Try this delicious chipotle ranch dressing on salads, fish tacos, grain bowls, and whatever else needs a spicy ranch-style dressing with a burst of fresh green cilantro.
This post was updated on April 18th, 2020.
About this Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Like a lot of the recipes I create, this one came about when I had some ingredients that I needed to use up – leftover buttermilk and cilantro. Plus I had purchased some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and I wanted to try them. After only a few minutes, everything wound up in the blender, and this creamy, spicy chipotle ranch dressing was born.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Buttermilk
- Mayonnaise
- Honey
- Fresh cilantro
- Garlic
- Lime juice
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
There’s no substitute for cilantro. Parsley looks similar, but cilantro imparts a unique flavor that you don’t want to miss.
The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce really kick things up a notch. Look for it in a can in the Hispanic food aisle. This ingredient adds the smoky flavor. Chipotle peppers are smoke-dried jalapeno peppers that have been allowed to ripen on the vine until they are red. Then they are picked and dried with wood smoke. Here’s an article that explains more about this ingredient.
We’re kind of wimps when it comes to spicy food, so I only used one teaspoon of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you like things a bit spicier, add a little more of this ingredient until you’re happy with the flavor.
Making the Dressing
After you have the ingredients out on your kitchen counter, this dressing comes together quickly. Here’s how to make easy chipotle ranch dressing with cilantro.
Combine the ingredients
- Add the wet ingredients.
Put the buttermilk, mayonnaise, honey, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and lime juice in the blender.
- Prepare the cilantro and garlic.
Strip the leaves off the cilantro stems and put the garlic through a garlic press.
- Add the cilantro and garlic to the blender.
- Blend for about 45 seconds.
Yum, look at this creamy goodness. This chipotle ranch dressing might be a little thinner than what you find in a bottle at the store, but it’s really tasty. It adds a great flavor to grain bowls and works well drizzled over fish tacos and breakfast tacos.
Tips for Making Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- You can use a blender or a food processor to make the dressing, but I prefer a blender. It does a good job of pulverizing the cilantro and this gives the chipotle ranch dressing a nice green color.
- If you don’t have chipotle peppers in adobo sauce you can use powdered chipotle.
- Did you know that you can freeze excess chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and buttermilk? You can! Whenever I buy buttermilk, I put a portion of it in storage bags in the freezer. I do the same thing with the chipotle peppers.
Other Recipes You Might Like
This dressing is the perfect topping for the following recipes:
Smoky Chipotle Ranch Dressing with Cilantro
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Add the buttermilk, honey, chipotle, lime juice, and mayonnaise to the blender.
- Mince the garlic clove and add it to the food processor.
- Strip the cilantro leaves off the stems and add them to the blender.
- Blend until the cilantro is pulverized – about 45 seconds.
Leave a Reply