Cafe Rio Salad Dressing

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5 from 4 votes

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing is a copycat version of the restaurant famous creamy cilantro-lime dressing.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Condiment, Salad, Vegetarian

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian

Keyword: Cafe Rio Dressing

Servings: servings

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $5.32

Equipment

Blender or food processor

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh 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

US - Metric

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

Notes

Note 1: If you’re sensitive to spice, leave out the seeds of the jalapeño, and if you love heat, add them in! Add slowly; you can always blend in more if you’d like more heat.

Note 2: Salsa verde is made from tomatillos, but the tomatillos are typically roasted or browned to get more flavor before being blended into a salsa. By using the salsa, you can have a superior tomatillo flavor with no extra work on your end. Alternatively, coarsely chop 1 tomatillo and throw it in the blender for this dressing.

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5–7 days and give it a good stir or shake before using it again. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so thin it with additional buttermilk.

Nutrition