This Jalapeño Ranch recipe makes the perfect dressing, sauce, and dip that goes with everything! Made with cilantro, lime juice, pickled jalapeños, mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, parsley, and more, it’s deliciously creamy, yet light and vibrant in flavor.
Your search for the most perfect dressing/sauce/dip for salads, veggies, tacos, fajitas and more has come to an end! This jalapeño ranch is made with a handful of easy ingredients and is one of the best condiments to keep in the fridge to use on everything.
This jalapeño ranch is creamy, herby, and vibrant. Just like my chipotle ranch dressing, it’s made with a mayonnaise and sour cream base that’s super creamy, and seasoned with fresh and dried herbs and spices like cilantro, lime juice, dill, parsley, and onion powder to pump up the flavor.
There is one secret ingredient, however, that really helps it stand out: pickled jalapeños!
Adding a few mild pickled jalapeño slices to recipe really helps it shine. While it isn’t overly spicy, you can easily replace the mild slices with the medium or hot varieties instead. Either way, the creamy base helps tone down the heat and balances all of the flavors nicely.
Bring a bottle of this freshly made jalapeño ranch to pour on salads at summer cookouts, or just keep it for yourself! No judgment here. It’s the best topping on late night sheet pan nachos and leftover carnitas if I do say so myself.
jalapeño ranch ingredients
- Mayonnaise – The base of this recipe is made with mayonnaise. Its creamy texture will cool down the heat from the jalapeños and make it taste extra satisfying.
- Milk – To help thin out the dressing without losing any creaminess or flavor. You could switch this with buttermilk, water, or dairy-free milk if you like.
- Sour cream – For a little tang and tartness.
- Cilantro – A handful of fresh cilantro really helps this dip stand out and makes it light and herbaceous.
- Lime juice – To help the dip taste extra bright while the acid rounds out all of the flavors.
- Herbs and spices – Chives, dill, and parsley give the dip freshness while the onion powder, fresh garlic, salt, and black pepper make it a bit savory.
- Pickled jalapeños – Mild pickled jalapeños still lend their flavors without making the ranch dressing too spicy. To give it some kick, you can use the medium or hot variety of pickled jalapeños or make your own at just the right spice level.
How to make jalapeño ranch dressing
It’s so easy! Just place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor, then blend it all up until smooth! You can store it in the fridge for later or use it right away.
Tips, variations, and Storage
- When measuring the cilantro, you can include both the leaves and stems. No need to pick off the individual leaves.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Replace it with fresh parsley instead (no need to use dried parsley in this case).
- Let all of the flavors get to know each other. Once the sauce is blended, I recommend letting it sit in the fridge for 1 hour or even overnight. It’ll taste even better!
- Want to make a vegan version? Try this recipe with plant-based mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk alternatives instead.
- To store, keep the sauce in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
serving suggestions
It might be easier to think of where NOT to use this ranch dressing instead. Seriously, it’s good with everything!
Use as a dipping sauce with:
- pizza (my personal favorite)
- jalapeño poppers
- baked chicken wings
- freshly cut vegetables
- cheese quesadillas
Drizzle it on:
The possibilities are endless! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 6 slices pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Isabel’s Tips:
- Spice level: This ranch dressing isn’t particularly spicy since I used mild pickled jalapenos. To give it some kick, feel free to use the medium or hot variety of pickled jalapenos.
- Storage: Keep the sauce in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- When measuring the cilantro, you can include both the leaves and stems. No need to pick off the individual leaves.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Replace it with fresh parsley instead (no need to use dried parsley in this case).
- Let all of the flavors get to know each other. Once the sauce is blended, I recommend letting it sit in the fridge for 1 hour or even overnight. It’ll taste even better!
- Want to make a vegan version? Try this recipe with plant-based mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk alternatives instead.
Nutrition Information
Delicious – even before refrigerating to meld flavors. Only change was the addition of a fresh jalapeño. Many thanks for this recipe!