This delicious garlic salad is super simple and quick to make. You just toast lots of garlic in olive oil, add parmesan, vinegar, and seasoning, and toss with some greens. A creamy filling, tasty dish, ready in minutes.
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⭐Why you’ll love it
You’ll adore this salad because:
- It’s absolutely delicious with chunks of toasted garlic and creamy parmesan.
- It comes together in under 20 minutes.
- There is minimal preparation.
And if you love garlic as much as I do, then I highly recommend trying this amazing vegan garlic bread recipe (use regular butter if you’re not vegan), or some easy garlic couscous.
🛒Ingredients and substitutions
Olive oil: You’ll be heating this olive oil (albeit briefly), so no need to waste high-quality virgin or extra-virgin oil. If you don’t have olive oil, any mild, unflavored oil like canola or sunflower will do.
Vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar here, but you can also substitute rice vinegar. If you use any other type of vinegar, reduce the amount used by a tablespoon and then add to taste when the dressing is ready. ACV and rice vinegar are lower in acetic acid (sourness) than other vinegars.
Garlic: Use fresh large cloves of garlic, not frozen or paste.
Black pepper: Use freshly ground or cracked black pepper only, not the already ground stuff. Omit if you don’t have.
Salt: Use regular fine table salt. If using kosher, double the amount.
Lettuce: I use a whole head of Batavia lettuce, but you can use any mild greens. For example, baby leaf spinach, romaine, or radicchio. I don’t recommend using arugula or watercress as they have a very strong flavor.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact quantities.
👩🍳How to make it
- Press garlic cloves or finely mince if you don’t have a garlic press, and add to cold olive oil in a deep saucepan or small pot. Mix well with the oil. Heat on medium-high temp, whisking now and then, until bubbles start rising. Whisking will prevent the crushed garlic from clumping.
- Whisk frequently and cook for roughly two minutes until the garlic is a pale gold. Take off the heat. Add the cracked black pepper(to toast it slightly) and whisk again. Set a timer for five minutes. Chop your salad leaves.
- When the timer has gone off, decant the garlic oil to a screw-top glass jar or a small bowl and pop it in the fridge or freezer to cool further while you microplane or finely grate the parmesan. Test that the oil is cool (at least cooled to room temperature) and add the parmesan, apple cider vinegar, and salt.)
- Shake briskly or whisk the dressing vigorously until it’s a uniform creamy pale yellow color.
- Add the chopped greens to a large bowl and pour the dressing on top. It can be quite thick, so you use a spoon to get absolutely all of it out.
- Use two large spoons or salad tongs to toss the leaves until they are evenly coated with the dressing, and serve immediately.
💡Expert tips
- To chop your greens, make sure you’ve cut the roots plus an additional two inches off the bunch of greens and rinsed and dried them. Push the leaves togetherand use your hand to slightly flatten the bunch, and then slice across into half-inch sections. When all the greens have been sliced, then rotate the chopping board 90 degrees and roughly slice or chop the other way. If the greens move a lot, rocking the knife back and forth instead of trying to slice or cut can be easier.
- When microplaning parmesan, it can be annoying when a lot of parmesan gets stuck in between the little metal star blades. With the back of a thin knife, you can run the knife between diagonal sections and then tap the grater to get extra cheese off the grater.
- If you have a small food processor or a small jar (e.g., for smoothies or nuts) for your blender or processor, you can simply add the whole amount of Parmesan you are using and pulse until it’s a fine powder.
- When adding the vinegar, I actually swirl it around the empty pan where I heated the garlic and oil first, to loosen any bits of oil and garlic that were “lost”, and then add it to the dressing.
- If you want to get the last of the dressing out of your jar or bowl, swirl a little water (about a tablespoon) in it and add it to the salad.
- Vegetarians – note that products named Parmesan or Parmiggiano Reggiano in Europe are never vegetarian, as those names are PDO (protected denomination of origin), and contain rennet. You can still find vegetarian versions in large supermarkets, but they will be labelled something else, e.g., “hard Italian cheese”.
🍽️Serving suggestions
This is a hearty, delicious salad that my family often eats by itself, but to make a real meal of it, I would suggest adding a protein. I often have it with a veggie burger, or my family enjoys it with an omelette.
