Name: Chipotle Ranch
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 8 oz sour cream; ¾ cup mayonnaise; 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, see notes; 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon dried dill; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice

This homemade Chipotle Ranch Salad Dressing is easy to make and will make you crave your veggies. Perfect for serving over a southwest salad!

Homemade Chipotle Ranch

Chipotle ranch dressing has been my favorite salad dressing for as long as I can remember. I love the spicy kick of the adobo peppers, and the creaminess of the dressing drizzled over fresh crisp salads. It is so delicious!

One of my favorite salad bars has a chipotle ranch that I have to get every time we eat there. I have yet to find the perfect store bought chipotle ranch so I decided I needed to make my own!

This homemade creamy southwest salad dressing comes together in 5 minutes and comes out perfect every time! Make this the next time you are craving a salad.

What’s in chipotle ranch

Find the full recipe and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Sour cream: adds tanginess to the dressing.
Mayonnaise: this gives the salad dressing a great creaminess.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: the star of the southwest flavor. Full of smoky spicy flavor. You can add more or less peppers to adjust the heat level to your liking.
Lime juice: to really make all the flavors pop.
Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, dill, salt.

pouring southwest salad dressing over a salad

How to make Chipotle Ranch

Step 1: Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, lime juice, and spices to a high speed blender or food processor.

Step 2: Blend the salad dressing ingredients on high speed until creamy and smooth.

chipotle dressing ingredients in a food processor

chipotle ranch dressing in a food processor

Storing

Store it in the refrigerator: Store any leftover chipotle ranch in an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge for up to one week.
Tips for serving again: If the dressing is too thick cold you can stir in a small amount of water to thin it out when you serve it again.

This salad dressing is so creamy, tangy, and has just the right amount of spiciness. If you prefer less heat, you can use two chipotle peppers instead of three for a milder dressing.

chipotle ranch dressing in a mason jar with a spoon

wooden spoon dipped in southwest salad dressing

How to serve chipotle ranch

On a salad: my favorite way to eat this chipotle ranch is over a big hearty southwest salad with avocado, corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, tortilla strips, and romaine lettuce.
As a pasta salad dressing: this southwest pasta salad is delicious!
As a sauce: drizzled over tacos, wraps, or on top of black bean burgers

More ways to serve

If you are trying to eat more raw veggies, this would also be delicious served as a dip. This would be delicious served with carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, celery, or cherry tomatoes for dipping.

southwest salad with chipotle ranch dressing

Recipe Substitutions

Sour cream: try substituting for plain unsweetened Greek yogurt to up the protein in this recipe.
Adjust the spiciness: Add the chipotle peppers one at a time to the dressing until you reach your desired level of spiciness.
Make it vegan: substitute vegan mayonnaise and sour cream to make this recipe dairy free.

Notes

Adjust the spiciness For a less spicy dressing, start with 1 or 2 chipotle peppers. Serving size This recipe will yield around 1 and 3/4 cups of dressing. The serving size is for 1/10th of the recipe, or around 2.5 tablespoons.