I love the flavor of Good Seasons Italian Dressing, but alas, I’m not a fan of the price! Here is a simple copycat recipe that stores well and the flavors are so close, even the pickiest palate won’t be able to tell!
A few notes, we’ve made this so many times over the years that we frequently substitute items within it. If you prefer a no sugar added dressing use plain unflavored gelatin in place of the pectin. Pectin can only thicken if it’s in the presence of sugar.
What’s in the Original Good Seasons Recipe?
This copycat recipe replicates the exact flavor of the store-bought counterpart, so long as you don’t substitute the ingredients. The ingredients in the store-bought mix are as follows: sugar, salt, sodium citrate, garlic*, onions*, spice, red bell peppers*, carrots*, xanthan gum, maltodextrin, parsley*, guar gum, natural flavor, soy sauce* (wheat, soybeans, salt), citric acid. The * denotes that the items are dried.
To replicate the flavor, we’ve added McCormick lemon pepper, which mimics the citric acid and spice listed in the original ingredients. I do sometimes add red bell pepper, but using green pepper on its own does not impact the flavor profile.
Copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
You’ll Need:
1 teaspoon carrot, grated and finely chopped
1 teaspoon red bell pepper, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon green bell pepper, finely minced, (optional) we add this strictly for color
3/4 teaspoon McCormick lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dry pectin or 1 tsp plain unflavored gelatin
pinch ground oregano
Combine all into a single packet, Makes 1 Mix
If you want a completely dry mix, you can dehydrate the carrot and bell peppers by placing them on a baking sheet and putting them in the oven at 250°F for about an hour. Make sure the pieces are completely dry before adding them to your mix.
Alternatively, if you happen to have a food dehydrator, you can use that instead, which will ensure that they don’t accidentally brown.
If using the dry mix, It’s best if made at least an hour prior to using so the veggies have a chance to rehydrate.
How to Prepare Copycat Good Season Italian Dressing
Pour 1/4 cup of vinegar into a cruet or jar; Add 3 tablespoons of water, then 1 pkg of dressing mix. Cover the cruet, Shake vigorously until well blended.
Add 1/2 cup of Canola oil; cover and shake again until well blended.
To prepare this will even less oil, pour 1/4 c. of vinegar into a cruet or jar, add 1/4 c. water and dressing mix, seal and shake vigorously. Add 1/4 c. of oil (use what you like, Canola, Safflower, or olive oil are good choices). Seal and shake vigorously again until the ingredients are well blended.
Much like its store-bought counterpart, this should be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month once it’s been mixed.
Copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Zesty Version
You’ll Need:
1 teaspoon dried carrot, grated and finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried red bell pepper, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon dried green bell pepper, finely minced, (optional) we add this strictly for color
1 1/2 teaspoon McCormick lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon (aka a dash) ground oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dry pectin or 1 tsp plain unflavored gelatin
Combine all of the ingredients together in a small baggie and store until needed, (makes 1 package).
To Prepare:
Pour 1/4 cup of vinegar into a cruet or jar; Add 3 tablespoons of water, then 1 pkg of dressing mix. Cover the cruet, Shake vigorously until well blended.
Add 1/2 cup of olive oil or Canola oil; cover and shake again until well blended.
To prepare this will even less oil, pour 1/4 c. of vinegar into a cruet or jar, add 1/4 c. water and dressing mix, seal, and shake vigorously. Add 1/4 c. of oil (use what you like, Canola, Safflower, or olive oil are good choices); seal and shake vigorously again until the ingredients are well blended.
To easily replicate the Good Seasons Italian Dressing Garlic & Herb dressing mix, simply add one teaspoon of dehydrated minced garlic to the above recipe.
What is Pectin?
The carbohydrate pectin is naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Salad dressings, jams, and jellies use it as a thickener and stabilizer. If you don’t have any pectin on hand, you can substitute unflavored plain gelatin instead. This is a great option if you follow a Keto lifestyle!
Be aware that if you opt to omit sugar from your homemade Good Seasons Italian dressing mix, you must use gelatin instead of pectin. Pectin cannot and will not thicken without sugar.
Copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
Equipment
- Food Dehydrator optional
- Dressing Cruet optional
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon carrot (grated and finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon red bell pepper (finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon green bell pepper (finely minced, (optional) we add this strictly for color)
- ¾ teaspoon McCormick lemon pepper seasoning mix
- ⅛ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry pectin (or 1 tsp plain unflavored gelatin)
- pinch ground oregano
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons water
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients together, this makes a single mix.1 teaspoon carrot1 teaspoon red bell pepper½ teaspoon green bell pepper¾ teaspoon McCormick lemon pepper seasoning mix⅛ teaspoon dried parsley flakes1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon garlic powder⅛ teaspoon onion powder⅛ teaspoon black pepper2 teaspoons sugar2 teaspoons dry pectinpinch ground oregano
- If you want a completely dry mix, you can dehydrate the carrot and bell peppers by placing them on a baking sheet and putting them in the oven at 250°F for about an hour. Make sure the pieces are completely dry before adding them to your mix. Alternatively, if you happen to have a food dehydrator, you can use that instead, which will ensure that they don't accidentally brown.
- If using the dry mix, It's best if made at least an hour prior to using so the veggies have a chance to rehydrate.
How to Prepare Copycat Good Season Italian Dressing
- Measure the vinegar into a cruet or jar; Add the water, then 1 package of homemade good seasons italian dressing mix. Cover the cruet, Shake vigorously until well blended.¼ cup white vinegar3 Tablespoons water
- Add olive oil (or other oil of choice); cover and shake again until well blended.1/2 cup olive oil
Reduced Oil Directions
- To prepare this will even less oil, pour 1/4 c. of vinegar into a cruet or jar, add 1/4 c. water and dressing mix, seal and shake vigorously.
