This Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing recipe is a flavorful and fun twist on the original version. It’s perfect on taco salads, as a dip, or doused on a plate of nachos.
You know how condiments can totally make a dish or meal? Like a great fry sauce for your french fries or really good honey on your cheese board? I feel like this Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing recipe is one of those condiments. It really adds a lot of great flavor to whatever you are putting it one. It’s great on tacos, taco salad, and even drizzled over a pile of nachos or loaded French fries.
It’s that little extra boost of flavor that makes those typical dishes something really special. I love that this recipe is super easy to make, too. You simply throw everything in a blender and let it go. I have some suggestions on how to adjust the thickness of the dressing in the notes, so be sure to take notice. I can’t wait for you to make this simple ranch dressing that packs a great Tex-Mex taste.
I also have a thing for homemade salad dressings. Here’s a great post with some amazing and easy-to-make salad dressings: 9 Staple Salad Dressings You Should Know How to Make.
How long does Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing last?
This dressing lasts for up to 10 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like making it ahead of time so that the flavors mix and meld together for a bit longer.
Can you use a ranch packet to make Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing?
I recommend making the dressing from scratch. It takes almost no time, since you just throw all the ingredients into a blender. Ranch packets also use different seasonings than this Mexican-food-inspired version, so I’d skip the packet this time around.
Can you sub something else for the mayonnaise?
Miracle Whip and other ranch or salad dressings aren’t good substitutes for the mayo because they’ll change the consistency and flavor profile too extremely. If you want to up the ante on gut health and sneak in a probiotic, you can get away with subbing plain Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise!
Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: Makes 2 cups 1x
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This Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing recipe is a flavorful twist on the original. It’s perfect on taco salads, as a dip, or on a plate of nachos!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 or 3 large tomatillos, husk removed
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic, outer skin removed
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, about a cup
- 1/2 a lime’s juice
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- more salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Throw everything into a blender, and blend until smooth, about one minute.
- Taste the dressing on a piece of lettuce, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- It keeps covered in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Notes
- I like to make this first and let it sit in the fridge while I get the rest of dinner ready. It gives the flavors a little time to mix and mingle.
- The dressing is relatively thin, but that means it covers everything well. If you want it a bit thicker, omit the buttermilk, or add just enough to reach the desired consistency.
- Miracle Whip or salad dressing can’t be used in place of the mayonnaise.
- Category: condiment
- Method: blender
- Cuisine: Amercian, Tex-Mex, Mexican
Keywords: cafe rio, salad dressing, salad dressing recipe, ranch, ranch recipe, ranch dressing recipe, how to make ranch dressing, ranch dressing calories, best ranch dressing
Want To Save This Recipe?
This recipe is one of my favorites in my “Cafe Rio Collection” (a popular restaurant here in Utah and we love making the knock-off recipes at home!). It tastes just like their house dressing.
Here’s all of the recipe you’ll need to make a Cafe Rio inpired taco feast:
- Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice
- Cafe Rio Black Beans
- Homemade Hard Corn Taco Shells
- Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa
- Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Homemade Baked Corn Tortilla Chips
Happy tacoing friends! Enjoy!
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We like to make the Cafe Rio Style meal occasionally and it inspired me to come up with something new…creamy cilantro lime chicken…I just saute chicken, add a scoop of sour cream, then cilantro and lime to taste…it is really good on the cilantro lime rice 🙂