How-To & Diy

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

August 23, 2013

Every Friday, a DIY expert spares us a trip to the grocery store and shows us how to make small batches of great foods at home.

Today, Tara from Seven Spoons helps us master the art of Blue Cheese Dressing.

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing from Food52

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For the longest time, I thought I didn't like blue cheese dressing. I'd had too many disappointing versions, often served alongside buffalo wings. Those ones that hit you in the face with an overpowering funk of cheese, and a consistency that could only be described as weirdly plastic. Then I was introduced to the iceberg wedge: the perfect balance of crunch, fat, and cool, bold with a proper blue cheese dressing, and the recipe was forever redeemed. 

More: Get Tara's recipe for Buttermilk Ranch in a Jar.

Blue cheese dressing can, and should, be brash -- yet still refined. Gutsy with cheese, bright with vinegar, and mollified with a hint of sweetness that’s bolstered by the richness of the mayonnaise and sour cream. It should have body without unnecessary weight. 

Tara Blazona's Wedge Salad on Food52

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: blue cheese dressing is an art more than a science. As such, the quantities here should be viewed as guidelines to steer you in the right direction, rather than hard and fast rules. Consider how you're going to use the dressing when tweaking both the texture and the seasoning. 

I’ve taken to making thicker blue cheese dressings to slather on burgers or grilled steak. The fat adds even more oomph to the meat, and the cheese has more than enough personality to stand up to some char. It’s also undeniably good with crispy chicken wings. A moderately thick version is just the thing for those beloved chunks of iceberg lettuce, and I make a light, velvety rendition to dress arugula tossed with fresh corn kernels.

Basic Blue Cheese Dressing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2/3 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream or thick yogurt
1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon runny honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, scallions, or garlic scapes
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne-based hot sauce, dried red pepper flakes, or chili oil, to serve (optional)

If you like a smooth dressing, grab a medium bowl and mash the blue cheese into the mayonnaise with the back of a fork. If you prefer a chunky dressing, set your blue cheese aside.

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing from Food52

Mix the mayonnaise with the sour cream, most of the buttermilk, and all of the vinegar and honey. Add the chives to the bowl, along with the blue cheese, if you're going the chunky route. Fold to combine, and season with pepper. Taste for seasoning, adding more buttermilk, vinegar, honey, or pepper, as necessary.

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing from Food52

You can use the dressing right away, but I think it's even nicer after a day in the fridge, which gives the flavors a chance to round out. The dressing will thicken as it sits, but can be thinned with a few drops of water. Serve with a dash of hot sauce. Keep any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge, and use up in a few days.

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing from Food52

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Tara O'Brady

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Southern Kissed
    Southern Kissed
  • YukariSakamoto
    YukariSakamoto
  • Pat E. in SLO
    Pat E. in SLO
  • Marylouise Sirignano Lugosch
    Marylouise Sirignano Lugosch
  • Christycreme
    Christycreme
Food writer and creator of the site Seven Spoons. Author of the bestselling cookbook of the same name (Ten Speed Press and Appetite by Random House). Food columnist for The Globe and Mail.

12 Comments

Southern K. September 1, 2013
I can just imagine eating some of that right now on a wedge.
 
YukariSakamoto August 26, 2013
This looks great. Just clicked on the link above for Buttermilk Ranch dressing and got an error message. Can someone please look into it. Arigato.
 
Pat E. August 25, 2013
I made this last night with gorgonzola (since it was what I had) and it was excellent! The best wedge salad I've ever had. My only addition was a small dash of worcestershire...and I used agave instead of "runny honey". Thanks for sharing this.
 
Marylouise S. August 23, 2013
Thanks! That was quick!
 
Christycreme August 23, 2013
...I do believe you left out a crucial ingredient in the recipe. I suspect that blue cheese dressing should contain blue cheese. Oops, sorry for the snark, I think the recipe looks otherwise excellent! Hopefully it will be fixed soon!
 
Tara O. August 23, 2013
Hi! My apologies, but it's correct on the printable recipe page. There seems to have been some hiccup in the transfer. The amount is 4 ounces, crumbled.
 
Marian B. August 23, 2013
The ingredients have been updated!
 
Tara O. August 23, 2013
Thanks, Marian!
 
djgibboni August 23, 2013
Although, when you think about it, a dressing of mayo, sour cream, S&P, chives or shallot, vinegar, hot sauce wouldn't be all that bad!
 
Tara O. August 23, 2013
Can't say I disagree!
 
Marylouise S. August 23, 2013
How much blue cheese? I've read the article and the recipe over and over and there is no indication of how much blue cheese to add.
 
Tara O. August 23, 2013
Hello! There seems to have been a hiccup with the recipe. My apologies, I've fixed it on the other version — it is to be 4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled. If you love cheese, you can feel free to be a bit generous with that measurement. Cheers!