No wonder Cafe Rio Dressing is so popular—this creamy cilantro-lime dressing is hard to beat! My flavor-packed copycat is simple to make—just blend and go!
The Best Copycat Cafe Rio Dressing
Cafe Rio is a casual restaurant chain that started in Salt Lake City and now spans the U.S. It’s known for sweet pork, saucy black beans, and that creamy cilantro ranch dressing. My go-to order is all of that piled over lettuce with tons of dressing—it’s unbeatable! (Think Chipotle, but with a twist.)
As far as I know, you can’t buy their dressing anywhere, so I made my own. This version gets a big thumbs up from my kids, my husband, and pretty much anyone who tries it—they all say it tastes just like the original!
Quick Tip
Try some of my favorite recipes with a variation of this dressing — these Shrimp Tacos, this grilled Honey-Lime Chicken, or these one-pot Chicken Burrito bowls.
Cafe Rio Dressing Ingredients
- Packaged ranch mix. I like the original Hidden Valley® ranch mix best. Other brands just don’t have the same flavor (not sponsored).
- Mayo. Hellmann’s/Best Foods® is my go-to.
- Sour cream. Low-fat or regular both work. Greek yogurt is too tangy for me.
- Cilantro. Use fresh stems—grab half a bunch and loosely scoop it into a measuring cup.
- Garlic. Already chopped garlic saves time.
- Lime juice + zest. Use a microplane and citrus juicer for quick zesting and juicing.
- Jalapeño. Leave out the seeds if you don’t like spice.
- Salsa verde. Adds tomatillo flavor without extra prep. I use leftovers in salsa verde soup!
- Buttermilk. If you don’t have it, use milk or homemade buttermilk—but try it with the real stuff sometime!
How To Make Cafe Rio Salad Dressing
This recipe is as easy as throwing everything in a blender and letting it whirl. That said, the secret to a creamy, thick dressing is to blend the ingredients in stages. If the mayo and sour cream are blended with everything else, it will make the dressing much too thin.
Break up the blending into three different phases and be amazed by the results!
Storage
Can I Freeze This Dressing?
We don’t recommend freezing dairy-based dressings, since the texture will change significantly after freezing. It won’t be smooth and can even curdle or become lumpy as it thaws. Instead, we recommend cutting the recipe in half if it won’t be used within 5-7 days.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days and give it a good stir or shake before using again. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so thin it with additional buttermilk as needed. Make sure the dressing is tightly covered or it will absorb the odors of the fridge.
Quick Tip
Looking for a vegan Cafe Rio Dressing or perhaps a more nutritious sauce with no mayo? You’ve got to try the sauce recipe that accompanies these Mexican Chickpeas. It’s ridiculously creamy and luxurious tasting, but made with better-for-you ingredients! (To make it vegan, use a plant-based sour cream and replace the honey with agave.)
More Mexican-Inspired Favorites
- Mexican Zucchini Boats with ground turkey
- Loaded Sweet Potatoes with a Mexican street corn-inspired topping
- Pozole made in 30 minutes or less!
- Chicken Tacos with a tasty avocado-corn salsa
- Mexican Quinoa made in the slow cooker
Cafe Rio Dressing
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix
- 3/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño see note 1
- 1/4 cup salsa verde see note 2
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Zest lime with a zester to get 1 teaspoon zest. Juice lime using a citrus juicer to get 2 tablespoons lime juice. Set aside. In a blender or food processor, combine the dry ranch mix, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, zest, jalapeño, salsa verde, salt, and pepper. Blend until well combined.
- Add in mayo and sour cream. Blend until incorporated; don’t overblend or mix. Finally, add in the buttermilk and pulse just enough to mix through. If you’d like a thinner dressing, add a few additional tablespoons of buttermilk until you reach desired consistency.
- Taste and add any additional seasonings to preference. Chill until ready to serve. As you chill the dressing the flavors intensify!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If this is Cafe Rio Tomatillo dressing, why aren’t there any tomatillos in it? Tomatillos are healthy.
Salsa verde is made from tomatillos 🙂
Hi, How long would you say a batch is good for once made?
About 5-7 days, but you will need to re-blend/stir it up after a day of sitting in the fridge 🙂
I have made this a few times and it so delicious! Thank you for sharing it.
So great to hear!! I’m glad you enjoy it! Thank you for the comment! 🙂
OMG!!! I am so making this ASAP. Cafe Rio is my fave 🙂
I’ve never had the cafe rio dressing before but I love how creamy and delicious it is!
Pouring all over my salads!
Thanks Katalina! 🙂
Oooh, this looks yummy! I’m not familiar with cafe rio, but I trust that this is delicious! Thanks for sharing Chelsea!
Thank you Amber! 🙂
I’ve never heard of cafe rio dressing before, but this does look delicious! I love that it’s easy to adjust the spices to your preference. I think I would pour this dressing over everything!
Thank you Gayle 🙂
That is so bizarre.
I just came here to see if you had any good dressing recipes, as I’m making a tortilla thing with split peas and lentils tonight for dinner and this looks perfect. Can’t wait to try it out 🙂 Thanks.
Haha too funny!! 🙂 I hope you LOVE this! Thanks for the comment!
This is so creamy and delicious! I love remaking recipes at home 🙂