This Greek Trick Makes Salad Dressing Taste Like a Restaurant’s

I’ve been making salad dressings and vinaigrettes at home since I first learned my way around the kitchen. In that time, I’ve cooked ingredients like shallots and bacon to add to my dressings, but I never once thought to treat garlic the same way.

I recently learned a smart tip to warm the garlic in olive oil before adding it to the dressing. Rather than using raw garlic, some Greek and Mediterranean home cooks gently warm it in olive oil to soften its bite. The oil absorbs the garlic’s sweetness and aroma, creating a more mellow, rounded flavor.

You can use the same ingredients and proportions of any dressing recipe, but you add this one small step before whisking everything together.

I tried it and immediately understood the hype. The dressing tasted rounder and more mellow, without that sharp bite that can linger on your breath for hours because of raw garlic. I loved it and will definitely be working it into my salad dressings going forward.

Why You Should Warm Up Your Garlic for Dressings

When you warm garlic in olive oil before building your dressing, you trade the harsh, peppery punch for something sweeter, deeper, and more aromatic. Raw garlic can sometimes taste aggressive in a cold dressing, especially when it's mixed with something acidic like vinegar and lemon juice.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a time and a place for strong and garlicky. However, gently warming the garlic for a minute or two, on the other hand, helps it dial down the edge and turn it into something softer and more flavorful. There's still plenty of garlic flavor—the kind that boosts the salad instead of announcing itself three hours later.

How To Warm Garlic Before Adding It to Your Dressing

The goal here isn't to fry the garlic or turn it golden. You just want to wake it up. There are a few ways you can do this.

For a more garlicky dressing, start by mincing a clove of garlic or grating it on a microplane. If you want a milder flavor, add sliced or whole garlic cloves to the oil, then fish them out when you reach the level of flavor you desire. (This article helps break down how to control the strength of garlic really well.)

Add some good-quality olive oil to a small skillet or saucepan and turn the heat to low. Then, add the garlic. For minced or grated garlic, let it warm gently for 30 seconds to a minute, stirring occasionally, until it smells fragrant and slightly sweet–not sharp, and definitely not browned. For sliced or whole garlic, stir it around so that it doesn't burn. You'll know it's ready when your kitchen smells like an Italian restaurant and the garlic looks slightly softened but still pale. If it starts sizzling aggressively or turns golden, your heat is too high.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the oil cool for a minute so the heat doesn't dull the brightness of your vinegar or lemon juice. From there, it’s as simple as whisking the warm garlic oil into the rest of your dressing ingredients.

When I make Greek dressing, I use red wine vinegar, a little Dijon, dried oregano, salt, and pepper, and sometimes a squeeze of lemon. But really, this works with whatever dressing you’re already making. (This one is great for the record!)

If you’re pressed for time, you can warm the garlic and oil in the microwave in 15-second increments until fragrant. I find the stovetop gives you more control, though. No matter how you do it, the important thing is to keep the heat low and pay close attention. Garlic goes from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, and burnt garlic is bitter.

Good cooking isn’t always about the best ingredients. Often, it’s about simple techniques. This is one of those techniques. And in this case, one small step can completely transform the entire recipe. That's pretty cool, if I do say so myself.