Jalapeño Ranch Recipe
Jalapeño Ranch is perfect as a dressing, dip or sauce. It has a thick sour cream base, and is lightened up with fresh cilantro and lime juice and a hint of spice. This stuff is highly addictive!
If you’re looking for something milder, I highly recommend our Avocado Ranch which is loved by kids and adults. Jalapeño ranch has a kick to it and is perfect as a dip for Potato Wedges, drizzled over Shrimp Fajitas, or your favorite salad.
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Jalapeño Ranch Recipe:
Jalapeño ranch has a simple list of ingredients with amazing fresh flavor with a perfectly creamy (non gritty) consistency. It is seasoned to perfection and better than any store-bought dressing. It also keeps really well in the refrigerator for up to a week and only gets better with time as the flavors meld.
How to Make Jalapeño Ranch:
Good news! This is the easiest recipe. All you need to make it is a food processor, a good blender or magic bullet. You simply combine all of the ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth. We seed and roughly chop the jalapeno and cilantro but it really is just a blend and serve type of recipe.
Serve Jalapeño Ranch Dressing on:
- Mexican salad
- Burrito bowls
- Caesar Salad – for a twist on classic Caesar
Serve Jalapeño Ranch Dip with:
- Fresh vegetables
- Tortilla Chips
- Potato Wedges
- Quesadillas or taquitos
Drizzle as a Sauce over:
There are so many practical reasons excuses to make and consume Jalapeño Ranch. It really is lip-smacking good. Make this once and you will want a steady supply in your refrigerator.
Jalapeño Ranch Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, Seeded and chopped (2 Tbsp)
- 2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine all dressing ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, blender or magic bullet and blend until creamy and smooth (about 30 seconds).
Nutrition Per Serving
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Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
My mom is on a low sodium diet. Can you or have you substituted the sour cream for yogurt before?
Hi Stacie! I have not but some of my readers have reported good results using Greek yogurt.
I am sitting here on a cool, rainy day with my laptop on my lap just scrolling through some of your videos….I love doing this. We love the jalapeno sauce you get at Chuy’s when they bring your chips out to the table, this looks very similar. I can’t wait to try this!!! Love all your videos too Natasha, you are so good at explaining things so even an average cook like me can understand it.
I hope you love it, Denise!
where does the ranch come in??? It says creamy jalapeno ranch??
Hi Jenni! This is a different version of ranch dressing. It has a sour cream base, garlic, and onion- all of which are important for the flavor profile of ranch but instead of using parsley, dill, or chives, we use Cilantro, Jalapeños, and lime. If you want a more traditional ranch flavor, you can try our other recipe for homemade ranch dressing.
This recipe was amazing ….made as written except I didn’t have fresh jalapeño’s so used pickled jalapeños and used my immerser blender to mix….so easy and delicious
Glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Donna!
Is it possible to store this in the refrigerator for a short period of time? How long do you think it would last?
Hi Ashley, it keeps really well in the refrigerator for up to a week and only gets better with time as the flavors meld.
What is the portion size (measurement) for 1 serving of this dressing?
Hi Lindsey, this is for 6 people (4 Tbsp each serving)
Salty and turned out too thin.
No spice.
Not a good recipe.
Hi Chad, if your jalapeno ranch is not spicy, it could be due to a bland jalapeno – not all jalapenos are spicy. Also, it should be thick enough to dip a veggie in it and also not too thick that it could be used as a salad dressing. Adding too much lime juice or using a runny sour cream (such as Canadian-style sour cream) can make it runny. I hope that helps.
Such a zesty and versatile recipe! I used whole milk Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and a big, heaping spoonful of jarred hot jalapeño slices since we were out of fresh jalapeños. Still turned out great, and we’ve been using it to jazz up wraps for quick and flavorful lunches/dinners. It’s especially good on a wrap with deli turkey, romaine, sharp cheddar, pickled onions, avocado, tomato and cucumber. 🙂
Hi Nicole! That sounds amazing. I’m so glad you love the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
This is so good. I used 3 jalapeños. Also didn’t have a full cup of sour cream so I added a couple of Tbs of mayo. Also no fresh cilantro so used dry. Chopped my peppers course and let the food processor do it’s thing. Will triple recipe next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!
Just made this! Made it vegan by using vegan sour cream, which is thicker than dairy sour cream. I had to add about a tsp of soy milk to get it to blend. But boy is it good!! Thank you for the recipe! I know I’m going to be using this recipe a lot!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kathleen! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can you substitute coconut yogurt instead of sour cream?. I can not have dairy.
Hi Regina! I have not tested it but I think it would be fine. 🙂
Hi Natasha, my name is Maks. I am 11 years old. I made your jalapeno ranch secretly so my mom did not see that I made it. today for lunch we had some of your chicken inchildas and the homemade salsa
Hi Maks! That’s great! Thank you for sharing that with me. I hope they were enjoyed! 🙂
I did try this last night for Chicken Fajitas and i added avocado it was so delicious 🙂 love all your recipe.
Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoy my recipes.
Oh my goodness! This jalapeño Ranch dressing/dip is sooooo good! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Donna! Happy to know that you love it.
my jalapeño was past its prime so I substituted 1 jalapeño in adobo sauce. It was delicious.
I’m sure if made with the jalapeño it would be just as delicious.
Hi Trudy, good to know that the substitutions that you used worked just fine. Thank you for your good comments and feedback! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe.
Made this for an 8 person dinner (doubles the Cobb Salad). The Jalapeno Ranch dressing was such a hit, not salad left and they were dipping the meat entree in the dressing. Sooo good.
That’s wonderful, Bill! Thank you for the feedback. I’m so glad it was enjoyed!
I have not gotten to the point of making the shrimp fajitas, but I just made the jalapeno ranch recipe. Goodness! This stuff is the bomb!!!! Can’t wait to drizzle it over the fajitas
So so good! I’m so glad you agree Cris!
Hi Natasha
I tried this recipe and it was delicious. Not super runny yet thick enough. Looking forward to trying your other recipes. Blessings.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Michael! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Natasha ik zou graag van je recepten maken maar zou je de hoveelheden ook in gram of ml of dl kunnen vermelden zou voor mij veel makkelijker zijn. Bedank groetjes
Hi Frieda, you can convert the ingredients into grams just click, Jump to recipe then Metric. I hope that helps!
Do you add dry ranch dressing? I saw another recipe for this dressing and it added 2 tablespoons of dry ranch dressing to the recipe.
Hi Ann, I haven’t really tested it yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
In my opinion, you don’t need to. It tastes like Ranch on it’s own.
I usually love your recipes but this one was not a winner for us. I am sure that I blended maybe a little long bcuz it was runny but other than that not much flavor. Not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Rhonda, could it have been a change in the proportions of liquid to dry ingredients? Or maybe consider if any substitutions were made in ingredients that could have caused it to be too loose?
I followed recipe exactly and then refrigerated for a few hrs. Not runny, tons of flavor.
I made this vegan by using a dairy-free sour cream. I honestly can’t stand this sour cream on its own, but when it’s masked by all these amazing flavors, it makes a delicious and thick dressing that was perfect on a veggie-filled taco salad. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Genevieve! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
I have made this several times because we live the flavor but it is always too thin and runny. I’m wondering if something might be off in the recipe.
Hi Cindy, It should come out thick though, did you perhaps blend it for a longer time?
I just love your videos. Not only are you recipes delicious , but you crack me up!😂 keep it up and put out a recipe book please.🤗
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Paula!
Made this with non-fat Greek yogurt and it came out perfect. My go-to sauce for everything. Thanks!
Great to hear that, Christie. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Mine turned out super runny, much more of a dressing than a thicker dip, but still had so much flavor! I still used it as a dip for my crudités (as I planned) and everyone raved about how delicious it was. I’m definitely making it again and again!
I’m glad you liked it, Karen. It should come out thick though, did you perhaps blend it for a longer time?
Most likely! And/or didn’t have enough sour cream (I was using up an open container ;)) I’m making it again this weekend though!
If you follow recipe exactly, and refrigerate for 2-3 hrs it is thick, and perfect.
Just add flour a little at a time to thicken it won’t change the taste
Made this last night to go with the Shrimp fajitas. It was just finger-licking awesome! We did not have the onion and garlic powders. So used fresh spring onion and garlic instead. And we used bottled sliced jalapeno peppers. Worked very well.
So nice to know that! Thank you for trying out this recipe, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Haven’t tried the recipe yet but sounds delicious. I’m lactose intolerant so need a substitution for the sour cream. You’ve commented that using all mayo changes the taste-could reducing the amount of mayo work?
Hi Paulette, I haven’t tested it that way so it’s hard to say. I think it’s worth experimenting with a substitution, but without trying something myself, I can’t make any dairy-free recommendations.
There are lactose free sour cream options out there- where I live the Kroger carries a brand called Good Culture. It is great.
Yummmmmm! This is absolutely amazing! I love watching your cooking videos…you are pretty much my go to when I’m trying to figure out something for dinner…keep the recipes coming!
I’m so glad you enjoeyd this recipe, Susi! Thank you for that awesome review!
I don’t like cilantro, is there anything I can use instead or can I just leave it out? Thank you
Hi Debbie, I haven’t tried a substitution yet to advise, but you can try parsley or basil.
We love this ranch and have made it a number of times! It is not too spicy at all and is super easy to whip up.
Oh, I should mention that we don’t use the full amount of cilantro; we just eyeball it. We also usually have lemon juice (not lime juice) on hand for it. This recipe is very forgiving!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Just have a question. Do you add a packet of ranch dressing or something? I don’t get the ranch part or is that just a name for it?
Hi Christian, I just used 1 cup of sour cream, I would recommend reviewing the recipe card again.
It’s just sour cream dip. It isn’t ranch (or even dressing) at all.
