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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 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.
It’s 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 the recipe really helps it shine. While it isn’t overly spicy, you can easily replace the mild slices with medium or hot varieties. 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 for sheet pan nachos and leftover carnitas if I do say so myself.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mayonnaise – The creamy base of this recipe. It helps tone down the heat from the jalapeños and pulls everything together. Use light mayo if you want to keep it a little lighter.
- Milk – Thins out the dressing without losing any creaminess. Buttermilk, water, or a dairy-free milk all work here, too.
- Sour cream – Adds a little tang and tartness. Plain Greek yogurt is a great swap if you want some added protein.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro is what makes this dip feel light and herbaceous. Don’t skip it if you can help it.
- Lime juice – Brightens everything up and helps balance all the flavors.
- Herbs and spices – Chives, dill, and parsley add freshness, while the onion powder, garlic, salt, and black pepper round it out with a little savory depth.
- Pickled jalapeños – Mild pickled jalapeños give you all the flavor without too much heat. Use medium or hot if you want to turn it up, or make your own pickled jalapeños at whatever spice level you like.
How To Make Jalapeño Ranch Dressing
It’s so easy. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Use it right away or store it in the fridge for later.
Tips, Variations, & 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 that case).
- Let it sit. Once blended, I recommend letting it chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or even overnight. The flavors come together even more.
- Want to lighten it up? Swap the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt for a little added protein, and use light mayo in place of regular. It still tastes really good.
- Want to make it vegan? Use your favorite dairy-free mayo, sour cream, and milk alternatives instead.
- To store, keep it in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Serving Suggestions
Honestly it might be easier to think of where not to use this. Some of my favorites:
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!
Jalapeño Ranch
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise (any kind)
- 6 tablespoons milk (any kind)
- ¼ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 6 slices pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Notes
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing! Didn’t expect it to be this good
The nutritional info makes no sense. 8 2Tbs servings per recipe is 64 cals or 512 total calories for the recipe. The mayo alone is 94 calories/ TBS or 564 calories. The recipe is tasty but please be accurate. People depend on that info to eat a healthy diet. Thanks
Hi Reb! Thank you for the feedback and for bringing it to our attention. We use a computer program that generates that information for us so maybe there was a discrepancy.
Delicious – even before refrigerating to meld flavors. Only change was the addition of a fresh jalapeño. Many thanks for this recipe!