This creamy Southwest Ranch Dressing is made with homemade ranch mix that’s been kicked up a notch with salsa, green chilis, and fresh cilantro. It’s full of flavor with a hint of spice and perfect for using as a salad dressing or dip.
Serve on your favorite Tex-Mex salads, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, or even as a dip for raw veggies or roasted potatoes. And, if you are looking for more homemade salad dressing, be sure to try our homemade ranch, Honey Mustard Dressing, and our Italian Dressing Recipe.
Southwest Ranch Dressing Recipe
There is almost always a jar of homemade southwest ranch dressing in my fridge. It takes less than 10 minutes to prep, and this homemade dressing tastes so much better than the stuff from the grocery store. Since you are making it yourself, you know exactly what’s going into it—simple, wholesome ingredients that are easy to adapt.
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Sometimes referred to as “salsa ranch dressing” in my house, this recipe starts with a great ranch seasoning mix. You can use the Hidden Valley mix if you’d like, but trust me when I say that this homemade ranch version just tastes better.
Ways to Use This Dressing
The uses for this dressing certainly don’t stop at salads. Here are a few of my suggestions:
- As a sauce for chicken burrito bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice and Southwest Chicken.
- As a dipping sauce for roasted potatoes and roasted veggies.
- Drizzled over sweet pork quesadillas, tacos or burritos.
- As a dip for raw veggies and crackers.
- And of course, as a dressing for this BBQ Chicken Salad, or any of your other favorite green salads.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Mayonnaise – any kind of mayo will do. If you are looking to reduce the fat and calories, you do half mayo and half Greek yogurt. Or, if you prefer an even tangier flavor, you could substitute sour cream.
- Buttermilk – this thins the salad dressing down slightly and gives it that nice tangy.
- Salsa – use your favorite brand of salsa from the grocery store. Or, add your own Homemade Salsa!
- Green Chilis – canned green chilis add great heat to this dressing. If you and your family aren’t into spicy foods, you can eliminate these and just add a tad more salsa.
- Cilantro – fresh chopped cilantro really rounds out the southwest flavors in this dressing. If you are anti-cilantro, you can of course, eliminate this ingredient.
Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
You can use the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix, but this homemade version is a cinch to throw together. All you need is ground black pepper, dried dill, dried chives, garlic salt, and onion powder.
It’s great to have on hand for all sorts of recipes. We like to sprinkle it on roasted potatoes after they cook, stir it into sour cream for an easy veggie dip and of course, use in this easy ranch salsa dressing recipe:
How to Make Southwest Ranch Dressing
- Make your ranch dressing mix. In a small bowl, combine the dried dill, dried chives, garlic salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix well, then store in a jar or any other airtight container.
- Prepare ranch dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk and ranch dressing mix. Whisk until combined.
- Blend with the rest of the ingredients. Transfer the prepared ranch dressing to a blender and add the salsa, green chilis and cilantro. Blend until smooth.
- Serve or store. Transfer to a glass jar or airtight container and use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Enjoy!
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in a glass jar or any other airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: you can store your homemade dressing in the freezer for up to 3 months. The most convenient way to freeze it is to pour into ice cube trays then pop out into freezer bags once frozen. When you are ready to use, pull out the number of cubes you think you may need and thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Southwest Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 2 tablespoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Southwest Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1½ tablespoons ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 4-ounce can green chilis
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves, minced
Instructions
Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
- In a small bowl, combine the dried dill, dried chives, garlic salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix well, then store in a jar or any other airtight container.
Southwest Ranch Dressing
- In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk and ranch dressing mix. Whisk until combined.
- Transfer the prepared ranch dressing to a blender and add the salsa, green chilis and cilantro. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a glass jar or airtight container and use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes to Try
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Caesar Salad Dressing
- Pesto Ranch Dressing
- Italian Dressing
- Homemade Pesto
- Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- More Sauces and Condiments
- More Salad Recipes
This Southwest Ranch Dressing recipe is quick, easy and super versatile. It will soon become your favorite tex-mex salad dressing and dip for tacos, quesadillas, roasted veggies and more.
