Chipotle Ranch Dressing

This creamy paleo Chipotle Ranch Dressing is the perfect marriage of smoky spice and creamy texture. Your tacos, salads, and sandwiches will never be the same again.

 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of salad. Primarily for the goodies.

I like lettuce well enough, but the real point of salad, in my opinion, is all the other deliciousness you add.  I love piling high a mound of veggies, fruit, nuts (candied, toasted, or raw), protein (like beans or chicken), and something that feels decadent like some avocado, olives, a few crumbles of bacon, or any kind of cheese (back when we could have it). Then, you pull everything together with an incredible dressing.

Sometimes, I’m all about something light. A simple vinaigrette, or even just some olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper. Other times, I’m all about something rich or sumptuous, like the creamy parmesan dressing of yore, or good ol’ paleo ranch.

It’s so easy to make different variations on ranch dressing–add a big handful of cilantro and use lime juice to make cilantro-lime-ranch, or add some jalapeños for some kick. In this case, I wanted something with enough punch to really stand out. This chipotle ranch dressing is the perfect marriage of smoky heat and creamy texture. It’s silky smooth and turns just about any veggies and proteins you combine into something amazing.

Your taco salads will never be the same. Your fish tacos will be out of this world. You can even spread it on a grilled ham sandwich or panini to take it to the next level. It’s a very versatile dressing that we’ve had on repeat lately. I just can’t get enough.

Notes on the recipe:

Make Your Own. You can make this recipe with homemade mayo (it literally takes about 2 minutes to make) or veganaise.

Or don’t. Our favorite store-bought mayonnaise is this Primal Kitchen variety made with avocado oil, and our favorite veganaise is Just Mayo, which you can pick up anywhere from Target to Costco. It’s gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free, and made with pea protein instead of eggs, but no joke, it tastes like the real thing.

The best tool for the job. This is a perfect job for an immersion blender. I use mine for making homemade mayo, but it’s also great for these small-batch blending jobs. It’s super affordable and if you don’t have one, you’ll be surprised how much you use it!

Check the heat! This recipes uses canned chipotle peppers in adobo. If you are gluten free, you need to check your labels to make sure the adobo sauce isn’t thickened with flour. We’ve had the best luck with La Costena brand. Also, to be clear this recipe DOES NOT use a full can. It uses 1 PEPPER depending on how spicy you like your dressing. 1 pepper is plenty for us. If you’re heat sensitive, you may want to start with 1/2 a pepper and work up from there.

Make them last. I never use a full can of these chipotle peppers, so I make them last by freezing them. I freeze leftover chipotles individually on a sheet of parchment paper. When they’re solid, I transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and then I can just pull one out when I need one for a recipe.

Like this recipe? You may also like:

• How to Make the BEST Paleo Mayo (Whole30 approved!)
• Chipotle Sweet Potato Bowls
• Honey Lime Fish Tacos