Blue Cheese Vinaigrette is brimming with olive oil, blue cheese, two types of vinegar and a unique blend of spices. It's inspired by a delicious salad dressing served at a restaurant called Buddy's in Pocatello, Idaho. This vinaigrette is tangy and cheesy.
Jump to:
- 🥗 Buddy's Copycat Salad Dressing
- 🥣 Ingredients to Have on Hand
- 🧂Salad Dressing Spices
- ⭐ Pro Tip
- 👩🏻🍳 Blend the Dressing
- 📋 Choosing the Blue Cheese
- 💭 Recipe FAQ
- ⏲️ Great Flavor the Next Day
- ⭐ The Inspiration: Buddy's Salad Dressing in Pocatello
- 🥘 What to Serve with Your Buddy's Salad
- 💬 Did You Make This Recipe?
- Recipe
- Comments
🥗 Buddy's Copycat Salad Dressing
The recipe is inspired by the best blue cheese and olive oil-based salad dressing I've ever had from a restaurant in Pocatello, Idaho. Scroll down for the story.
Note: Some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. This means I make a small commission if you click and purchase the item. Be assured your cost is always the same and I only link to items that I use and enjoy.
🥣 Ingredients to Have on Hand
Finding just the right balance of seasonings and spices is what took the longest time for me to perfect this blue cheese vinaigrette dressing.
- extra light olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- oregano
- garlic powder
- (affiliate link) Tone's Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Blend
- blue cheese - I recommend the Danish Blue variety
- garlic
- balsamic glaze
🧂Salad Dressing Spices
This recipe includes a generous amount of dried oregano and fresh garlic and the essence of rosemary from (affiliate link) Tone's Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Blend. The combo of herbs and spices is a great companion to the distinctive, creamy blue cheese.
⭐ Pro Tip
As a substitute for Tone's, you can instead use ½ teaspoon dried rosemary with ½ teaspoon granulated garlic as an alternate. However, the Tone's Seasoning is best and a jar of it will last for months and months.
👩🏻🍳 Blend the Dressing
I use an (affiliate link) immersion blender to blend the ingredients. Honestly, that type of blender is my go-to kitchen appliance, especially when it comes to combining liquid ingredients.
As an option, using a counter blender will work just fine with this recipe. Be careful not to overdo it when blending. A quick few pulses of the blades are all you need to combine the blue cheese with the olive oil, vinegar and spices.
📋 Choosing the Blue Cheese
Not all blue cheese varieties are equal. I recommend using Castello Danish Blue for this recipe, but any brand of the Danish Blue variety blue cheese will be delicious.
You should be able to find Danish Blue Cheese in your grocery store wherever the specialty cheeses are sold. I've made this using Gorgonzola blue cheese, but I've found that the flavor was a little too tangy and not as rich and robust as Danish Blue.
💭 Recipe FAQ
Balsamic glaze has a more intense flavor and the almost sweet taste is more robust than what we find in a balsamic vinegar.
In this recipe, I've found that adding a ½ teaspoon of balsamic glaze helps to "soften" the tangy white wine vinegar. Be assured, you'll use the glaze beyond just this recipe. It's handy to have on hand and it's delicious drizzled on roasted brussels sprouts, fresh mozzarella and diced tomatoes. Yum!
⏲️ Great Flavor the Next Day
This blue cheese vinaigrette is terrific served fresh and as soon as you make it. Toss it right away with those leafy greens. But the flavors blend beautifully after a day in the fridge and the "cheesy" flavor of the blue cheese is a little more dominant. So good!
⭐ The Inspiration: Buddy's Salad Dressing in Pocatello
This is my copycat version of a VERY famous salad dressing from a beloved Italian restaurant in Pocatello, Idaho called Buddy's. I've been trying to create this version of salad dressing for a long, long time.
About 20 years ago, someone gave me what they thought was a copy of the actual Buddy's Salad Dressing recipe (it wasn't) and since then I've been dabbling with spices, blue cheese variations, olive oils and vinegar combinations to try and hit the mark.
I've gone through gallons of olive oil and vinegar trying to get this recipe just right. Now, at long last, I think I'm as close as I can get without actually working in their kitchen! But I would encourage you, if you are ever in Pocatello, to stop in at Buddy's and try the real thing!
The Crinkled Cookbook is not in any way affiliated with Buddy's Italian Restaurant. This recipe is simply my best guess at what their special recipe for delicious salad dressing might be.
🥘 What to Serve with Your Buddy's Salad
A crispy green salad always pairs well with pasta, meatballs and tomato sauces. Here are a few ideas that go great on the plate with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette Dressing:
💬 Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make Blue Cheese Vinaigrette I'd love to hear how your salad dressing turned out. As good as Buddy's? Am I close? Please scroll down and leave a 🌟 star rating and a comment below. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Recipe
Lindsay says
Excellent dressing! I love traditional creamy blue cheese dressing and this is just a good! Easy to make as well. My kids and husband love it!!!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Thank you Lindsay, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed this yummy salad dressing and I so appreciate your five star rating and review!
Jeanne says
This bleu cheese vinaigrette recipe is outstanding. Thank you.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Thank you for the five star rating Jeanne, and for coming back to leave such a nice review!
Clacy Albert says
Hi! Due to a strange food allergy, I can’t use premade spice seasoning blends. Do you have a substitute for the Tone’s seasoning that I could use instead?
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hello! Here's an ingredient substitution to use in place of the Tone's seasoning: chop 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary and blend with 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic. I've updated the recipe to share this with others too. 🙂
Megan says
Does anyone know if this is similar to Outback's blue cheese vinaigrette?
Jo Ann says
I’m sure your recipe is great but please don’t make me buy some special seasoning blend to make it. I’m not going to buy it and I’ll quickly find another recipe. Just being honest.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hi Jo Ann, I totally understand. I try to keep my recipes as accessible as possible, but sometimes a special seasoning blend really enhances the flavor. That said, I’m happy to suggest a simple substitute using common pantry spices. Let me know what you have on hand and I'm happy to help.
Michael Coulter says
This so very delicious.. I could eat this 3 times a week....I love it with Sausage and peppers along with spaghetti carbonara.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Thank you for the five star rating Michael! That flavor combination sounds delicious with blue cheese vinaigrette.