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.
thank you, always open to new salad dressing, looking forward to using it on chicken too, since exhausting all of my balsamic recipes, by exhausting I just mean, I’m sick of them
Can you share the recipe for the Catalina chicken and broccoli?
Yep, I am sharing it tomorrow on the blog. 🙂
Sounds wonderful but may we have the Catalina Chicken and Broccoli recipe as well? That sounds like a winner to me! Do I just sub the dressings out from the Italian Chicken and Vegetables in Foil recipe?
I love your site, it’s been so helpful to me since I started Weight Watchers a few months ago. Keep these fantastic recipe’s and ideas coming, Thank you so much!!!!!
Hi!
Yep, I will have it up on the blog tomorrow. I prepared it in a skillet for us, but if you want to prepare it in foils (just as I did for the Italian Chicken in Foil), just replace the Italian Dressing with this Catalina dressing, and replace all the veggies with broccoli. 🙂
Looks delicious – can’t wait to make it. Any possibility of finding out where you bought the bottle and how you made the label?
Hi!
Sure! I got the bottles on Amazon. 🙂 Here are a couple of affiliate links, but there are a bunch more choices on Amazon… just search “milk carafe bottles”
http://amzn.to/2G0e2LT
http://amzn.to/2G44oI8
In as far as the label, that’s just me adding some text to a picture on Photoshop… it’s not a real label.
Thanks for the prompt reply – that really scores points… just like your recipes!
what is the shelf life for unopened oil?
I have some walnut oil on the shelf that has never been opened
(dark place)
Thanks so much
Hi!
In as far as I know, and this goes for olive oil, vegetable oil, nut oils, etc… they all have a 1 year shelf life, pantry or fridge.
Thank you so much. Guess I need to get rid of that bottle.
SIGHS
You’re right! I have every single one of these ingredients in my pantry and I’d much prefer to make my own dressings anyway. This sounds delicious!
This dressing seems to be so easy with your recipe!
Oh boy, liquid gold. This dressing is genius. Loving the flavor!
I know it’s crazy but I’ve never tried Catalina dressing! It sounds so delicious, I can’t wait to make you recipe!
Homemade dressings are always so much better! I love the zing to this one!