Catalina dressing is the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. It is perfect for topping all sorts of salads, especially taco salads and spinach salads. You can also stir it into a number of other recipes. No matter how you plan to use it, this recipe will help you to make it at home rather than buying an overpriced bottle at the store.

Spinach salad topped with crumbled bacon, hard boiled egg, and homemade catalina salad dressing next to a jar of homemade catalina dressing.

Catalina dressing is one of the red bottles of dressing. Like French dressing, it has a tomato base but Catalina is sweeter, tangier and has a more tomato-forward flavor.

We use it in several of our favorite recipes, but it isn’t always the easiest to find at the grocery store. It is available at larger grocery stores, but isn’t one of the staples that smaller stores tend to carry.

Luckily, you don’t have to worry about that. You can make it at home with just a few very simple ingredients.

Salad dressings are so easy to make at home. So, there really isn’t any reason not to, anyway.

Ingredients including vinegar, ketchup, oil, sugar, onion powder, and paprika ready to be made into homemade catalina salad dressing.

Bowl of spinach salad with bacon and hard boiled egg next to a jar of homemade catalina salad dressing.

I like to put all of the ingredients in a jar and just shake it up. Store it in the fridge and just give it a shake again before you use it.

Email Me The Link

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

It really doesn’t get any easier than that!

Recipes That Use Catalina Dressing

Frito Salad With Homemade Catalina Dressing

Crockpot Catalina Chicken

Sandra’s Spinach Salad

Andi’s Cranberry Chicken

Ball jar filled with red homemade catalina dressing ready to be used.

Drizzle spoon distributing homemade catalina salad dressing over a salad with bacon and hard boiled egg.

More Ways To Use Catalina Dressing

On green salads, tomato salads, taco salad, spinach salad, chicken salads
As a marinade for chicken or pork.
Drizzle over taco pizza or cheeseburger pizza
As a glaze for meatballs (mix with some grape or apricot jelly and a splash of soy sauce)
Drizzled over baked potatoes or baked sweet potatoes
As a dip for french fries, chicken tenders, or crudité.
As a dressing for pasta salad with a bunch of diced fresh veggies.

5 from 1 rating

Homemade Catalina Dressing

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings (just over 2 cups)

Homemade Catalina dressing can be made easily with a few pantry staple. It's so simple and tastes like store-bought, but a little better. Use it as a marinade, in cooking, or on a salad.

Prep: 5

Cook: 0

Total: 5

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup vinegar white, red wine, or apple cider
▢ ½ cup neutral cooking oil vegetable, canola, avocado etc.
▢ ¾ cup ketchup
▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a jar (slightly larger than pint is ideal) and shake until combined.
Store the dressing in the refrigerator and shake before using.

Notes

You can store the dressing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.