Jalapeno Ranch Dressing (with Video)
A delicious homemade salad dressing that will add amazing flavor a bit of kick to your favourite salads, this Jalapeño Ranch Salad Dressing is tastier than anything you will find in the store – and lacks all of the nasty additives and hidden sugars that often accompany pre-made salad dressings.
Jalapeño Ranch Dressing Recipe
One of the biggest cruelties of store-bought salad dressings is how unhealthy they are for something that you buy to try to make healthier choices!
From hidden sugars and sweeteners to high levels of sodium, and even nasty additives like maltodextrin (some serious health risks), monosodium glutamine (MSG), calcium stearate (more health risks), etc., some commercial salad dressings can be complete health saboteurs.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m all for sugar and indulgence, but I opt for salads to balance out my other, more indulgent choices. I want my salad to taste great while actually being healthy and it’s incredibly frustrating for me to see a delicious-sounding salad dressing on the shelf, only to read the ingredients label and be disappointed.
So, for the past year I’ve been experimenting to develop homemade salad dressings that can keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks and make my salads taste indulgent and satisfying, without all of those junk ingredients.
My most recent obsession is this zesty, creamy jalapeño ranch salad dressing. It adds just the right amount of heat and tastes great on just about any salad combination – my daughter loves it on a simple spinach and strawberry salad (as seen in the video below) while I think it lends itself perfectly to a southwestern-inspired salad. It also tastes great on chicken, beef, salmon or grilled veggies.
For even more spice, you can leave some of the jalapeño seeds in the dressing and I’ve also added a bit of salsa verde on occasion for a new dimension of flavor.
Leave out the cilantro if you’re not a fan.
How long does jalapeño ranch salad dressing last? This salad dressing will last for two weeks in the fridge without a loss in flavor or quality, if stored in a sealed, airtight container. The heat does intensify a bit overnight, but not drastically.
Do you have to use fresh jalapeños? I’ve tried this recipe both with canned jalapeños and fresh. I prefer the flavor of using fresh but it truly is delicious either way.
More Recipes using Jalapeños
- Jalapeño Crunch Cowboy Burger
- Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Dip
- Blueberry Salsa
- Copycat Chuy’s Jalapeno Ranch Dip
More Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
- Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- Green Goddess Salad Dressing
- Mango Jalapeño Salad Dressing from Kylee Cooks
- Orange Poppyseed Salad Dressing
- Pumpkin Salad Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette from Barefeet in the Kitchen
- Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
- Everything But the Bagel Salad Dressing
Check out our quick video to see how easy this Jalapeño Ranch Dressing is to make – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:
Jalapeño Ranch Dressing Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream<– can be swapped for plain greek yogurt
- Buttermilk <– I always have this powdered buttermilk in my fridge to make instant buttermilk whenever I need it.
- Jalapeños, diced and deseeded if desired
- Small Bunch Cilantro, washed and chopped
- Ranch Seasoning, to taste <– grab our recipe for homemade ranch seasoning here
- Cumin, to taste
- Lime Juice, to taste
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: for more heat, leave in some jalapeño seeds. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, it can be omitted.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Smoothie-style Blender
- Mason Jar, to store salad dressing
How to Make Jalapeño Ranch Dressing
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and buttermilk.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, tasting as you go to adjust this salad dressing to your personal preferences.
If desired, place the salad dressing in a smoothie-style blender if you’d prefer a smoother consistency, like you see in the pictures in this post.
Taste and adjust to your personal preferences, keeping in mind that the heat will intensify a bit as the dressing sits in the fridge.
This dressing is ready to enjoy right away but you can also place in the fridge overnight for even more amazing flavor.
Pin this Easy, Zesty Salad Dressing to make your homemade salads even better:
Grab your free printable recipe card for jalapeño ranch salad dressing recipe:
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Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
A creamy, zesty Jalapeno Ranch Salad dressing to add some serious flavor and a bit of kick to your favorite salads. Made with homemade ranch seasoning, fresh jalapenos and fresh cilantro - avoiding the sugars, salts and nasty additives of commercial salad dressings.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 3/4 cup Buttermilk
- 2 Jalapeños, diced - deseeded if desired
- Small Bunch Cilantro, washed and chopped (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
- 1 Tablespoon Ranch Seasoning, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cumin, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Lime Juice, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and buttermilk.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients, tasting as you go to adjust this salad dressing to your personal preferences.
- If desired, place the salad dressing in a smoothie-style blender if you'd prefer a smoother consistency, like you see in the pictures in this post.
- Taste and adjust to your personal preferences, keeping in mind that the heat will intensify a bit as the dressing sits in the fridge.
- This dressing is ready to enjoy right away but you can also place in the fridge overnight for even more amazing flavor.
Notes
For more heat, leave in some jalapeño seeds.
If you're not a fan of cilantro, it can be omitted.
This salad dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks without a loss of flavor or quality. The heat will intensify a bit overnight.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 92Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this jalapeño ranch dressing as much as mine does – and I’d love to hear what salad combinations you add it to!
For more delicious salads, check out our full salad recipe collection here:
For more homemade pantry staples, check out our full pantry staples recipe collection here:
