Perfect blue cheese dressing is super creamy with tangy crumbles throughout. It elevates salad, crudité, and chicken wings to gourmet status!
the best blue cheese dressing I’ve ever tasted
No matter what kind of salad you’re serving, no matter what wings or crudité you’re dunking…this creamy blue cheese dressing will make it better. This mild and creamy version is my all time favorite ~ it’s got just the right amount of tang from the blue cheese, tamed by silky buttermilk and sour cream. A little fresh lemon juice, a touch of onion and garlic, and It blows even the fanciest bottled stuff out of the water!
Any variety of blue cheese can make an awesome dressing, and since I’m living in Wisconsin now I thought I’d use a local blue.
what you’ll need for creamy blue cheese dressing
- a chunk of good blue cheese
- Blue cheese is a centuries old cheese made with cow’s or sheep’s milk, and ripened with cultures from the mold Penicillium which creates the beautiful veins of blue green mold throughout. The texture of blue cheese can range from crumbly to super creamy, and the flavor ranges from sharply pungent to mildly tangy. See below for different types of blue cheese.
- buttermilk
- buttermilk gives this dressing body and a tangy flavor. People wrongly assume that buttermilk is caloric but it’s a lowfat dairy product and one of my favorite ingredients for all types of recipes. Look for cultured buttermilk in the dairy section of your store.
- sour cream
- sour cream adds richness to this dressing, but you can also use yogurt for a lighter dressing.
- mayonnaise
- mayo gets a bad rap, it’s actually a fine French sauce! And anyway, our dressing wouldn’t be quite right without it.
- fresh lemon juice
- vinegar works too.
- granulated garlic
- granulated onion
- salt (fresh cracked black pepper is optional)
the method
- Load sour cream, buttermilk, mayo, seasonings and half of the cheese into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Divide the remaining cheese in half and add half to the processor. Pulse a few time to blend but retain texture.
- Crumble the remaining cheese and stir into the dressing.
- Taste to adjust any of the seasonings in your blue cheese dressing.
- Refrigerate until needed.
what’s the best blue cheese for dressing?
You’ve got so many choices in the supermarket! Some common types of blue cheese are Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Danish Blue, and Maytag. Roquefort has a pungent, creamy, sharp flavor and a crumbly texture. Gorgonzola is milder in flavor, with a creamy and chunky texture. Stilton is full-bodied, strong in flavor and usually creamy in texture. Danish Blue is known for its strong taste and smooth, crumbly texture. Maytag has a sweet and salty flavor with a semi-firm, creamy texture. Blue cheese dressing can be made with any type of blue cheese and each one will give it a distinctive flavor, so feel free to experiment. Note: while pre-crumbled cheese might seem convenient, it won’t be as good as crumbling a wedge of cheese yourself.
My favorite?
My personal preference is for mild creamy blues. I used a local Wisconsin cheese: Roth Buttermilk Blue Cheese because it’s nice and mild and creamy. My second choice for dressing is Italian gorgonzola.
American blue cheeses vs European blues
American and European blue cheeses can vary in several ways, including the type of milk used, the method of production, and the flavor profile.
Milk: In Europe, blue cheeses are typically made from sheep’s milk or a combination of sheep’s and cow’s milk. In contrast, American blue cheeses are usually made from cow’s milk.
Production method: European blue cheeses are often produced using traditional techniques passed down through generations, while American blue cheeses tend to be produced using more modern, industrialized methods.
Flavor profile: European blue cheeses can have a stronger, tangier flavor due to the use of sheep’s milk, while American blue cheeses tend to be milder and creamier. Additionally, European blue cheeses often have a more complex flavor profile, as they are often aged for longer periods of time.
I chose a local Wisconsin based Roth buttermilk blue cheese for my dressing. Here are a few American companies producing blue cheese you can check out:
- Roth (Wisconsin)
- Hooks (Wisconsin)
- Point Reyes (California)
- Maytag (Iowa)
- Rogue River (Oregon)
who invented blue cheese dressing?
While blue cheese is a centuries old European cheese, blue cheese dressing is decidedly American in origin. According to The Taste Atlas, “the first written evidence of it was found in Chicago’s Edgewater Hotel Salad Book in 1928, although an earlier version of the dressing can be found in Fannie Farmer’s 1918 cookbook. By the 1930s, blue cheese dressing gained popularity through Irma Rombauer’s The Joy of Cooking.”
It became a steak house and supper club staple everywhere with blue cheese dressing mania peaking in the 1980s. This classic dressing is even better today thanks to the increased awareness and availability of so many different varieties of blue cheese.
what to expect from this blue cheese dressing
This dressing was made with Roth Buttermilk Blue Cheese, which is a relatively mild, creamy blue. As such, the dressing is on the subtle side, which I love. Sometimes blue cheese dressings can be too sharp for my taste and overwhelm the food I’m serving it with whether it’s a fresh wedge salad or crispy wings. As written, this dressing is fairly thick and could double as a blue cheese dip (crudité never tasted so good!) It is easily thinned down with more buttermilk if you find it too thick.
need to make changes?
- To make this an egg free dressing use a vegan mayo.
- To reduce the calories substitute yogurt for sour cream.
- finely chopped parsley or chives can be added.
more salad dressings
- Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Lemon Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
- The Best Vinaigrette in the World, according to Samin Nosrat
Blue Cheese Dressing
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp granulated onion
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- fresh cracked pepper is optional, add to taste
- 1/3 lb blue cheese, I used Roth Buttermilk Blue. Note: you can use up to 1/2 lb if you would like even more cheese in your dressing.
Instructions
- Blend or process the sour cream, buttermilk, mayo, lemon juice, onion and garlic, salt, and half of the blue cheese until creamy. Break the cheese up before adding it to the blender or processor.
- Divide the remaining cheese in half and add one half to the processor and pulse a few times to mix it in while still retaining some texture.
- Taste the dressing to adjust any of the flavorings. Transfer to a clean jar. Crumble the remaining cheese into the dressing and stir to combine. Refrigerate until needed. Will last up to 10 days in the fridge.
Notes
- try it as a dressing for chicken salad or potato salad.
- what about a blue cheese coleslaw?
- spread it on your next roast beef or turkey sandwich.
- dollop it onto your baked potatoes.
OMG – this is rich! I used nonfat Greek yogurt (it’s what I had) instead of sour cream and only 1/4 lb. of the Roth Buttermilk Blue Cheese. This is soooooo good and perfect for a veggie dip!
My mouth is watering just thinking about it 🙂