Homemade Catalina Dressing
Updated Jun 23, 2024
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This is a delicious copycat version of Catalina salad dressing that is so much better than store-bought! It’s quick and easy to prepare using ingredients you already have on hand. Use this easy Catalina dressing recipe on salads, chicken, and more.
Copycat Catalina Salad Dressing
Fun fact: My 5-year-old daughter used to call me Catalina… my name is Katerina. 😆 It’s the first thing that comes to mind whenever I make this copycat Catalina dressing recipe. The second thing, of course, is how utterly easy and delicious this sweet-tangy homemade dressing is! Full of flavor, light, and simple to make, Catalina salad dressing takes minutes and tastes just as good, if not better, than store-bought.
Aside from drizzling this dressing over salads and steamed broccoli, or using it as a dip for fresh veggies, I’m finding so many more delicious ways to use Catalina dressing. We can’t get enough of Catalina chicken lately, and this works PERFECTLY as an alternative to bottled dressing in that recipe.
I love knowing exactly what goes into my homemade salad dressings. In fact, I’ve mostly stopped buying dressing from the store, and continue to make my favorites in my own kitchen, from homemade ranch to Italian dressing. I hope you love this homemade Catalina dressing as much as I do!
What You’ll Need to Make Catalina Dressing
You’ll find the full dressing recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Vegetable Oil – Canola oil is also okay to use, as is olive oil.
- Red Wine Vinegar – For a true copycat, stick with red wine vinegar, but you can also try this recipe with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Adds depth and umami richness that complements the sweetness of the dressing.
- Ketchup – A classic ingredient in Catalina dressing. It adds sweet-tangy flavor and contributes to the dressing’s signature, vibrant red color.
- Sugar – Any kind will work. Feel free to use honey instead, if you’d like.
- Seasonings – Sweet or smoked paprika, onion powder, plus salt and pepper.
How to Use Catalina Dressing
- As a salad dressing: The sweet flavors in Catalina dressing pair nicely with this farro salad with arugula and apples, or try it on a spicy Tex-Mex chicken salad or Southwestern salad.
- Chicken: This dressing doubles as a delicious marinade and cooking sauce for pan-seared chicken or grilled chicken thighs.
- Dip: Serve homemade Catalina dressing with fresh crudités like carrot and celery sticks, bell peppers, broccoli, or cauliflower florets for an easy appetizer.
- As a drizzle: Serve this as a dip or drizzle with air fryer broccoli, air fryer zucchini fritters, or broccoli fritters. It’s also great drizzled over a BBQ chicken pizza!
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Catalina Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder, (you can also use dried minced onions)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix the wet ingredients. Combine oil, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a jar with a lid; close the jar with the cap and shake it until everything is well combined.
- Add seasonings. Add the paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the jar; close it again and shake it until everything is thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust accordingly.
- Chill. Refrigerate until needed. Keeps well for 7 to 10 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Homemade Catalina Dressing
Making Catalina dressing is a lot quicker than making a trip to the store to buy it. That’s for sure. Did I mention that it’s also super delicious? Here’s how easy it is:
- Mix the wet ingredients. Combine vegetable oil, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup in a jar with a lid or a bottle with a cap; seal the jar with the lid and shake until well combined.
- Add seasonings. Add paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper; close it again and shake it until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Chill or use right away. You can use your Catalina salad dressing right away, or refrigerate it in an airtight container until you need it. It stays fresh for 7 to 10 days in the fridge.
I have loved Catalina dressing since I was very young. I stopped using the bottled version due to the unhealthy ingredients in it. I’ve tried other recipes but none were as ‘Spot On’ as this one. The first time I made it, I used the listed ingredients. The 2nd time, I used sugar free catsup & allurose. Both were equally delicious. I felt like the amount of red wine vinegar was perfect. I actually added a bit more when I had a small amount but needed to thin out what was remaining in my container. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
That makes me so happy to hear! 😊 I love that it’s a spot-on match for you—and great to know the sugar-free swaps worked just as well. Thank YOU! 💛
I must agree with the vinegar comments; way too much. I also felt that is was a bit too runny. However, I did make substitutions; avocado oil, SF ketchup & allulose for my sweetener. I ended up getting a nice balance and it tasted pretty good/close to bottled Catalina.
So easy and soooo good. I have loved every recipe of yours that I have made.
This recipe tastes wonderful as written. However, I must agree with a previous comment; The calorie content and the amount of dressing in the recipe, as written, is not possible.
Agree with previous commenter – far, far too much vinegar. I wish I had tasted it before adding the entire 1/4c. This recipe was inedible as written. Had to triple the batch in order to make it edible but even then something was still off.
How can you call this “healthy” when it has ketchup and sugar in the ingredients??
Use sugar-free ketchup and ditch the 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.
Make your own sugar free ketchup! Cheaper and fresher 😉 use a.apple,carrot for.natural. sweetness!😆😆
way to much red wine vinegar in this recipe . I would mix all ingredients together then slowly add the vinegar in , shaking it in jar as you go !