A recipe for homemade creamy jalapeño ranch dressing made with mayonnaise, buttermilk, dried spices and pickled jalapeños. Use as a salad dressing or dip with tortilla chips.
If you live in Texas, you probably know that ranch is serious business. It shows up alongside everything from tortillas chips to fried pickles, and one of my favorite versions is the creamy jalapeño ranch served at Tex-Mex restaurants.
This recipe starts with my buttermilk ranch recipe as the base. I use pickled jalapeños for their salty, tangy flavor and blend everything together until it's smooth and creamy. The heat from the dressing is mild, but you can always add more to it. It takes about five minutes to make and is just as good with tortilla chips as it is drizzled over a chicken fajita salad.
When I worked in a hospital kitchen, I worked with a couple of cooks who also worked at Chuy's. They were often asked about the secret to their famous jalapeño ranch, and I remember them saying it was simply house-made ranch blended with jalapeños. This is my easy home version of that.
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this homemade jalapeño ranch.
- Mayonnaise: I recommend using a high-quality mayonnaise such as Duke's.
- Buttermilk: Whole or 2% buttermilk both work well. Be sure to shake the container before measuring as it tends to separate.
- Dried Herbs and Spices: This recipe uses parsley, salt, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, thyme, and dill to give the dressing the ranch flavor.
- Pickled Jalapeño Slices: Pickled jalapeños give the ranch its signature tangy flavor and a little heat. I use ⅛ cup for a mild-to-moderate version.
How to Make Jalapeño Ranch
- Add the mayonnaise, buttermilk, herbs, spices and pickled jalapeños to a food processor or blender. Because of the smaller volume, this recipe worked better for me in a food processor.
- Blend until jalapeños are finely pureed and dressing has a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings or add more jalapeños if you want it spicier.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. The ranch will thicken slightly as it chills.
Recipe Tips
- Start with less jalapeño. If you're not sure how much heat you want, start with ⅛ cup. You can always blend in more.
- To make it spicier, increase the pickled jalapeños to ¼ cup. Keep in mind that the jalapeños add salt, so taste before adding additional salt.
- Pickled vs. fresh jalapeños: Pickled jalapeños give the dressing the flavor I associate with Tex-Mex restaurant ranch. Fresh jalapeños add more heat and give a more earthy, vegetable flavor.
- To thicken ranch: Add a little extra mayo to make the dressing creamier.
- Seasoning swap: You can substitute part of a ranch dip packet in place of the dried spices.
Serving and Storage
Serve chilled with tortilla chips or fresh vegetables, or use it anywhere you'd use regular ranch. It's especially good drizzled over taco salads, burrito bowls, chicken tenders, tacos and other Tex-Mex favorites.
Store jalapeno ranch in an airtight container in the fridge. A mason jar works well for this. Best if consumed with one week.
📖 Recipe
Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- ⅛ cup pickled jalapeno slices, drained
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch of dried dill
- Pinch of dried thyme
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, buttermilk, pickled jalapeños, dried parsley, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dill and thyme to a blender or food processor.
- Blend for 30-60 seconds, or until the jalapeños are finely blended and the dressing is smooth and creamy. Scrape down sides if needed.
- Taste the ranch and add more jalapeños, if you want additional heat. If needed, adjust the salt and seasonings to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The ranch will thicken slightly as it chills.
Notes
Nutrition
There are lots of complicated recipes recreating the Chuy's version, but I encourage you to try this easy recipe for it. I like to think this recipe is about as close as you can get to their creamy jalapeño dip!
More recipes you may also enjoy:
- Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Hatch Green Chile Ranch Dressing
- Copycat Chuy's Mexi-Cobb Salad
- Chicken Fajita Salad
Enjoy!
Alaine
Joe S says
Hi Alaine. When I was in the Air Force, I was stationed at San Antonio Air Base. While there I went to the water front and the Alamo. I tried another of the food and was delighted about the food. I missed the food and some of the food. I'm trying to find a recipe call Roadhouse macaroni salad. If you can help me I would love you for life, and don't tell my wife (LOL).