Red Goddess Dressing

I take my vinaigrettes and salad dressings very seriously. I consider them equally as important as the salads they serve to dress. So when I came across this red goddess dressing online, as opposed to the well-known green goddess version, I just had to make it.

The recipe is credited to chef Jonathan Waxman, no less, an American chef who’s considered one of the pioneers of California cuisine. Best I can tell, he has 3 restaurants and 3 cookbooks at this time.

Traditional green goddess dressing contains a mixture of herbs, thus the green color, but this dressing is colored by a roasted red bell pepper.

The salad he recommends to highlight the dressing is lettuce-based, with avocados and shrimp. Nice and light.

Red Goddess Dressing

1 roasted red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 shallot, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

In a blender, combine the roasted pepper, shallot, garlic, jalapeño, yogurt, vinegar and lemon juice and purée until smooth. Season with salt.

I took it upon myself to keep the jalapeño out of the puréed dressing; I don’t like the resulting color when red and green are pureed together! So I sprinkled the dressing with the minced jalapeño when I was ready to serve.

I also added the olive oil to my blender jar and shook it well. I didn’t like the idea of whisking the oil into the dressing.

The salad I made for this dressing involved lettuces, carrots, tomatoes, shrimp and avocados.

I seasoned the shrimp with salt and pepper, and I also used my new favorite salt for the avocados.

I must say that I knew this dressing would be good, but I didn’t know HOW good! The addition of the jalapeños is brilliant, and the salad really was perfect for the red goddess dressing.

By Published On: June 28th, 202428 Comments on Red Goddess Dressing

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

28 Comments

  1. Chef Mimi June 28, 2024 at 6:33 AM - Reply

    You’re so right. It was really good!

  2. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen June 28, 2024 at 8:21 AM - Reply

    This looks really inviting! Color and flavor all the way!

    • Chef Mimi June 28, 2024 at 2:24 PM - Reply

      Exactly! It’s so pretty, and it tastes good!

  3. June Lorraine Roberts June 28, 2024 at 11:39 AM - Reply

    Looks like a great recipe :-)

    • Chef Mimi June 28, 2024 at 2:25 PM - Reply

      I sure enjoyed it! (Nothing like green goddess, though!)

  4. Charlie DeSando June 28, 2024 at 12:22 PM - Reply

    very colorful and nicely done

    • Chef Mimi June 28, 2024 at 2:25 PM - Reply

      Thanks, Charlie!

  5. cookingwithauntjuju.com June 28, 2024 at 2:22 PM - Reply

    Love a fresh salad such as this. I might stick with the chef’s recipe – I can’t imagine 1 tsp. of jalapeno would change the color of the red pepper. Your dressing looks thick – I guess I should make it before commenting :) I do love all the ingredients!

    • Chef Mimi June 28, 2024 at 2:26 PM - Reply

      Definitely on the thicker side, definitely not runny!

  6. Chef Mimi June 28, 2024 at 2:24 PM - Reply

    Hahahaha! Yeah, it’s really pretty!

  7. sarchakra June 28, 2024 at 4:00 PM - Reply

    This is so good-I usually use roasted red bell pepper to make a creamy pasta sauce with some cream in the mixture too. And that spicy jalapeno -yum. This looks like a great idea and low carb too.

    • Chef Mimi June 29, 2024 at 1:05 PM - Reply

      I love tomatoes with red bell peppers together in a sauce. So good!

  8. Sherry M June 28, 2024 at 4:12 PM - Reply

    this sounds so delicious Mimi. I love red capsicum!
    cheers
    sherry

    • Chef Mimi June 29, 2024 at 1:05 PM - Reply

      Cheers to you!

  9. Debra June 28, 2024 at 6:21 PM - Reply

    Wow! This hits all the high notes for me! I love a good salad dressing, and although I’ve only known Green Goddess, this just sounds heavenly! A must have for me. Thank you, Mimi!

    • Chef Mimi June 29, 2024 at 1:06 PM - Reply

      And of course it a little gimmick, since it has nothing to do with green goddess except it’s a salad dressing!!!

  10. Marcelle June 29, 2024 at 2:16 PM - Reply

    I have never heard of this dressing now I can’t wait to try it. What a wonderful summer recipe, thanks for sharing!!

  11. Karen (Back Road Journal) June 29, 2024 at 2:42 PM - Reply

    The dressing sounds really good, especially on the salad with the shrimp and avocado.

  12. Kiki June 30, 2024 at 10:17 AM - Reply

    Oooh, that’s one for me! I love cooking, and I love salads, but I’m really not good with salad dressings. This one will go on my to-try-list.
    [BTW – I can finally comment again without WP making it difficult and showing me as anonymous…]

    • Chef Mimi June 30, 2024 at 11:20 AM - Reply

      Oh good! I wish I knew what the problem was. This is a very simple dressing, and full of flavor.

  13. StefanGourmet July 1, 2024 at 2:06 AM - Reply

    Love your idea of keeping the jalapeño separate to preserve the color. I’m very Italian (or Spartan?) when it comes to dressings: extra virgin olive oil, salt, and some wine vinegar or balsamic.

    • Chef Mimi July 1, 2024 at 8:14 AM - Reply

      That’s a perfect vinaigrette. But I eat a lot of salads, and I like making vinaigrettes and dressings that suit the salads. it’s just more fun for me.

  14. Raymund July 2, 2024 at 10:00 PM - Reply

    Your exploration of the Red Goddess Dressing sounds absolutely delightful! I love how you’ve personalized the recipe with your own twist, especially skipping the jalapeño in the blend for a cleaner color and adding it later for that extra kick. It’s clear you’ve mastered the art of balancing flavors in dressings. Can’t wait to give this a try myself!

    • Chef Mimi July 3, 2024 at 6:41 AM - Reply

      This was a very nice recipe. Nothing to do with green goddess, but who cares?!

  15. Michiel and Jeen July 4, 2024 at 10:34 AM - Reply

    We have some left over roasted red bell peppers in the refrigerator. Now we know what to do with them! Thanks, the salad looks delicious.

    • Chef Mimi July 4, 2024 at 5:46 PM - Reply

      It turned out really good! Thanks for stopping by!

  16. David Scott Allen July 5, 2024 at 2:37 PM - Reply

    I love a really good salad dressing (contrary to my statement that we don’t do salads!) — this sounds really nice and so different. I plan to make this soon.

    • Chef Mimi July 5, 2024 at 3:20 PM - Reply

      I’m sure you feel like I do – the dressings are as important as the salads themselves.

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