Skip out on the store-bought brands of salad dressing and instead, make your own delicious Catalina Dressing at home! This sweet, tangy salad dressing is better than anything you could buy in a plastic bottle AND it’s not loaded with artificial flavors and preservatives. Make a jar of this dressing today to see why I’m so obsessed!

A jar of catalina dressing is being dunked into with a spoon.


Catalina Dressing

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Of all the salad dressing homemade recipes I love, this catalina dressing recipe is currently my favorite. It’s so simple, yet SO flavorful! If you’ve ever had the store-bought stuff, you’re already familiar with the sweet, tangy, signature flavor of the dressing.

I often find that store-bought salad dressings are filled with preservatives and other additions that keep me from really enjoying my salad. Plus, there are just so many of them that really aren’t great for you because of the sugar content!

You probably already know how well it pairs with a fresh chopped salad! With all of that being said, you haven’t experienced the real flavors of mouthwatering catalina dressing until you’ve made this easy recipe. Only eight simple, inexpensive ingredients are required for this salad dressing recipe. Each one of them is all natural and boldly flavored, bringing exciting flavors into the mix!

To keep things are natural as possible, I highly recommend using my favorite recipe for Homemade Ketchup instead of buying that store-bought bottle as well. That way, from top to bottom, you have a deliciously fresh salad dressing that’ll enhance your chopped veggies and lettuce with all the right stuff.

A round white plate is topped off with plenty of chopped salad that's been drizzled with catalina dressing.

How to Make Catalina Dressing

Like any good salad dressing recipe, this stuff is SO wonderfully easy to make. Just make sure you have your food processor or blender plugged in and ready to do all of the work for you!

  1. Toss it in the blender. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
  2. Blend! Blend until smooth.
  3. Enjoy! Enjoy your salad dressing right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tip: Make sure you don’t over blend the dressing. Once it’s fully combined and smooth, which should only take a few moments, there’s no need to keep going. If you over blend the dressing, it may lose its signature smoothness and become liquidy.

Glass Weck Juice Jar

We love these .25 liter juice jars by Weck to store all our favorite homemade salad dressings. They’re easy to clean, durable and seal tightly to keep your dressing fresh for weeks.

Catalina dressing is being drizzled onto a salad with a spoon.

Serving Suggestions

Drizzling homemade catalina dressing on a freshly chopped salad is always a great idea! However, you can totally get creative with how you use your dressing. Dip french fries in it, toss it in your favorite taco or pasta salad (like my favorite Dorito Taco Salad), or even slather some in a cheeseburger! Just like ranch dressing, catalina dressing can be used in all sorts of delicious ways.

Storage

In an airtight container in the refrigerator, this salad dressing will stay fresh for up to 10 days. To keep it fresh for that entire time period, be sure to use a clean spoon to get more dressing, or just pour it directly from the food storage container. Food spoils very quickly once new bacteria is introduced, so try to avoid this by either using a very clean spoon or pouring it.

Make it Spicy

While this popular dressing isn’t known for being spicy, you can certainly add spice by sprinkling in some crushed red pepper flakes! This simple addition will add a good amount of heat though, so be very careful with how much you add.

A jar of salad dressing is presented on a white surface.

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A jar of catalina dressing is being dunked into with a spoon.

Get the Recipe: Catalina Dressing Recipe

Classic Catalina Dressing is super easy to make in the blender. The perfect topping to any salad or to drizzle on chicken, seafood or burgers.
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Equipment

  • blender or food processor

Instructions 

  • Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Notes

Catalina Dressing will keep in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 10 days.
Calories: 160kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 94mg, Potassium: 50mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 134IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 4mg, Iron: 1mg