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Home Recipe Index Condiments

Easy Southwest Ranch Dressing

★★★★★ 5 /5
Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
Rachel Tiemeyer
By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 3/7/22Updated: 9/14/23

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

A little creamy, a hint of spicy, and 100% delicious, this homemade southwest ranch dressing takes minutes to throw together and is super versatile.

Southwest Ranch Dressing in a small white bowl for serving.

 

The key to creating restaurant-quality food is often in the sauces. This southwest version of homemade Ranch dressing (or sauce) adds cool creaminess, a hint of citrus and lime, a bit of spice from the cayenne, and complexity from the cilantro and other seasonings. It’s far more interesting and tasty than any store-bought dressing or dip.

Table of Contents
  • A Healthier Ranch Dressing
  • What’s in Southwest Ranch Dressing?
  • How to Store Homemade Ranch Dressing
  • How to Use This Sauce/Dressing
  • More Homemade Salad Dressings You’ll Love
  • Recipe: Creamy Southwest Ranch Dressing

A Healthier Ranch Dressing

Not only is this homemade dressing delicious but it’s far healthier than ones at the store. Have you ever looked closely at the ingredients in a bottle of Ranch dressing or a packet of Ranch dressing mix? It’s jam-packed with additives, preservatives, MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, and many other mystery ingredients. Yuck!

When time allows, you’ll find that making your own condiments at home, like BBQ sauce, salad dressings, and pesto, is not only better for you, but they also taste fresher and more complex. This proves true with our Southwest Ranch Dressing!

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What’s in Southwest Ranch Dressing?

This dressing (Or is it a sauce? Or is it a dip?) boasts of just a handful of recognizable ingredients. You may have most of these at home already.

  • Salsa (look for an all-natural brand or use the fresh stuff from the deli section)
  • Sour cream (or plain, full-fat Greek yogurt)
  • Freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
  • Fresh cilantro or parsley (or dried parsley)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper
Homemade southwest ranch dressing on a chicken wrap.

How to Store Homemade Ranch Dressing

After combining all the ingredients, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Do not freeze (the sour cream will separate in the freezer.) This dressing tastes better the longer it sits.

How to Use This Sauce/Dressing

Use this tasty sauce for a variety of dishes, including these ideas:

  • Drizzle it on our Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps. Sooo good!
  • Serve as a dip with fresh veggies like cucumber, celery, carrots, broccoli, and bell peppers.
  • Pair it with our Crispy Parmesan Potato Wedges as an appetizer!
  • Use it as a dressing on a leafy green salad. Topping ideas include our Southwest Chicken Tenders, fresh corn kernels, black beans, tortilla strips, feta or cotija cheese, and cherry tomatoes.
Southwest Ranch Dressing in a small white bowl for serving.

More Homemade Salad Dressings You’ll Love

  • Honey Dijon Dressing
  • Southwest Ranch
  • Cilantro Lime Dressing
  • Lemon Vinaigrette
  • Honey Balsamic Dressing
  • Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

southwest ranch sauce or dressing in a bowl.
★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

Creamy Southwest Ranch Dressing

This fresh-tasting, creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce has a little heat and a lot of flavor! Use as a dip for veggies, a sauce on a wrap or taco, or dressing on top of salad.

Yield: 1 cup 1x
Prep: 5 minutesTotal: 5 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup salsa (look for an all-natural brand or use the fresh stuff from the deli section)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain, full-fat Greek yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients until combined. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.


Notes/Tips

This will keep for a week in the fridge. Do not freeze.

© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: Southwest Method: No cook

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Rachel Tiemeyer

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!

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  1. AvatarMichelle says

    Posted on 8/26/23 at 9:33 am

    This was delicious. The perfect blend of spices. We used it with the Southwest Chicken. We made wraps with the dressing, Southwest Chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes. It was so good we will use it again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 8/26/23 at 1:00 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this Michelle! It is one of my all-time favorites to put on all kinds of Mexican meals. I can hardly even have a taco without making this. 🙂

      Reply
  2. AvatarJulie says

    Posted on 4/23/23 at 2:11 pm

    This was so good! Super easy too! I used a hot salsa and added a bit more cilantro, hot green Chile’s and a dash of cumin. Exactly what I wanted.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 4/23/23 at 3:32 pm

      Love all these additions Julie! I bet it was great. Thank you for leaving a review and letting others know how you tweaked it!

      Reply
  3. AvatarCarla says

    Posted on 2/14/23 at 1:11 pm

    I only eat taco salad with this dressing now.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. AvatarErin says

    Posted on 9/20/22 at 4:05 pm

    Why is it that this recipe cannot be stored in the freezer?

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 9/22/22 at 3:18 pm

      Great question. When you freeze a sauce like this that has dairy in it, it will separate and get watery when it thaws. Something like a soup that has sour cream in it (i.e. potato soup) does ok freezing because after thawing you warm it up and stir it around. But for a cold sauce like this, it just doesn’t turn out great after freezing. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  5. AvatarKelly says

    Posted on 7/13/22 at 4:45 pm

    I was curious how spicy this recipe is? I attempted another recipie and was way to hot for me. Thank you

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 7/14/22 at 9:47 am

      The spice level is mainly dependent on what salsa you use. If you don’t like spicy foods, I would use a mild salsa and omit the pinch of cayenne pepper. You can always stir in cayenne or a little hot sauce at the end if you want it spicier. I hope that helps!

      Reply

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