The Best Sour Cream Salad Dressing

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/20/24
Creamy Salad Dressing With Sour Cream

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1/2 cup

Making salad dressings yourself can be rewarding. The taste is incomparable to the mass-produced dressings you can buy in the store. This creamy salad dressing is a delicious blend of sour cream with vinegar and seasonings.

The recipe yields a half cup of dressing, which is enough for one dinner-sized salad that serves two to four, or a side salad for four to six, depending on how much you like to use. Try it on a basic tossed salad or a heartier salad with beef or chicken. Creamy dressings work best on greens that are sturdy; they would overpower delicate greens, such as arugula or mixed greens. You could also try this dressing with a simple chicken or steak salad. For something different, serve it over an iceberg lettuce-based salad, such as a wedge salad.

The recipe is easily doubled or tripled. Feel free to add some fresh chopped chives, dill weed, or fresh basil for color and flavor.

What You'll Need to Make This Creamy Salad Dressing Recipe
best measuring spoons
A Great Set of Measuring Spoons
Best whisks group photo
A Nice Whisk
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A Good Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Creamy salad dressing with sour cream ingredients

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  2. Whisk together 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar) until sugar is dissolved.

    Whisk together the salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, oil, and vinegar

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  3. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and whisk the mixture briskly to combine.

    Add sour cream to the spice mixture and whisk together

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Creamy salad dressing with sour cream

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

Feeling Adventurous? Try These:

  • Fresh garlic - Use minced or granulated garlic instead of garlic powder.
  • Jazz it up - by adding a little dried thyme, parsley, basil or your favorite herb.
  • Olive oil - Feel free to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil/
  • Switch out the sour cream - You can also use plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
  • Make this recipe vegan - Use vegan sour cream or plain yogurt. Taste the dressing, and adjust other seasonings accordingly, as vegan versions of sour cream and plain yogurt may have slightly different flavor profiles than their nonvegan counterparts.

How to Store

This dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. But because it is so easy to make, you can prepare it fresh and not worry about wasting it; make only what you need.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
121 Calories
13g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 121
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 150mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 16mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 27mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)