Our easy homemade French Catalina Dressing recipe is made in 5 minutes from just a few simple ingredients. We use less sugar, but still channel the classic tangy sweet flavor you love!
A good homemade salad dressing recipe is an easy way to make eating your veggies more delicious. It only takes about 5 minutes, and adds delicious flavor to fresh veggies, garden salads, sandwiches, and wraps, all week long.
While we usually reach for classics like Homemade Ranch Dressing or Homemade Italian dressing, we definitely have a soft spot on occasion for nostalgic salad dressings like this homemade Catalina Dressing recipe because…
This Classic Salad Dressing Recipe Is a Lighter Take An Old Favorite
This delicious salad dressing was invented in the 1920s, gained serious popularity in the 1960s, and still has a big fan base in certain parts of the U.S., and every once in a while, I get the craving for its signature sweet tangy flavor. This is my homemade version, made with less sugar!
⏱️ EASE: 5 minutes or less + a blender is all you need! (And IMO, it’s a much tastier alternative to the bottled version!)
🍅 FLAVORS: Tangy, sweet, bright, and savory, with subtle notes of savory flavors from onion, garlic, paprika and Worcestershire. The bold flavor of Catalina salad dressing is a classic pairing for chopped salads or green salads!
🥗 TOP TIPS: While you *can* just whisk this flavorful dressing, I find it stays together much better when blended. Trust your tastebuds and feel free to adjust the seasonings to taste!
Happy cooking! xo, Emily
Gather Your Ingredients
So, what’s in Catalina dressing? Let’s take a look at the basic ingredient list (that’s mostly pantry staples!)…
How To Make French Catalina Dressing, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Combine. In a blender, food processor (or a jar that will fit your immersion blender), combine ketchyo, olive oil, vinegar, 2 Tablespoons sugar, the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and celery salt.
- Blend. Puree until smooth and evenly blended.
- Taste & Adjust. Next, taste the dressing and add more sugar, salt, or seasonings, to taste.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy right away on your favorite salad, a sandwich or wrap, or store this tangy dressing in an airtight container or jar in the fridge up to 1 week.
What’s The Difference Between French Dressing + Catalina Dressing?
Not much! At the time the original recipe was developed, “French Dressing” was the name that referred to any creamy, emulsified vinaigrette dressing.
Around the 1920s, the addition of tomato sauce, paprika, or ketchup came along, and by the 1930s, Kraft launched its take on this popular dressing, dubbing it “Catalina Dressing.” These days, it’s common to see the names used interchangeably or together (French Catalina) to refer to a creamy orange/red dressing that contains vinegar or lemon juice, oil, paprika, and often tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato puree, or ketchup.
The signature flavors of both versions of this dressing are tangy and sweet, with some dressings calling for as much as a full CUP of sugar. Our version is a lighter take, with just 2-3 Tablespoons per batch
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Catalina Dressing
What To Serve With French Dressing? This French Catalina salad dressing pairs well with a simple fresh salad or a fully-loaded chopped salad. I’ve also drizzled it into turkey wraps for lunch, and people around the country use it for all kinds of things, from taco salad, to a chicken marinade to a dipping sauce for pizza. (I haven’t tried those last three, yet, though!)
Taste & Adjust. Catalina dressing and French dressing are notoriously on the sweet side, but I recommend starting small, since you can always add MORE sweetener later. I usually find 2-3 Tablespoons of sugar to be plenty here, but you can trust your tastebuds and add more or less to suit your tastes.
Can I Use Something Besides Sugar? If you’d rather not use white sugar/cane sugar, you can use agave syrup for a naturally-sweetened Catalina dressing. I don’t recommend coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey, since they tend to impact the flavor. 1:1 sugar-free sweeteners like monkfruit or erythritol (Swerve) can also work here.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Homemade French Catalina Dressing recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Homemade Catalina Dressing (French Dressing)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Ketchup
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup White Vinegar
- 2-3 Tablespoons Sugar (or Agave)
- 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 pinch Celery Salt (Less than 1/8 teaspoon – optional)
Instructions
- Combine. In a blender, food processor (or a jar that will fit your immersion blender), combine ketchyo, olive oil, vinegar, 2 Tablespoons sugar, the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and celery salt.
- Blend. Puree until smooth and evenly blended.
- Taste & Adjust. Next, taste the dressing and add more sugar, salt, or seasonings, to taste.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy right away on a sandwich, salad, or wrap, or store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week.
Notes
- Taste & Adjust. Catalina dressing and French dressing are notoriously on the sweet side, but I recommend starting small, since you can always add MORE sweetener later. I usually find 2-3 Tablespoons of sugar to be plenty here, but you can trust your tastebuds and add more or less to suit your tastes.
- Can I Use Something Besides Sugar? If you’d rather not use white sugar/cane sugar, you can use agave syrup for a naturally-sweetened Catalina dressing. I don’t recommend coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey, since they tend to impact the flavor. 1:1 sugar-free sweeteners like monkfruit or erythritol (Swerve) can also work here.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/french-catalina-dressing/
Better than store-bought and soybean-oil free! Although I used avocado oil because I don’t like the taste of olive oil. For anyone who doesn’t know, excessive soybean-oil is terrible for you, and it’s in just about EVERYTHING…gross. And when you buy salad dressings, most of the time you’re basically just paying for expensive vegetable oil.
Catalina dressing is my go for taco salad! there are other delicious dressings that would and do work for taco salad. but the first time I had taco salad was with catalina dressing. so, it’s just not taco salad w/o catalina dressing. Thanks, so much for sharing. your almond flour brownie recipe is the only one I make! so good.
You made my day Theresa! Hope you love it!
This is so simple and quick to make! Fantastic recipe