It will stretch even further if you add a starchy food like potatoes or rice. I love it alongside a ramekin or small bowl of Portuguese tomato rice, or as a side dish with creamy couscous.
❄️Storage
Homemade garlic dressing should never be stored at room temperature due to the risk of botulism. Keep any leftover dressing or salad covered in the fridge for up to four days. Ideally, keep the dressing separate from the salad to prevent wilting.
❓Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Common versions usually contain a pungent raw garlic vinaigrette or a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce. This version uses a simple vinaigrette with toasted garlic and parmesan.
3-4 days when kept refrigerated, to avoid bacterial growth. No longer.
I use six large cloves in this recipe, as they are toasted. For raw garlic, one clove is usually sufficient, up to two for a stronger, more garlicky taste. You could even press and add one raw clove to the six toasted ones here.
🥗More delicious salads and dressings
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
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan small
- 1 garlic press (or finely mince with a knife)
- 1 Whisk metal or silicone, heat-proof
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Screw-top jar or bowl for mixing the dressing in
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 6 cloves Garlic large
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper freshly ground or cracked
- 1 head Lettuce large, around 8 cups chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan microplaned or finely grated
- 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar see notes for substitutions
- ¼ teaspoon Salt fine table salt
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a small saucepan or frying pan with high sides. Do not use a heavy-bottomed pan or skillet as we do not want the pan to retain heat.
- Use a garlic press to press the garlic into the oil. If you don't have a garlic press you can finely mince the garlic instead. Turn the heat on at a medium-high temperature. Note, it's important to start with cold oil in a cold pan (or at room temperature).
- Use the whisk to distribute the garlic in the oil and wait for small bubbles to start rising in the oil. The oil will heat up quickly after this.
- When the oil starts bubbling lively, gently whisk the garlic every few seconds and cook for no more than two minutes maximum.
- As soon as any of the garlic is a very light golden brown (between 90 seconds to 2 minutes) remove the pan from the heat and add in the black pepper and whisk once more. Set a timer for five minutes.
- Wash, dry and chop the lettuce. I like to use my hand to slighlty flatten it and do one-inch slices and then turn the chopping board and chop up the slices. Place in a large salad bowl.
- When the time goes off, decant the garlic oil to a clean screw-top jar or bowl and place in the freezer while you prepare the parmesan.
- Microplane or finely grate the garlic until you have a packed ¼ cup.
- Take out the garlic oil and check it is cool or at room temperature. Add the parmesan, salt and vinegar. I like to add the vinegar to the pan I cooked the garlic in and swirl it around before adding it to the dressing, to make sure I get most of the oil and garlic out.
- Screw the top on the jar and shake vigurously, or whisk, until a creamy pale golden consistency.
- Add the dressing to the chopped greens. If you have a lot of dressing clinging to the jar or bowl, I like to add a tablespoon of water to loosen it and then add that to the salad. Toss well until all the leaves are coated, taste and adjust (more salt/vinegar/parmesan) and serve immediately.
Notes
- Do not allow the garlic to overcook. It will continue to toast from the residual heat in the pan. You want the final result to be a light-medium gold, no darker, or it will be bitter.
- You can use any fairly plain oil in place of olive oil. Do not use extra virgin oil as it is a waste when it is heated, and the flavoring will be lost with the garlic.
- The vinegar in this recipe is very important. I only recommend ACV, or rice vinegar, as they are the lowest in acidity. If you use another vinegar, reduce the amount to 1.5 tablespoons and then add to taste.
- I used Batavia lettuce in this recipe, but you can use 8 cups of your preferred greens. I don’t recommend using arugula or watercress as their flavors will overpower the dressing.
- You can make the dressing ahead of time and store it in the fridge until needed. It will keep for up to four days in the fridge.
- Vegetarians – please note that any products in Europe labelled Parmesan or Parmiggiano Reggiano are not vegetarian. Instead, look for “hard Italian cheese”. In other areas, check the label.
- This makes four large servings; we usually eat it with a protein. If serving with a starchy food as well, it could stretch to six.
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