Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
by Sommer Collier — on Jul 13, 2026 Love blue cheese? I sure do! Which is why I made my chunky, creamy, and flavorful blue cheese dressing recipe, that’s way better than anything you can buy in a bottle. I combine mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, and a hint of vinegar to make a smooth and creamy base. Then load it with lots of blue cheese crumbles to make this easy dressing rich, and delicously sharp.
I find that people have very strong opinions on blue cheese… They either really love it or really don’t (I’m assuming… I’ve never met those people :)) If you’re as big of a fan as I am, there’s nothing like homemade blue cheese dressing for fresh salads and to use as a tangy dip! Although some store-bought brands of premade dressing are pretty tasty, nothing quite compares to making your own with fresh crumbled blue cheese. This allows you to adjust the thickness to your liking, the seasoning level to your liking, and of course you can pick the kind of blue cheese you like best! Similar to my balsamic vinaigrette recipe you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make and will never want to buy a bottle again.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Intense Flavor – Most bottled blue cheese dressings include extra preservatives and emulsifiers. Like my much loved homemade Caesar dressing, I make my version with only a few simply ingredients, so the strong flavor of the blue cheese really shines through!
Make it Your Way – For such an easy recipe there are a few big ways to customize it to your liking! Use a more or less strong cheese depending on how pungent of a flavor you want. Make this dressing thinner or thicker (as I do with my buttermilk ranch dressing recipe) based on how much buttermilk you add. And you can make a slightly less heavy version by using low fat sour cream and/or mayo.
Make Ahead – I actually recommend making this recipe a day ahead or at least early in the day, so the blue cheese crumbles have time to permeate the creamy dressing base. Whip it up whenever it’s convenient, and keep it in the fridge for several days!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Sour cream and mayonnaise – These two are a fabulous thick and creamy base for making all kinds of rich dressings (Like my avocado ranch dressing!) I use whole fat, because I like to live on the edge like that. That being said, low fat sour cream and light mayo are also great and tasty!
- Buttermilk – Sure, you can buy buttermilk from the store. But I highly recommend giving my homemade buttermilk recipe a try! It’s easy to make in only a few minutes with 2 ingredients.
- Apple cider vinegar – I like the slightly sweet and less punchy taste of ACV in the dressing. You can use white vinegar, if you prefer, for a more sharp taste.
- Seasonings – I’m only using garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. I don’t want any spices that will overpower the cheese.
- Blue cheese – Do not buy pre-crumbled blue cheese. Instead pick a block of blue cheese that you like and crumble it yourself. The taste and texture will both be better this way. Gorgonzola, Roquefort are both good options.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Make the Base – I start making this recipe a few hours before I plan to serve, so the dressing will have time to properly chill in the refrigerator. When I’m ready to “cook” I get out a large measuring pitcher, or a medium sized bowl, a spatula, and all of the ingredients. Into the pitcher I add everything but the blue cheese… That’s sour cream, mayo, buttermilk, vinegar, and spices. Then use the spatula to mix it all together into a creamy base.
Add Blue Cheese – Now I use a fork to crumble the blue cheese into small-ish size chunks. These can be as large or as small as you like, but I recommend pieces that are slightly larger than pea-sized. Then I add the crumbles into the pitcher, and stir to combine. I try not to break the crumbles up too much more as a I stir. I want to keep the pieces to be small enough to distribute evenly throughout the dressing, so the dressing is thick but pourable. But not so small that the crumbles get lost in the base.
Cover and Chill – Now I cover the pitcher with plastic wrap or transfer the dressing to an airtight container, and place it in the fridge. I like to make the dressing the evening before, so the ingredients have all night and day to sit together. If you can’t wait all day I suggest trying to make the blue cheese dressing recipe at least 1-2 hours in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why yes, yes you can! Whole fat Greek yogurt will have the most body and tangy flavor, but low fat also works well.
If your blue cheese dressing is too thin you’ll need to add more sour cream and mayo. I don’t recommend just adding one or the other, so yep, use the same amount of each. Start with a tablespoon of each. Don’t add more thin buttermilk, obviously. BUT you might also then want to stir in some more crumbled blue cheese to bring that bold flavor back.
To thin out the dressing simply stir in a splash more of the buttermilk and stir, repeating if necessary until it has just the right thickness you want. Again, you might consider adding a bit more blue cheese to keep the flavors just right.
Not a fan of chunky blue cheese? That’s ok, no judgement here! You can stir together the dressing base, then pour that and add the blue cheese crumbles to the jar of a food processor or blender. Blend well, but don’t over do it or the dressing will become too thin.
Storage Notes
I store the dressing in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. It will firm up slightly, so give it a good stir before using.
Serving Suggestions
My absolute favorite way to use this homemade blue cheese dressing recipe is on fresh wedge salads. Really though, it adds a deliciously powerful punch of flavor to any salad! Sometimes I even like to swap out the Caesar dressing and shaved parmesan with blue cheese dressing and crumbles to make my classic steakhouse salad.
It’s also terrific to use as a dipping sauce! I love to balance the richness of the dressing with fresh veggies like carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices, bell peppers, and tomatoes. It’s also great with heavier snacks and appetizers when you want a bit of freshness but still need something on the thicker and more decadent side. Here are a few recipes that are great to pair with ramekins of blue cheese dressing:
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More Salad Dressing Recipes
Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese Pick a strong variety like Roquefort
Instructions
- Set out a medium mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well.
- Mix in the crumbled blue cheese. Cover and chill until ready to use. (If possible, make a day ahead, or early in the day, so the blue cheese has time to permeate the dressing.)
