Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Super flavorful. This recipe combines sour cream, buttermilk and red wine vinegar for a tangy, rich tasting dressing. It’s way more flavorful than any store-bought bottled option.
• Homemade. We use quality ingredients for the best texture and flavor! Homemade dressing is just so much better than store-bought dressing. If you haven’t tried making your own dressing yet, please give it a try. It’s really very easy and it’s better for you (no additives!), more economical, and way fresher tasting.
• Real cheese added. If you’ve purchased blue cheese dressing from the store, you’ve probably noticed the lack of actual cheese mixed in it. You might wind up with a few tiny pieces on your salad. Such a bummer! With this homemade recipe, feel free to add as much or as little blue cheese crumbles as you like. I say, go ahead and load it up!
• Easy to make. This recipe just requires a few simple steps from start to finish.

Ingredients needed

This easy blue cheese dressing recipe has just 5 simple ingredients (plus salt & pepper), but is packed with so much delicious flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Sour cream & buttermilk. These two ingredients provide the creamy texture of this dressing. For a low-calorie version, use plain yogurt instead of sour cream and low-fat buttermilk. Sour cream will definitely give you a richer, more flavorful dressing, but you can still have a tasty dressing using yogurt.
• Red wine vinegar. The vinegar adds a little tang. You could also use white wine vinegar or another favorite vinegar.
• Shallot. Adds fresh flavor to the dressing.
• Salt & pepper. To bring out all of the delicious flavor.
• Blue cheese crumbles. The star of the dressing! Crumble your own or buy pre-crumbled and feel free to add as much or as little as you like.

What type of blue cheese is best for dressing?

There are several different varieties of blue cheese; some are more mild and others are pretty strong. You can use any type, it really just depends on taste preference. If you’re not sure which one to choose, you can typically find a basic blue cheese at your store. It’s usually more mild than stilton, but stronger than gorgonzola. Here’s a bit more details:

• Roquefort. This specific variety has the strongest flavor of all others and is soft and crumbly. It originates from France and is made from sheep’s milk. This one is probably the most commonly used for dressing and if you like a strong flavor, this one is great.
• Stilton. Made from cow’s milk, this type comes from England. It is firm and just a bit less strong than the roquefort.
• Gorgonzola. Originating from Italy, this one is also made from cow’s milk. It has a more mild flavor and is much creamier than the roquefort and stilton.
• American bleu cheese. There are several American companies making blue cheese, which are made from cow’s milk. They are still not as popular as European blue cheeses and tend to fall somewhere between stilton and gorgonzola as far as boldness.

How to make this recipe

This could not be easier to make at home! There’s simply no need for store-bought salad dressings when you have one as tasty as this! In my opinion, homemade dressings are the way to go because they always taste so much fresher, plus you get complete control over the ingredients.

Just follow a few simple steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe.

• Mix together ingredients. I like to mix my ingredients in a glass jar with a lid. Simply, add all of the ingredients into a mason or other type of jar and stir. Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
• Taste. Give the mixture a taste and add any additional ingredients, like more salt and pepper, as needed.
• Store. All done! The flavors will develop the longer it sits. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for one to two weeks.

Tips

A few tips for the best blue cheese dressing of your life!

• Milk or buttermilk. Buttermilk will add a slight tang and thicker consistency. However, regular milk is a good substitute.
• Blue cheese. I typically use Roquefort for this recipe, but feel free to use one of the other varieties. It will be delicious no matter which you choose!
• Less chunky. If you’re not a fan of biting into large chunks of blue cheese, just be sure to mash it well. This can also help to distribute the flavor better. On the other hand, if you do like the chunks then don’t worry about mashing it or just mash less.
• Let it sit. This will taste even better with time. If you’ve got the time, allow it to sit for at least 8 hours, and overnight is even better, before using.
• Double the recipe. You can make a double batch and keep it in a jar in the fridge all week, making it so easy to add to salads for lunch or dinner.

Customize this recipe

Like any dressing recipe, you can experiment with the ingredients and make it to your taste. That’s one of the advantages to making salad dressing from scratch. You can add as much blue cheese as you like. Omit the shallot, or use fresh parsley instead, or another fresh herb of your choice. Swap out the sour cream and use yogurt. You could also try adding 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and/or about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. The options are pretty much endless!

Frequently asked questions

Serving suggestions

So many delicious ways to enjoy this creamy flavorful salad dressing! Here’s some ideas:

• Salad. It’s great on most any green salad, but especially a simple wedge salad, as pictured below. It’s the perfect combination of flavors and texture, so fresh and tasty, just a wedge of crisp iceberg lettuce, drizzled with tangy dressing, and topped with crumbled bacon, hard boiled egg, chopped tomatoes, and a sprinkle of fresh chives.
• Wings. If you’re serving buffalo wings or even chicken wings, you definitely need this blue cheese dip! They are a match made in heaven!
• Meat. We love this as a topping for slow cooker pulled chicken sandwiches, steak, grilled chicken or on burgers.
• Veggies. Use it as a dip for freshly-cut vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, or celery or drizzled over roasted veggies. It’s especially wonderful served with these dill red potatoes.

Storage recommendations

This homemade dressing will last up to about one to two weeks in the refrigerator. You can use a leftover salad dressing bottle or mason jar for storage. I love these mason jar lids with a pouring spout!

Before each use, give the dressing a good shake to blend the ingredients.

Be sure not to leave the dressing out longer than 2 hours at room temperature. It contains a few dairy products that are perishable and can spoil quickly.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.