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    Home > Salads & Dressings > Homemade Catalina Dressing Recipe

    Homemade Catalina Dressing Recipe

    Published: Dec 17, 2021 · Modified: Aug 18, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Homemade Catalina Dressing Recipe. This sweetheart dressing of the 1960’s comes to life in your own kitchen. It’s easy to make, ready in under 10 minutes, and bursting with layers of flavor that are totally irresistible. This dressing is famous for being drizzled over that Old Fashioned Taco Salad.

    Catalina dressing with tossed salad.

    Homemade salad dressing and vinaigrettes are routinely very easy and quick to make and always better than store bought. And more times than not, you’ll have the ingredients you need on hand right there in your pantry. Some of our favorite dressing recipes are, Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette, and this recipe for Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette.

    If you’ve never had Catalina salad dressing, adjectives that come to mind to describe the flavor are pizzaz, tangy, sweet, thick, luscious, creamy (yet dairy free) and just plain exciting.

    So much better than the bottled version, and we’ve been drizzling it all week over a big bowl of salad greens for a quick side dish.  

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • The vibrant rich rusty color alone is alluring to the senses and a hint to it’s irresistible flavor.
    • It takes about 15 minutes to make. Once the ingredients are gathered, just whisk and serve.
    • It’s an easy make ahead dressing that you can pull out of the fridge when dinner is ready. And it will be ready to drizzle over any salad you toss together all week.
    • You’ve probably already got everything in your pantry to make this recipe.

    Ingredients You’ll Need

    The line up of ingredients to make this Catalina dressing recipe brings to light the reason the end flavor result is so exuberant. Let’s take a look.

    Ingredients to make homemade Catalina dressing.
    • Apple Cider Vinegar
    • Ketchup (Catsup) A condiment with a perfect flavor blend of tomatoes and sugar. This is the base ingredient to build the dressing. Use your favorite brand.
    • Olive Oil: Since we’re not making a delicate vinaigrette where the flavor of the olive is is important to the balance, just use a mild flavored extra virgin olive oil. I like to purchase the big bottle from Costco and this brand will work fine for this recipe. Save those expensive brands where a delicate fruity flavor will benefit lighter ingredients, like this simple classic Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette.
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Kosher Salt Kosher salt is preferred by chefs due to the fact that the salt is believed to penetrate a more pure salt flavor into food. Rather than sea salt, that tends to sit on top of the food. Save the sea salt for adjusting salt levels at the dinner table.
    • Grated Sweet Onion: Use the large holes on a box grater to grate the onion. Small holes will create too much moisture in the grated onion and basically become mush.
    • Chili Powder: A lively blend of spices that is usually used to season Chili Soup Recipes.
    • Paprika
    • Dried Yellow Mustard: Dried mustard is such a different flavor experience over prepared yellow mustard from a bottle. It brings a sharp bite and an overall additional dimension of excitement to the recipe.

    These ingredients give this Catalina Dressing Recipe its appealing vibrant color and rich flavor.

    Ingredient Subs and Swaps

    • Vinegar: Cider vinegar is a all-around great vinegar for flavoring about anything where you need a “tang”. Red Wine Vinegar would be a good substitute here. And white vinegar, or Champagne Vinegar will also work well for this recipe.
    • Paprika: Regular paprika is called for in this recipe. But try Smoked paprika to give it a little bit different flavor profile.
    • Sugar: Substitute 1/3 cup of honey for the granulated sugar. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you’ll need less.
    • Onion: Substitute 1/2 teaspoon onion powder for grated onion.
    • Oil: You can also use a neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Making this Catalina dressing recipe simply can’t get any easier than this.

    Mixing ingredients to make homemade catalina dressing.
    • Step 1: Choose a mixing bowl that’s large enough to easily whisk ingredients without them spilling out. Add all of the ingredients and using good old fashioned elbow grease, whisk vigorously until well blended.

    Pro Tips:

    This recipe calls for grated onion. Grated onion blends well and delivers more onion flavor than chopped onion. It also brings a smoother texture. It somewhat “juices” the onion which again, distributes more pure onion flavor. The easiest way to grate an onion is to grab your box grater. Use the large holes. The smaller holes will produce too much of a mushy watery texture. Cut the onion in half, remove the paper skins and start grating the flesh.

    FAQs, Catalina Dressing

    How long does Catalina Salad Dressing Last?

