A rich, creamy Southwest dressing flavored with spices like chili and cumin powders, along with paprika and cayenne. It’s perfect for meats and pastas!

Today’s recipe is easy-peasy. Kim and I make a lot of our dressings and sauces at home. Typically, we use a mayonnaise base unless we’re making a vinaigrette, like our raspberry vinaigrette.

This Southwest dressing uses mayo and is seasoned with tons of Southwest spices. Think of dressing that’s flavored with a taco seasoning blend.

That pretty much sums up this offering. A creamy, smooth sauce flavored with chili powders and paprika.

While it might be a simple recipe, it has quite a few applications. Take a look at my tips section for a few ideas.

Well, shall we get started?

How to Make Southwest Dressing:

Alright, so I shouldn’t have to go into too much detail for this recipe.

It’s a salad dressing, after all. There’s no cooking involved, it’s basically dump, mix, and go.

First, gather all your ingredients. Measure out the spices and prep your lime juice.

After that, toss everything together in a mixing bowl and grab a fork or a whisk.

Last, use a little wrist action to blend all of the ingredients into a sauce. Meaning, stir it all together, (for those not familiar with kitchen lingo).

That’s it, you’re Southwest dressing is done! Use it immediately or store it in a sealed container in your fridge.

Kim and I hope you enjoy the recipe and wish you all the best! 🙂

Creamy Southwest Dressing Tips:

• What is Southwest sauce made of? That depends upon who’s making it. For example, many of the commercial or store bought varieties use water and oil as the base and then add similar spice combinations. On the other hand, I tend to use mayonnaise as the base ingredient, then add my lime juice and seasonings. Whether you prefer homemade with mayo or store bought, with oil, is up to you.
• I see a lot of questions of Google concerning the calories in Southwest dressing. Once again, that varies based on the ingredients. Our dressing is around 65 calories for two tablespoons.
• You can use this dressing as a dipping or finishing sauce or, for pasta salads, and sandwiches. Additionally, you could swap out the mayonnaise for olive oil and make it into a meat marinade for beef, chicken, or fish.

Other salad dressing recipes you may love:

• Greek Salad Dressing
• Dill Salad Dressing
• Homemade Caesar Dressing
• Honey Mustard Dressing

Don’t forget to check out our Southwest Dressing web story!

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Creamy Southwest Dressing

Yield: 24 Servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

A rich, creamy Southwest dressing flavored with spices like chili and cumin powders, along with paprika and cayenne. It's perfect for meats and pastas!

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Ingredients

• 1 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
• 2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Teaspoon Dill
• 1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Powder

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Use immediately, or place the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three (3) days.

Notes

The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and a serving size of two (2) tablespoons. Actual calories will vary. The Southwest dressing can be stored in your fridge in a sealed container for up to three (3) days. 

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• 
  Ball 8-Ounce Glass Jars (half pint)
• 
  Mixing Bowl

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 65Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 86mg

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