3 Towers in Enid

3 Towers Salad Dressing

By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | November 19, 2013

ENID, Okla. - As far as restaurants and recipes go in Enid, Oklahoma, there's none more famous than 3 Towers Restaurant and their epic salad dressing. Just the mention of the business brings a flood of comments about a favorite food, a great memory and that ever popular salad dressing.

Many have tried to copy the recipe and many have failed. Some Enidites claim that the famed dressing is now being served at a few restaurants in town. We cannot confirm nor deny these claims.

The restaurant began in 1947 and served for decades. The original recipe may have been lost or modified over the years but there seems to be a few common ingredients in most of the claimed secret recipes that have been smuggled out over the years.

We do not claim to know the exact original 3 Towers Salad Dressing Recipe but the list below should get you very close to the same flavor that many claim to be the best in the world.

Here are a few of the recipes we've run across from different sources:

3 c. buttermilk
1 c. Wesson oil
2 ½ T. mustard
½ t. garlic powder
1 ½ t. salt
3 T. salad dressing (mayo not Miracle Whip - heaping)
3 green onions, chopped
1 avocado
Place all in blender and blend well. Add avocado seed to dressing to prevent darkening.
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1 egg, beat until frothy
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup salad oil
1 cup buttermilk
Mix the above ingredients in a blender.
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3 cups buttermilk
1 cup Wesson oil
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or enough to thicken)
Mix until oil dissolves. Refrigerate.
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1 egg, beaten two minutes
Add 1 1/3 cups oil
2 tablespoons mustard
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Sprinkle salad with paprika after adding the dressing to the lettuce, etc.
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3 eggs, beat until thick and frothy
Add 2 cups Wesson oil but only mix in 1/4 cup at a time
16 ounces sour cream
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Mix together and beat.
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3 cups buttermilk
1 cup oil
2 tablespoons salad dressing (mayo not Miracle Whip - heaping)
2 tablespoons mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Mix all in blender of mixer. Add paprika if you like.
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1 quart salad dressing (mayo not Miracle Whip - heaping)
1/5 quart buttermilk
1/5 quart salad oil
1/5 cup mustard
1/2 pod garlic
Pinch of salt
Beat all together until smooth.
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1 cup salad oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 raw egg
Mix all ingredients except egg and blend five minutes. Add egg and continue to beat until smooth. Chill before serving.
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Many of these are pretty close to each other so we must assume that the ingredients of the original salad dressing recipe are most likely in this list. Try these and try your own versions. Hopefully you'll come close to something that brings back those great tastes of yesteryear.

3 Towers in Enid

13 comments

  1. David 17 April, 2016 at 22:02 Reply

    My grandmother worked there an made this dressing a lot because it was her recipe. Dolly Smith made that an there dinner rolls almost everyday for almost 30 years. An yes my mother still makes it for us. There are a few around town that are close but not the real deal.

    • Bil 20 April, 2016 at 18:13 Reply

      Was your moms name Carol? I worked at Three Tower from 1974 to 1979 . Busboy, dishwasher, and assistant cook.

    • Kathy Windler 15 May, 2016 at 18:13 Reply

      David, since your grandmother made the salad dressing, do you have access to the original recipe? If so, would you please share. I loved Three Towers Salad Dressing. My late mother-in-law used to make it, but I lost the recipe.

  2. Bil 20 April, 2016 at 11:02 Reply

    I worked with Dolly Smith too. And remember making this dressing. It has been the topic of many fans I laughed when I saw the avacado ingredient.

    • JD 6 August, 2018 at 23:44 Reply

      Well? Do you have the recipe? I know someone who’d like to have it to re-live a cherished childhood memory! 🙂

  3. Bil 20 April, 2016 at 18:36 Reply

    A couple fun facts about the restaurant. It was once a school. There was a basement that had a cement ramp down to it for storage. On one of the shelves in the dungeon was a 5 gallon glass pickling jar with pickled rattlesnakes in it, medicinal purposes only.

  4. Debbie 30 April, 2016 at 15:36 Reply

    The 3 towers salad dressing I remember was green. I know all the other restaurants are yellow. Do I remember this wrong

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