    Store Catalina dressing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and it will last for up to a month. I like a quart wide-mouthed Ball canning jar. Its tall shape doesn’t take up much real estate in the refrigerator and it’s easy to pour from. Plus it looks cool.

    What’s the difference between French and Catalina Dressing?

    French and Catalina dressings are similar in flavor but usually there is a difference in color. French dressing tends to use less tomato products resulting in a lighter tone.

    What other way can I use this dressing?

    1. Bacon Burgers. Top burgers with bacon slices and some Catalina Dressing.
    2. Brush over chicken wings and grill, basting with more dressing as you cook.
    3. Mix 1/4 cup Catalina dressing, 4 1/2 teaspoons of onion soup mix with 1 Tablespoon grape Jelly. Slather this mixture over boneless skinless chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 30-ish minutes or until internal temp of chicken reaches 165 – 170 degrees.

    What’s A good Catalina Dressing Substitute?

    French Dressing or Russian Dressing are similar to Catalina Dressing.

    Recipe For Catalina Salad Dressing

    Homemade catalina dressing in a mason jar with a tossed salad in the background.

    So don’t hesitate, give this Catalina Dressing Recipe a try. Drizzle it over your favorite bowl of salad greens, or make this classic Taco Salad recipe. A salad that the whole family will love.

    Catalina Dressing is also a great partner for fresh fruit and greens for this Winter Citrus Salad.

    And if you’re looking for more salad dressing recipes and salads, don’t miss my Salad Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular salad dressing recipe on my site for Creamy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.

    Easy homemade catalina dressing with a tossed salad.

    Homemade Catalina Dressing Recipe

    Homemade Catalina Dressing Recipe. This sweetheart dressing of the 1960's comes to life in your own kitchen. It's easy to make, ready in under 10 minutes, and bursting with layers of flavor that are totally irresistible. This dressing is famous for being drizzled over that Old Fashioned Taco Salad.
    4.60 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salads, Salad Dressings and Vinaigrettes
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 210kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 Cup Sugar
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
    • 1 Tablespoon grated onion or more to taste
    • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
    • 2/3 cup ketchup
    • 1 cup olive oil
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place all ingredients into large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

    Notes

    This recipe calls for grated onion. Grated onion blends well and delivers more onion flavor than chopped onion, it brings a smoother texture. It somewhat “juices” the onion which again, distributes more pure onion flavor. The easiest way to grate an onion is to grab your box grater. Use the large holes. The smaller holes will produce too much of a mushy watery texture. Cut the oven in half, remove the paper skins and start grating the flesh.
    Ingredient Swaps
    • Vinegar: Apple Cider vinegar is a all-around great vinegar for flavoring about anything where you need a “tang”. Red Wine Vinegar would be a good substitute here. And white vinegar, or Champagne Vinegar will also work well for this recipe.
    • Sugar: Substitute 1/3 cup of honey for the granulated sugar. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you’ll need less.
    • Onion: Substitute 1/2 teaspoon onion powder for grated onion.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    Catalina Dressing Recipe…It’s What’s for your favorite tossed salad.

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    • Kale apple salad with cider vinaigrette
      Baby Kale Salad with Honey Cider Vinaigrette
    • Ina Garten Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette. A perfect blend of mustard and goodness.
      Ina Garten Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe

    And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

    If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. And write a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback.

    This Catalina Dressing recipe was first published March of 2013, and updated December of 2021 with step by step instructions and better photos.

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      Avocado Mango Salad with Blue Cheese
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anne says

      December 22, 2022 at 2:23 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe. Made this full batch then divided it in half. My half got crumbled blue cheese added. Delicious.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        December 22, 2022 at 2:24 pm

        Fabulous. Thanks Anne. And love that blue cheese idea.

        Reply
    2. mjskitchen says

      December 18, 2021 at 1:03 pm

      5 stars
      I totally forgot about Catalina dressing. After looking at the recipe, yes I do remember it from the 60’s. Loved this dressing. Now I’m going to just have to make. There is a salad I have in mind for next week that this might just go quite well with. Thanks!

      Reply
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    I'm Lea Ann, Welcome to my Colorado kitchen. I'm a Culinary School Grad with a passion to inspire you to cook as often as you can. Here you'll find Wild West Colorado inspired recipes along some Southwestern and Mexican food favorites. I also share some special recipes from school along pro cooking tips. If you're an adventurous cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of reliable, approachable, easy to follow recipes.

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