Catalina Dressing | Healthy Salad Dressing | The Gracious Pantry (2024)

This Catalina dressing is a healthy salad dressing that is strong in flavor, but so incredibly delicious! A little goes a long way with this clean eating recipe, though. It’s also perfect to use as a marinade for vegetables, poultry, and fish.

Catalina dressing is one of those salad dressings that has just always escaped me. I never had it growing up, I’ve never purchased it for use at home or asked for it at a restaurant. I think most of us can honestly say that there are dressing flavors you have never tried simply because you already have your favorites. So why rock the boat?

I’m here to tell you it’s worth rocking! This was my first time trying it, and this healthy salad dressing really is delicious. So much so that not only will I use the dressing on salads, but I’ll also be using it as a marinade in a Catalina Cranberry Chicken recipe. I think the flavor makes this excellent to use with chicken or even a white, light-flavored fish.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRENCH AND CATALINA DRESSING?

Although both dressings are tomato-based, the United State’s version of French dressing is typically creamier than Catalina unless it’s made as a vinaigrette. I specify the U.S. version because the European recipe for French dressing has a base of oil and vinegar.

In comparison, Catalina has more similarities to Russian dressing.

WHAT IS CATALINA DRESSING MADE OF?

The traditional American version is typically made ofvinegar, oil, ketchup, sugar, paprika,onion powder, celery flakes, and seasonings. I avoided the use of processed ketchup here and used stevia to cut down on the sugar content. If you prefer to use a different sweetener, honey or Sucanat (unprocessed sugar) are also good choices here.

HOW LONG DOES DRESSING LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

A vinaigrette dressing will stay good for at least 2 weeks. Some will last longer, others will not. Always check your bottle and dressing for mold before using. Always store your dressing in the fridge, and always smell your dressing before pouring it on. Any change in smell should be a red flag.

Also note that the fats in this can really thicken the dressing while in the refrigerator. Don’t let that worry you. Just set the dressing on the counter for about 20 minutes before using it. Then return it immediately to the fridge.

Note: If you’re interested in the history of food, this site has a page on dressings. It was an interesting read!

Again, this dressing makes a wonderful marinade or ingredient in other recipes. It does make a decent amount of dressing, so if you find yourself with too much, it can be frozen. That being said, the texture is not quite the same when thawed, so you’ll want to blend it again and make sure you use it as an ingredient in other recipes rather than a dressing. It will freeze ufor up to 3 months.

MORE HEALTHY SALAD DRESSING RECIPES

• Thousand Island Dressing
• Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
• Italian Dressing

HOW TO MAKE CATALINA DRESSING

Please note: This recipe was updated on 11/2/17. Many people were having problems with the recipe. I remade it and discovered a wrong measurement in the original recipe. It’s been updated and is now correct.