Jar of Creamy Avocado Green Goddess Dressing on cutting board with basil, tarragon, chives and avocado.

Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing

Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing – this mayo-free green goddess dressing recipe is extra creamy thanks to healthy avocado and buttermilk!

Jar of Creamy Avocado Green Goddess Dressing on cutting board with basil, tarragon, chives and avocado.
Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing

Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing – this mayo-free green goddess dressing recipe is extra creamy thanks to healthy avocado and buttermilk!

Jar of Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing on a cutting board with fresh basil, chives, tarragon and avocado.

My son discovered Bob Ross on Netflix. And he is utterly captivated.

Fresh basil on cutting board, with tarragon and chives.

“Mom, isn’t it funny that of all the colors Bob Ross uses, he only uses one color for white? Titanium White is his favorite!” he mused after binging on a couple of episodes.

We started chuckling at all the happy little trees and, my son’s favorite, his signature closing, when he would say, “God bless,” and wiggle his fingers at the camera. It brought back a flood of memories to when I was his age, and I was equally mesmerized with Bob Ross’s soothing voice and the worlds he would create in the span of 30 minutes.

Garlic, herbs, and avocado for Creamy Avocado Green Goddess Salad.

We talked about yellow ochre, and van dyke brown, when I wondered, what was his favorite shade of green?

Right now, green is all I am obsessing about. Our happy little hills here in Northern California are brilliantly green, and I wonder if Bob Ross had ever been inspired to paint them in his lifetime?

I crave more green in my food, and in my salads, and in my salad dressings. I thought of my green goddess avocado toast this week, and decided it was time to put the two together into a healthier version of a classic green goddess salad dressing.

Sliced halves of an avocado with garlic and herbs in the background for Creamy Avocado Green Goddess Salad.

Tang from buttermilk and the creaminess of a ripe avocado replace the usual mayonnaise in this dressing, and the fresh basil, tarragon and chives give it a hint of the springtime I’m craving. I know you’ll love drizzling it over all your favorite salads, and I should let you know that it’s equally delicious drizzled in my favorite veggie wraps, too!

Bottle of Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing with fresh herbs.

I doubt Bob Ross would paint this dressing, but if he was still on this earth, he might remind us how we need the darkness of winter to appreciate the brightness of spring. Or in his words, “You need the dark in order to show the light.”

I hope this dressing brings you light, my friends!

Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing

1 cup | Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 0 minutes

Creamy Avocado Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing – this mayo-free version of a green goddess dressing is extra creamy thanks to healthy avocado and buttermilk!

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 6 oz buttermilk
  • 1/2 avocado, pitted and scooped out of skin
  • 1 cup basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives
  • 1/4 cup tarragon leaves
  • 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

  1. In the jar of a blender, blend the garlic and buttermilk until smooth.
  2. Add the avocado, basil, chives, tarragon, anchovy paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add a touch more buttermilk until your desired consistency.
  3. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Serve with your favorite salad.

Comments

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  1. Coleen

    Sounds promising (without the anchovy and a CUP of basil), but I can see customizing this idea. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Liren Baker

      I hope you like it Coleen, it can certainly be customized to your liking. I do recommend the anchovy, though, it is very subtle and adds a touch of saltiness and umami! Enjoy!

      Reply
    • Jenn

      A cup of fresh basil sounds perfect to me! It’s a fantastic flavor(one of my favorites) and fresh basil is more mild then dried. The anchovy paste is in most dressings and people probably have no idea. It adds a depth of flavor. Love it :)

      Reply
      • Liren Baker

        Such a good point about fresh basil being more subtle than dried, Jenn! And I couldn’t agree more about the anchovy paste – I always remind my kids that they adore Caesar salad dressing when they complain about anchovies ;)

    • Liren Baker

      We’re almost there — spring is just around the corner! The dressing helps to speed it up, that’s for sure.

      Reply
  2. sabrina

    very interesting post, have never seen anything from Bob Ross, will have to check him out, love avocados and love the idea of using it as a basis for this dressing, thank you!

    Reply
    • Liren Baker

      I hope you love the dressing, Sabrina, and have fun discovering the wonders of Bob Ross! Watching him paint is like meditation :)

      Reply
  3. Brian @ A Thought For Food

    Well, Bob Ross was amazing and will forever captivate viewers. Maybe he’ll inspire your son to take up painting! :-)

    We’ve been doing lots of salads here lately and I think green goddess dressing needs to happen right away.

    Reply
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