Olive Garden is known for serving a variety of delicious Italian dishes alongside their famous salad and breadsticks. One of the signature items at Olive Garden is their house salad, which comes with a choice of dressing. Olive Garden offers several dressing options to complement their salads, with some classic Italian-inspired choices.
Olive Garden’s House Salad Dressings
Here are the main salad dressing options available at Olive Garden:
- Italian – Olive Garden’s classic Italian dressing has a blend of olive oil, vinegar, and Italian seasoning.
- Ranch – The homemade ranch dressing is creamy and tangy.
- Blue Cheese – For a bold, pungent flavor, the blue cheese dressing is made with crumbled blue cheese.
- Caesar – The Caesar dressing has a rich, garlicky flavor and includes Parmesan cheese.
- Balsamic Vinaigrette – Olive Garden’s balsamic vinaigrette features a blend of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.
- Light Italian – A lower-calorie version of the classic Italian dressing made with a red wine vinegar base.
In addition to the regular house salad dressings, Olive Garden often offers limited-time seasonal or specialty salad dressings as well. Some examples have included raspberry-walnut vinaigrette, pomegranate vinaigrette, and apple cider vinaigrette.
Most Popular Salad Dressings at Olive Garden
While all of Olive Garden’s salad dressings have their fans, some flavors tend to be more popular choices among guests:
- Italian – The Italian dressing is the most traditional choice and comes standard with Olive Garden’s house salad.
- Ranch – Creamy ranch is the most popular dressing choice at U.S. restaurants, appealing to many guests.
- Caesar – The zesty Caesar dressing pairs excellently with crisp Romaine lettuce.
- Balsamic Vinaigrette – The tangy balsamic vinaigrette is a common substitute for the standard Italian dressing.
In a 2017 survey of nearly 1500 Olive Garden guests, Italian was voted the number one favorite dressing with 36% of the vote. Ranch came in second with 29%, followed by Caesar at 19%, and balsamic vinaigrette with 7%. The remaining 9% was split among blue cheese, light Italian, and other limited-time seasonal dressings.
Nutrition Information of Olive Garden’s Salad Dressings
Olive Garden provides extensive nutrition information for their menu items online. Here are some key details on the nutrition facts for their salad dressings:
| Dressing | Calories | Fat | Carbs | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | 140 | 14g | 2g | 470mg |
| Ranch | 240 | 24g | 2g | 370mg |
| Blue Cheese | 290 | 28g | 3g | 750mg |
| Caesar | 170 | 16g | 1g | 490mg |
| Balsamic Vinaigrette | 140 | 14g | 2g | 470mg |
As shown, the blue cheese dressing is highest in calories and fat, while the balsamic vinaigrette and Italian dressings are on the lighter side. All the dressings are low in carbohydrates. The sodium content ranges from 370-750mg per serving.
How to Get Olive Garden’s Salad Dressings
There are a few ways you can get Olive Garden’s famous salad dressings to enjoy at home:
- Purchase bottled dressing – Olive Garden bottles some of their dressing flavors like Italian and ranch to purchase in grocery stores.
- Order to-go – You can order a salad to-go and ask for extra dressing on the side.
- Make it yourself – Find copycat recipes online to DIY Olive Garden dressings at home.
- Buy online – Some online retailers sell the bottled dressings for home delivery if you can’t find them in local stores.
Olive Garden’s website also has a Shop page where you can browse and order bottled dressings along with other Olive Garden branded products like their famous breadsticks.
Conclusion
Olive Garden dresses up their salads with a choice of flavorful dressings. Their classic Italian dressing comes standard, but popular alternates include ranch, Caesar, and balsamic vinaigrette. While the dressings add extra calories and fat, they provide a tasty complement to a fresh salad. Olive Garden fans can enjoy their favorite dressings at home too by purchasing bottled versions or getting to-go orders.