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This chipotle ranch dressing recipe is creamy, tangy, and a little smoky! It’s a versatile southwest sauce that’s the ultimate topping for salads, tacos, wraps, and more.
Looking for regular ranch dressing? Try my Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing instead.
Why you’ll love it
This easy twist on ranch dressing is so good. You get so much flavor in under 10 minutes! Boring salads and tacos are a thing of the past. If you’re a fan of Mexican-inspired recipes, I think that you’ll like this chipotle sauce with fresh lime a whole lot.
This creamy, gently spiced, and irresistible cilantro lime ranch dressing works with so many dishes, from salads to tacos to grilled vegetables. It’s ranch dressing with a kick that you didn’t know you needed in your life.
What you’ll need
- Sour cream and mayo – the slightly tangy, cooling, and creamy base. It helps to create that signature ranch flavor.
- Cilantro – make sure it’s as fresh as possible
- Chili pepper in adobo sauce – I like things on the milder side, so I started with just one chili, but you can add even more for heat if you prefer
- Lime juice – for citrusy freshness
- Worcestershire sauce – the umami flavor it adds to dressings and sauces is a must
- Garlic powder and onion powder – for even more savory depth of flavor
- Smoked paprika – my not-so-secret ingredient! It adds a subtle smokiness.
What is adobo sauce?
- It’s the sauce that comes in those little cans of chipotle chili peppers. It’s tangy, smoky, a tiny bit sweet, and typically includes vinegar, garlic, and various fragrant spices. Canned chipotles in adobo sauce are normally readily available in the Mexican/international aisle of most major grocery stores, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding them.
How to make chipotle sauce
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Put all the ingredients in your food processor, and blend until it’s the desired consistency! Easy peasy. It’s tasty right after you whip it up, or you can chill it for a bit and it’ll thicken up. I prefer to chill it for an hour or so. Chilling it will give it more of a dip consistency, so it’ll be perfect for dipping vegetables.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the food processor I use for this dressing.
- Store leftover salad dressing in these glass jars with lids.
- I use these handy measuring spoons for dry ingredients.
Substitutions and variations
- If you’re not a fan of sour cream, feel free to substitute with Greek yogurt. I tested with 2% plain Greek yogurt, and it still tasted great.
- I used one smallish chipotle chili pepper and a teaspoon of the adobo sauce. That was enough kick for me, but I know that others may want it much hotter! Feel free to add in more to suit your tastes.
- You could add some chipotle chili pepper powder too while you’re at it if you want to set your mouth on fire. 😉
What to serve with chipotle ranch dressing
- Make a simple green salad, toss it with this dressing, and serve it as a side dish to pair with my Santa Fe Chicken Skillet, this Beef Taco Skillet, or Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- It’s also wonderful on nachos, Fish Tacos, burritos, steak, as a dipping sauce for vegetables or chicken tenders… the possibilities are endless, and you’ll want to drizzle it over just about everything.
- You can also just make it the star of a taco salad as a main meal. Jazz it up with your favorite toppings like tortilla strips and avocado.
Leftovers and storage
- This dressing will keep in an airtight container for 5-7 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- If you need to make your salad ahead of time, just store the components individually until you’re ready to assemble and eat it.
Let me know if you tried this southwest ranch dressing! Questions or comments? Let’s talk below. You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup mayo
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce see note
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup (lightly packed) cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Process on high for about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust if needed.
- Serve immediately or chill for an hour (or longer) prior to serving. It will keep in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container.
Notes
- I realize that the size of the chipotle chili peppers vary depending on the brand you buy. I would suggest using a SMALL pepper unless you want this recipe really spicy.
- The recipe makes about a cup of dressing.
- You can also find this recipe in chapter 7 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on May 4, 2016. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
This dressing tastes wonderful, I love the smoky flavor! I used 2 tablespoons of dried cilantro rather than fresh and I have no regrets. I’ll be writing it down in my book!
So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for leaving a comment.
how much does this recipe yield?
About a cup of dressing. Hope you enjoy it, Sarah! 🙂
Mine turned out SUPER spicy. I had to make a second batch with no pepper and blend the two together in order to be able to eat it. I will know to cut that pepper in half next time.
Geez, I’ve made this plenty of times, and one pepper doesn’t usually do that. That’s good to know! I am not able to handle spice very well myself. I didn’t realize that the peppers can come crazy hot. Thanks for leaving a comment! Glad you were able to still enjoy it.
Made this dressing last night for our Deconstructed Shrimp Salad with all the fixings!
This was so amazing! Hubby and our two kiddos raved about it and want me to make more soon!
I used fresh garlic & sourcream (didn’t have powdered garlic or powdered onion on hand so I omitted the onion with no sacrifice to flavor…al all!) …can’t wait to try with Greek yogurt in place of sour cream!
Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe!💕
I’m so glad you guys all loved it!! And your deconstructed shrimp salad sounds delicious!!
You have managed to convince me that this is probably the best dressing out there! Creamy, zesty, smoky, spicy, fresh tasting. Yum.
Aw, thanks!! Let me know if you try it!
Looks delicious. Ranch dressings are my favorite, thanks for sharing
Thanks Keith! I hope you try it 🙂
This looks delicious! I am pinning this so I don’t lose the recipe.
Thank you!! Hope you enjoy it.
This looks and sounds amazing!
Thanks Evelyn!!
Currently wishing I could take a bath in this dressing. Seriously, it looks and sounds that good! Love the twist of lime!
Haha thanks Karly!
This dressing is so right up my alley. Great video, Natasha! Watching the food processor pulverize is completely transfixing. 😉
Thanks Tracy! Hahaha… I have like so much more food processor footage. I tried to strike a balance between transfixing my viewers and boring them 😛