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.
How to Make Southwest Dressing:
- 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).
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:
Creamy Southwest Dressing
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Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed 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 kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a bowl, and whisk to combine.1 cup mayonnaise1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice2 teaspoons chili powder1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon ground cumin1/2 teaspoon dill1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder1/4 teaspoon kosher salt1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Use immediately, or place the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Kirstie
Tuesday 2nd of May 2023
I added sour cream, honey and cilantro. Amazing dressing. I’m so glad i found it. Thank you!! It’s a keeper.
John
Wednesday 3rd of May 2023
Thank you Kirstie! The extra ingredients sound like a great idea. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day :)
Trula Simmons
Friday 13th of January 2023
My favorite southwest dressing recipe! Yum 😋
Kimberly
Friday 13th of January 2023
Thanks so much, Trula! We're glad you enjoy the dressing! Have a great weekend! :)
Jwiltz
Thursday 7th of October 2021
I have searched for a good Southwest Dressing for years and finally found it! My family approves of your recipes!! If I could give 10 ⭐️, I would. It is the absolute best.
Kimberly
Thursday 7th of October 2021
Thank you so much! We're happy you and your family enjoy the dressing. It's one of our favorites, too. We hope you have a lovely day! :)
Monday 5th of April 2021
Simple, smoky, satiating