This simple, flavorful garlic salad comes together quickly. Toasted garlic in olive oil combines with grated parmesan, a splash of vinegar, and seasoning to make a creamy dressing that’s tossed with fresh greens. Ready in minutes and perfect when you want a satisfying, garlicky salad.
⭐Why you’ll love it
You’ll love this salad because:
- Toasted garlic and creamy parmesan create bold, savory flavor.
- It’s ready in under 20 minutes—perfect for busy evenings.
- Minimal prep and simple pantry ingredients make it easy to pull together.
🛒Ingredients and substitutions
Olive oil: Heat the oil briefly, so use a regular olive or a mild cooking oil. If unavailable, use canola or sunflower oil.
Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar work best because they’re milder. If you use a stronger vinegar, start with less and adjust to taste.
Garlic: Use fresh large cloves—avoid garlic paste or frozen garlic for best texture and flavor.
Black pepper: Freshly cracked or freshly ground pepper gives the best aroma; omit if necessary.
Salt: Fine table salt is recommended; double the amount if using coarse kosher salt.
Lettuce: Use a mild head of lettuce such as Batavia, romaine, or baby spinach. Avoid very peppery greens like arugula or watercress, which can overpower the dressing.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities.
👩🍳How to make it
- Press or finely mince the garlic and add it to cold olive oil in a small saucepan. Stir to distribute the garlic. Heat over medium-high, whisking occasionally, until small bubbles appear. Whisking prevents clumping.
- Continue whisking frequently and cook for about two minutes, until the garlic turns a pale gold. Remove from heat, add cracked black pepper to toast lightly, whisk again, and set a five-minute timer while you chop the salad leaves.
- When the timer ends, pour the garlic oil into a screw-top jar or small bowl and chill briefly while you microplane or finely grate the parmesan. Make sure the oil has cooled to at least room temperature before proceeding.
- Add the grated parmesan, apple cider vinegar, and salt to the cooled garlic oil, then whisk or shake vigorously until the dressing becomes a uniform creamy pale yellow.
- Place the chopped greens in a large bowl and pour the dressing over them. The dressing can be thick—use a spoon to scrape all of it out of the jar.
- Toss the leaves with two large spoons or salad tongs until evenly coated, then serve immediately.
💡Expert tips
- For even chopping, remove roots and a couple of inches from the base, rinse and dry the greens, compress the leaves slightly, then slice into half-inch strips. Rotate the board and roughly chop across the strips for bite-sized pieces.
- When microplaning parmesan, use the back of a thin knife to free cheese caught between the microplane blades, then tap the grater to release the rest.
- If you have a small food processor or blender jar, pulse the parmesan until fine instead of microplaning.
- Swirl the vinegar in the empty pan used for the garlic to loosen any stuck bits, then add that vinegar to the dressing for extra flavor.
- To get every last bit of dressing from the jar, add about a tablespoon of water, swirl, and pour it over the salad.
- Note for vegetarians: in some regions Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano contains animal rennet. Look for vegetarian alternatives labeled as hard Italian-style cheese if needed.
🍽️Serving suggestions
This salad is hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but adding a protein makes it a complete meal. Try it with a veggie burger, an omelette, or grilled chicken. To stretch the dish, serve it with a starchy side such as potatoes or rice.
❄️Storage
Because the dressing contains garlic, store leftovers in the fridge and never leave the dressing at room temperature. Keep dressing refrigerated for up to four days. Store the dressing separately from the greens to avoid wilting.
❓Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Recipes vary, but most include garlic-flavored dressing—either a raw garlic vinaigrette or a creamy sauce. This version uses toasted garlic in oil with parmesan for a creamy vinaigrette tossed with chopped greens.
When kept refrigerated, the dressing will last 3–4 days. Do not keep it at room temperature.
This recipe calls for six large cloves, which are toasted. For raw garlic in dressings, 1 clove is typical, up to 2 for a strong garlic flavor. You can combine toasted and one raw clove for extra punch.
🥗More delicious salads and dressings
-
Quick Spanish Tomato Salad
-
Spicy Yogurt Dressing with Harissa
-
Easy Mediterranean White Bean Salad
-
Easy Spicy Cashew Dressing
Did you make this dish? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Easy Garlic Salad
Deirdre Gilna
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 garlic press (or finely mince with a knife)
- 1 heat-proof whisk
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 large bowl
- 1 screw-top jar or small bowl for mixing the dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 6 cloves Garlic, large
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground or cracked
- 1 head Lettuce, large (about 8 cups chopped)
- ¼ cup Parmesan, microplaned or finely grated
- 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt, fine table salt
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a small saucepan. Do not use a heavy-bottomed pan; we don’t want the pan to retain excess heat.
- Press or finely mince the garlic into the oil, then turn the heat to medium-high. Start with cold oil so the garlic infuses as the oil heats.
- Whisk to distribute the garlic and wait for small bubbles to form. The oil will heat quickly after this point.
- Once the oil bubbles actively, whisk every few seconds and cook for no more than two minutes.
- When some garlic pieces are light golden (about 90 seconds to 2 minutes), remove from heat, add black pepper, whisk, and set a five-minute timer.
- Wash, dry, and chop the lettuce. Place chopped greens in a large bowl.
- Pour the garlic oil into a clean jar or bowl and chill briefly while you grate the parmesan.
- Measure a packed ¼ cup of grated parmesan.
- Confirm the garlic oil has cooled to at least room temperature, then add parmesan, salt, and vinegar. Swirl leftover vinegar in the pan to collect any stuck bits and add that to the dressing.
- Close the jar and shake vigorously, or whisk, until the dressing is creamy and pale golden.
- Pour the dressing over the greens. If dressing clings to the jar, add a tablespoon of water to loosen it and pour that over the salad. Toss to coat, taste, adjust seasoning, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Do not overcook the garlic; residual heat will continue to brown it. Aim for a light to medium gold to avoid bitterness.
- Any neutral cooking oil can replace olive oil; avoid heating high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, which loses its nuance when cooked.
- Use apple cider or rice vinegar for a milder acidity. If using a stronger vinegar, reduce the amount and adjust to taste.
- Any mild greens totaling about 8 cups work well; avoid very peppery varieties that can overwhelm the dressing.
- The dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge up to four days—keep it separate from the greens until serving.
- Check labels if you avoid animal rennet; some Parmigiano-style cheeses are not vegetarian.
- This recipe serves four as a main salad or more as a side; adding protein or starch will stretch it further.
Nutrition
Calories: 172 kcal
Carbohydrates: 6 g
Protein: 4 g
Fat: 15 g
Sodium: 260 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Vitamin A: 727 IU
Vitamin C: 5 mg
Let us know how it was!