- Add 1/4 c. of oil, seal and shake vigorously again until the ingredients are well blended.
Equipment
Notes
Copycat Good Seasons Italian Dressing Zesty Version
1 teaspoon dried carrot, grated and finely chopped1 teaspoon dried red bell pepper, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon dried green bell pepper, finely minced, (optional) we add this strictly for color
1 1/2 teaspoon McCormick lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon (aka a dash) ground oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dry pectin or 1 tsp plain unflavored gelatin
Good Seasons Garlic and Herb Dressing Mix
To the original version, add 1 teaspoon of dried minced garlic.Keto Version
Omit the sugar entirely and use 1 teaspoon of plain unflavored gelatin instead of pectin. If you prefer a touch of sweetness, use 1 drop of liquid monkfruit, or 1 teaspoon of Bochasweet.If you altered the ingedients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cooking/baking time.
Nutrition
Not Just a Dressing Mix!
This delicious (almost) Good Seasons dressing mix isn’t just a salad dressing. You can use it in a variety of delicious dishes as well.
thank you so much for this recipe, i used my dehydrator to dry a bunch of peppers, carrots, onions and other vegetables from our small garden and now have 20 or so of these mixes made up. The flavor is Exact!! I don’t know how you do it, but please dont stop.
Thank you :party1:
what does the pectin do in this?
Pectin acts as a thickener.
The pectin acts as an emulsifier. Oil and water do not mix, unless there’s a “bridge” between them that can hold them together. Pectin serves this purpose. If you ever notice, you don’t really need to shake your “Good Seasonings” dressing after the initial mix, this is why. It’s not a strictly necessary addition to any dressing unless you want to keep it for a few weeks and just don’t ever want to shake it, though it does add something to the mouth feel.
i made the dressing and it is awesome!!!
what type of vinegar do you use?
balsamic vinegar makes an awesome dressing. i made some italian using balsamic and my family wont eat anything else on their salad but the homemade one. they eat it on bread, crackers everything!
i will have to get busy dehydrating vegies so i can make this. sounds delicious.
i love this site! great recipes thank you
i wonder if there would be any way to use unflavored gelatin as the thickener instead of pectin? i have gelatin lounging around in my cupboard, but used all my pectin in my jellies. 😉 any thoughts?
Gelatin works well IF you use it all up at once, but if you let it sit in the refrigerator, it will form a ball of gelatin! I stopped using any thickener because pectin is fairly expensive. It adds no flavor, anyway.
The next time I make some, I may add some Clear Jel, heat it briefly because the type I have must be heated to work, then refrigerate it.
update!!
hello fellow thrift warriors! this morning i experimented with the gelatin. guess what?
it worked!
here’s what i did…
dissolve 1 1/2 tsp. unflavored Gelatin in 2 Tbs. Hot water.
Stir until dissolved.
Add to salad dressing with vinegar and water. Continue as directed. Refrigerate about an hour to blend.
Notes: Next time I will try 1 tsp. of gelatin. This was a little too thick for my taste.
Do add the gelatin while it’s still warm and liquid.
I left mine on the counter while measuring everything else and came back to a solid block of gelatin! (Microwaving for 15 seconds or so liquified it again.) 🙂
my husband is raving about this dressing, and i love it too! i have lots of dehydrated vegetables that reconstitute easily in it, so it always tastes fresh and healthy. i’m using cider vinegar which we both prefer as it has so much more flavor, but one day soon i will also try balsamic.
i am making up the dry mix in bulk now as it has become our daily salad dressing!
thank you so much for this wonderful addition to our table. i think i will definitely try the gelatin in lieu of the pectin as the pectin is rather pricey for this. thank you for this; it is so much better than bottled dressing!
oh, i must add that it is excellent when made with splenda instead of sugar, if it is to be used by a diabetic.
oh my goodness!! why haven’t i found this site before?? i am thrilled with everything that i have found so far, and now to find a clone for an overpriced seasoning packet for italian dressing is awesome:hand-icon: i use this in pot roast recipe and stuffed mushrooms. i love it liss, keep up the great work!!
i was searching for a homemade good seasons recipe and came across this website and the recipe. good seasons is the only dressing my son likes and as others have noted it is quite expensive. looking forward to trying the recipe and the website.
you can go to thrivelife, honeyville, or beprepared food storage sites to order
cans of freeze dried veggies, fruits or most anything you may need. anything for emergency
purposes. i used my freeze dried carrots and red peppers for this recipe works great.
Subway, years ago, they would use it as a marinade and cook the chicken in that marinade. That’s all the guy would tell us. But it does make tasty baked chicken.
Also, after you prepare your dressing, add it to your BBQ sauce.
What size baggie did you use? I want to purchase some, but don’t want to get it too small….or too big.
What is the difference between Good Seasons Italian and Zesty version?
Zesty has a little more garlic and stronger spices.
Stronger Spices? Please explain
you literally double the seasonings in the same bottle, that’s it.
Wow, I just tried the Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix and it was absolutely delicious! I love Italian cuisine and this definitely hit the spot. It was very easy to make; all I had to do was add some oil, vinegar and water and in minutes I had a delicious dressing that was perfect for salads, marinades, or as a dip for vegetables. It
had all of the classic Italian flavors like oregano, garlic, onion powder, red pepper and more. The flavor was robust yet subtle at the same time – so flavorful but not overpowering. And the mix comes with a shaker top which makes it so convenient to use any time you need it! This is one of my favorite products from Good Seasons now. Highly recommend!