half the amount of oregano and black pepper that is called for in the recipe – then add more to taste if you like.
We like to serve this dressing with our Greek Salad with Meat recipe found here.
For our Local Massachusetts Readers
For those of you reading this post who are local to the South Shore region of Massachusetts, Christo’s To Go has was opened in Whitman, Massachusetts.
It’s a take-out only restaurant that opened in 2014 by Chris Tsanganis’ two daughters, Gigi and Maria, and employs some former Christo’s employees.
The legend lives on!
Why You’ll Love This Greek Salad Dressing
- It has bold, authentic Greek flavors that are fantastic on any Greek salad.
- It’s easy to make – just put the initial ingredients in a blender and mix on low while you drizzle in the olive oil.
- This versatile recipe can also be used as a marinade.
Reader Review
“This dressing is out of this world delicious! I make this all the time. I can’t get enough. I marinate chicken breasts in it and serve over the Greek salad…Thanks for sharing your recipe!!” -Katrina
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Garlic – Always use fresh garlic, not jarred for the best flavor.
- Basil – Fresh or dried can be used.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Dried Mediterranean or Greek Oregano Leaves
- Granulated Sugar
- Mint – Fresh or dried can be used.
- Lemon Juice – Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not the bottled juice.
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Water
- Dijon Mustard
- Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Italian olive can be used if that’s all you have, but definitely seek out a Greek olive oil for the most authentic flavor.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Blender
- Various Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Lemon Juicer
How Do I Make Greek Salad Dressing?
- Place all of the ingredients except the oil into a blender.
- Turn the blender on to a low speed and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until completely mixed.
- Serve with your favorite Greek Salad. (You’ll love our Greek Salad with Meat!)
Tips & Tricks
When you mix this Greek dressing in a blender, the high blender speed will emulsify the oils and other ingredients, yielding a thick and creamy dressing that won’t separate as it sits.
You can, however, vigorously whisk the ingredients together by hand. The dressing will likely need to be shaken or stirred to remix before you add to your salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the Yasou brand of Greek dressing from Christo’s Restaurant? The current label calls it “The Original Greek dressing” and in year’s past, it did reference Christo’s as well. In our humble opinion, it never quite tasted the same as the dressing served at the restaurant.
- Can I make this Greek Salad Dressing ahead of time? Yes – it stores well in the refrigerator for up to a month. (Keep it in a bottle or covered container.) You’ll want to bring it back to room temperature for serving.
This Greek Salad Dressing recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in June 2013. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
You might like these other Salad Dressing Recipes
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Greek Salad Dressing
This Greek Salad Dressing is our attempt to recreate the famous dressing served at Christo’s Restaurant in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced fine (1–2 cloves)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or half that of dried
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried Mediterranean or Greek oregano leaves
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint or half that of dried
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about half a lemon)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup good quality Greek extra virgin olive oil (use Italian olive oil if you can’t find Greek)
Instructions
- In blender, add all of the dressing ingredients in except oil.
- Turn the blender on low speed, and very slowly add the olive oil in a drizzle until the entire cup of oil has been added.
- Serve with our Greek Salad with Meat.
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.
Deb says
Fabulous! I will be making this one again and again.
Martha says
Thanks Deb! So glad you enjoyed the dressing!
Joe M says
My Girlfriend lovessssss this dressing, thanks!!! My only question is, do I refrigerate it or not? The large amount of olive oil makes me think it will solidify when refrigerated.
Martha says
Hi Joe – Yes – I’d refrigerate it to keep it the freshest possible, but you are correct – it will solidify. We just bring it to room temp before using. Hope that helps!
Dawn says
My husband loves Greek salad, and it is so easy to make, but finding the right dressing has been a challenge. Most just tasted like oregano and oil. None were complex. Bottled dressing was out of the question. This dressing of yours is outstanding. Don’t see the need for another one. Thanks so much!
Martha says
WOW – Thank you Dawn! We’re so glad you enjoyed the dressing recipe!
Jennifer says
This is a fantastic recipe! I made Greek salads w/chicken last night for our family and my visiting in-laws and made this dressing for it and everyone RAVED about it! It was delicious! I had to tweak it a bit because I didn’t have fresh garlic or mint, so I used garlic powder and a little extra basil in place of the mint. I also added a bit more water after I blended it just to thin it out a bit. Next time I make it I bet it will be even better because I’m going to make sure to use the fresh garlic and mint! Thank you!!
Martha says
Thanks Jennifer! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Connie says
Can’t wait to try your Greek Salad dressing. I make a great Greek Salad, but need a good dressing, this one sound perfect!!
Martha says
Thanks Connie! We hope you like it!
kevin says
Christo’s markets it locally under “Yasou Greek Salad Dressing”
Martha says
That’s right Kevin! Thanks!
Bob says
My wife and I are big time fans of the Christo’s dressing. We grew up in Brockton and
moved to Texas ( Dallas area ) a while back. I had them shipping bottles of the dressing to us in Texas. I did not think that the Yasou dressing was the same thing.
I have had people tell me it is not, especially my wife. She claims the Yasou does not
taste exactly the same as when Christo’s would ship it to us. Can anyone confirm that
the Yasou dressing is , in fact , the same dressing as Christo’s ?
Please let me know via e-mail – address is ( [email protected] )
Thank You for your help. Have a great day !
Martha says
Hi Bob – The Yasou brand dressing is, according to the label, supposed to be the same recipe as what is (or more accurately was – they recently closed) at Christo’s – but we agree – it doesn’t taste the same to us either! Perhaps in more recent years the restaurant used the manufactured version of the Greek dressing but my husband Jack has always said that the salads tasted better at the restaurant! We don’t have a way ourselves of confirming if the Yasou is the same as what was served at Christos – perhaps someone reading this will know for sure and comment back to us! Thanks for visiting our site. Martha
Mary says
Bob, the original dressing was made with olive oil…the tasty is made with vegetable and canola I believe. The s recipe tastes pretty spot on! But my experience with Christi’s only goes back to 1970… I was late to the game!
Martha says
Thanks Mary! 🙂
Connie says
Hello A Family Feast!
Came across your website and surprising refreshing and so inviting… makes me want to try everything! Everything is so clean and easy to follow. The recipes look and read amazingly and I’m trying a few for sure… Clam Chowder, Salsa, Chicken Burritos, Greek Salad with Greek Dressing…OMG! I like the purity of your recipes, ingredients most good cooks have on hand, and not so pretentious and overdone. These types of recipes usually end up some of our favorite family dishes that everybody wants…right?
Great job! Connie Girl
Martha Pesa says
Wow Connie – Thank you so much! You’ve made our day! 🙂 Thanks for much for writing to us and we hope you enjoy our recipes! Martha
Ashley says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Christo’s dressing is amazing. I love dipping my pizza crust in the bottom of my salad bowl to use up every last drop of that delicious dressing! Thank you!
Martha says
I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting out site!
Becki says
Greetings!
Everything on your blog looks amazing! This week I am trying your precise method to the perfect egg salad. I also added the chicken salad to my July meal plan. The kidlets will enjoy those on slider buns. I’m off to go eat my Greek Salad yummy!
~Becki
Martha says
Thank you so much Becki! We hope you enjoy the recipes! Thanks for visiting our site and dropping us a note!
Martha
Sue/the view from great island says
This sounds amazing, and I love the boldness of it! Do you use fresh or dried oregano?
Martha says
Hi Sue! We used dried oregano leaves. I’ve updated the recipe to make that more clear…thank you for asking! Martha