Easy German Salad Dressing | Salatsoße

Nothing elevates green salads quite like this creamy yet refreshing German salad dressing. This yogurt-based German Salatsauce (or Salatsoße) strikes the perfect balance between tangy and savory flavors. The true beauty of this simple dressing lies in its versatility—it pairs effortlessly with everything from crisp lettuce to hearty potato salads. Best of all, it’s one of those healthy recipes that’s a staple of a traditional German meal.

German salad dressing in bowl next to butter lettuce

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

  • it is quick and easy to make
  • it is a great dressing for a simple creamy salad 
  • it is a lot lighter than mayonnaise-based dressings
  • it is a great alternative to vinegar-based dressings
  • it is much healthier than what you can buy in grocery stores

The ingredients

These are the simple ingredients you will need:

  • Yogurt: any plain yogurt is great and homemade yogurt is even better
  • Oil: I like using avocado oil but you can use any neutral oil 
  • Lemon juice: fresh lemon juice gives this salad dressing its fresh taste and bold bright flavor
  • Sugar: I like to add a pinch of sugar to balance the sourness of the lemon 
  • Salt: just a little bit of seasoning
  • Herbs: I always use fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, chives, borage, yarrow, lovage, and/or French sorrel
ingredients for German salad dressing on kitchen counter

Useful tools and equipment

Fortunately, you don’t need any special tools to make this healthy salad dressing, other than a small bowl and a sharp knife. If you’re using fresh herbs, you might like to use a mezzaluna or what Germans call “Wiegemesser“.

Substitutions and variations

Here are some ideas for substitutions:

  • Yogurt: instead of yogurt you can use sour cream, kefir, buttermilk, or even heavy cream
  • Oil: I prefer a neutral-tasting oil but you can also use olive oil if you don’t mind the stronger taste
  • Lemon juice: even though I feel like lemon juice is essential for this authentic German dressing, you can also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 
  • Herbs: fresh is always best but you can also use dried dill and other dried herbs
  • Other ingredients: if you enjoy a bit of a mustard taste, feel free to add a little bit of good German mustard

How to serve

This creamy German salad dressing is perfect for any soft butter lettuce, rapunzel lettuce, or even thinly sliced English cucumbers. Simple green salads are the perfect side dish for any German main course. If you like you, can even drizzle some of this wonderful dressing over leftover German potato salad, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, or even a tomato salad.

bowl with butter lettuce dressed with German salad dressing

Make ahead of time?

You can easily make this dressing ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. I recommend you let it come to room temperature before dressing your salad but serve it immediately.

How long does it last?

While I prefer to make a small batch, you can easily double or triple the recipe. Fill it into an airtight container or bottle. It will keep for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.

How to make this dish

  1. To a small bowl, add the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, salt and sugar. With a fork or wire whisk, mix everything into a uniform texture. At this point, I recommend you taste the dressing and adjust it according to your preferences. If the dressing is too stiff, you can add more oil or lemon juice. If it’s too sour, you can add a bit more sugar. 
  2. Either with a sharp kitchen knife or a mezzaluna, finely chop the herbs.
  3. Add the dressing to your favorite lettuce and mix well to coat the lettuce evenly. 
  4. For best results, I recommend dressing delicate lettuce right before serving. If you are making a German cucumber salad, you can dress the cucumber slices ahead of time.
German salad dressing in glass bowl

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

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How to Make German Salad Dressing
bowl of German salad dressing next to lettuce
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

German Salad Dressing | Salatsoße

You will love this flavorful German salad dressing that is the perfect addition to butter lettuce.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: German
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 13kcal
Cost: $4

Ingredients

  • 3 TBSP yogurt
  • 2 TBSP neutral oil
  • 3 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 dash sugar
  • 1 dash salt
  • fresh herbs, chopped see recipe notes
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Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients until smooth.
  • Finely chop the herbs and add them to the dressing.
  • Adjust the seasoning to preference.
  • Serve over butter lettuce or mache.

Notes

  • you can use any combination of your favorite herbs such as dill, parsley, chives, borage, yarrow, tarragon, lovage, French sorrel, etc.
  • you can serve this over butter lettuce, rapunzel lettuce, mache, or sliced cucumbers
  • feel free to substitute the yogurt with sour cream, kefir, or heavy cream

Nutrition

Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 17mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.02mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @ourgabledhome or tag #ourgabledhome!

One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    We love this salad dressing so much that we have it almost every day — don’t forget that you can ask me all your questions in this comments section and I’ll get back to you as fast as I can.

5 from 1 vote

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