Name: Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Salad
Ingredients: ¼ cup mayonnaise; ½ cup Greek yogurt; ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper*, plus more to taste; 1 tablespoon water

This creamy Parmesan peppercorn dressing has irresistibly creamy flavor! Versatile ands simple, it takes just 5 minutes to whisk up.

Here’s a salad dressing that’s both irresistibly tasty and undeniably simple: making it a new go-to we reach for every time we buy salad greens. Try this Parmesan Peppercorn dressing! It’s tangy and savory, essentially a simplified version of Caesar dressing that’s just as bold with less ingredients. You can whisk it up in 5 minutes: no blender, no zesting of lemons: nothing fussy at all! When we serve this to guests, they can’t help remarking, “What’s in this dressing?” Here are all our secrets.

Ingredients in Parmesan peppercorn dressing

Parmesan peppercorn dressing is a creamy dressing made with Parmesan cheese and black pepper. There are several bottled versions from various brands on the market, but it’s easy to make at home. Even better, you can customize the spiciness of the pepper to taste when you make homemade. Using Greek yogurt to add creaminess helps to cut some calories, making this a healthy dressing to boot. The ingredients for Parmesan peppercorn dressing are:

Mayonnaise
Greek yogurt
Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Red wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
Garlic powder
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Water

All you have to do? Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl. That’s it! No blender, no zesting lemons, no fancy moves.

Customize the pepper flavor to taste

The base level of pepper in this Parmesan peppercorn dressing is mild. Follow the recipe below, and it has a subtle pepper flavor. The great thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to taste! If you want a spicy pepper dressing, add more! Here are a few things to note:

Remember that fine ground pepper is stronger than coarse ground. The recipe below calls for fresh ground black pepper from a pepper grinder. If all you have is fine ground pepper in a bottle, note that it will taste stronger than the same measurement of fresh ground pepper.
Add pepper to taste. Taste and add more black pepper until you’ve got the spiciness of your choosing.
Want it spicier? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the mix.

This Butter Lettuce Salad is a great way to use this dressing

Ways to use Parmesan peppercorn dressing

This Parmesan peppercorn dressing is a favorite of ours because of its versatility. A little like ranch dressing, it goes with just about anything! But the best types of salads are those with crunchy green lettuce that can stand up to the rich texture. You can also use it as a dip for veggies, just like ranch dressing! Here are a few ways to use it:

Drizzle on a Butter Lettuce Salad
Try it on a Romaine Salad
Go for it on a Classic Wedge Salad
Throw it on a Simple Spring Mix Salad
Use as a dip for veggie sticks, pretzels or potato chips

How are you planning to use it? Let us know in the comments below.

More salad dressing recipes

Homemade salad dressing is the way to go: it’s fresher, tastier and healthier than those storebought bottles! Here are a few more favorite salad dressing recipes to try:

Grab our top 10 Easy Healthy Salad Dressings
Go classic with Caesar Dressing, Easy Vinaigrette or Best Balsamic Vinaigrette
Opt for Cilantro Lime Dressing
Try Green Goddess Dressing
Go for Ginger Dressing, Sesame Ginger Dressing or Carrot Ginger Dressing

This Parmesan peppercorn dressing is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.