Agreed
I know, that name threw me off too. I’d take the “ranch” part out of the name as it is misleading for what it actually is.
SO delicious!!! Seriously, I was licking the remnants after preparing it in my blender haha. I used plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it turned out great. Will 100% make again.
I love that you found a new favorite on our blog! Thank you for that amazing review Renee!
I love her simplicity and personality. I never knew about Natasha until I started traveling to Canada. She is a great cook and makes her recipes so simple to follow!! I am Hispanic and I could taste from a distance her shrimp fajitas. Yummmy. I do make my own flour and corn tortillas
I can only imagine how good those homemade tortillas must be! YUM! Thank you for your nice and thoughtful feedback.
I really liked the taste of this sauce; but mine turned out really thin, maybe I cut the jalapeños too small? Otherwise, I really recommend! 🙂
Hi Ella, yes, that could be it. Let us know how it goes if you try this recipe again.
Hi Natasha – I made this exactly as your recipe states and it was fabulous. I used an immersion blender for easy clean up and it was smooth and creamy. Thank you!
You’re welcome Jan! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Can I use fresh garlic and onion instead the powder?
Hi Ching, you could try this with fresh garlic and onion. I think that would still work. The dried powder helps to keep the mixture slightly thicker though.
Can the jalapeño ranch dressing be Store in the freezer?
The recipe makes a & I do not want to waste it.
Hi Janet, It keeps really well in the refrigerator for up to a week and only gets better with time as the flavors meld. I have not tried freezing it as it has never lasted long enough. I imagine it may separate in the freezer when thawed.
Can sour cream be substituted with mayo? Thanks:)
Hi Anna, since the base of this sauce is sour cream, it would be difficult to sub it with mayo and get the same flavor. I haven’t tested it with Greek yogurt, but that would probably be the next best thing to use plain Greek yogurt. You might also try our avocado ranch which has less sour cream in it and is part mayo.
Natasha I Love You and your Video’s. Thanks for sharing you are the best, and you make them so easy to follow with your step by step Recipe Video.
Love You ❤️😍😘🥰
Thank you for your compliments, Mike!
I wouldn’t just substitute sour cream for the other ingredients. I substituted sour cream for 1/2 of my mayonaise and it was TOO strong and unpleasant. Use more full fat mayo. Forget the sour cream!
Could you substitute the sour cream for plain yogurt?
Hi Marilyn, I haven’t tested it with yogurt, but that would probably be the next best thing to use plain Greek yogurt. You might also try our avocado ranch which has less sour cream in it and is part mayo.
Delicious! This reminded me of Chuy’s ranch dip, which we love. I whipped this up in no time, and it’s so tasty. I normally bake chicken with mayo topped with crumbled french fried onions. I thought this would be a good substitute for the mayo, and I was right! SO DELISH! My husband was speechless except for the “mmm mmm mmm!” I tried it with regular french fried onions, and also French’s new flavor, fried red peppers. Both so good, and the red pepper gave it even more of a pop of flavor! Thank you for this recipe! Love trying your recipes and watching your videos!
Great to hear that, Meredith! I’m so happy that you loved this dip and yes this can indeed be a great substitute for mayo. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Thank you so much Natasha ! Love ❤️ u!
You’re welcome! Sending LOVE back!
My husband and I LOVED this jalapeño ranch on our chicken and fish tacos.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I love this recipe and make it all the time. It’s always a hit when I bring to work and makes healthy snacking so much better.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Julie!
I loved this recipe. I thought it came out a little too salty, so the next time I make it I am going to cut it down to a half teaspoon or eliminate the salt altogether. It can always be added; but, it’s hard to take away if too salty.
Thank you for that feedback, Linda!
Wow Natasha!!! It looks so yummy. Going to show off my skills tonight. Hehe
That’s so great Kamala! I hope you love it!
Very delicious base but I
was disappointed how salty it was. I made the dip exactly as instructed but i wish it had left out the salt. Maybe at the end say “add salt to taste”
Thank you for that suggestion Jen.
Can a hand held blender be used for mixing
Hi Pam, I haven’t tested that but if it is powerful enough I don’t see why not!
How long will the ranch stay fresh in the refrigerator?
Hi Lily, It keeps really well in the refrigerator for up to a week and only gets better with time as the flavors meld.
Hey Natasha,
I don’t want to use garlic or onion powder can I use fresh or what can I substitute it with.
Hi Jessica, you could try this with fresh garlic. I think that would still work. The dried powder helps to keep the mixture slightly thicker though.
My husband doesn’t like sour cream, do you think mayonnaise would work? Maybe, I could use ranch dressing and put in lime juice, cilantro and a jalapeño?
Hi Terri, since the base of this sauce is sour cream, it would be difficult to sub it with mayo and get the same flavor. I haven’t tested it with Greek yogurt, but that would probably be the next best thing to use a plain Greek yogurt. You might also try our avocado ranch which has less sour cream in it and is part mayo.
This sounds delightful! How well/long does it keep in the fridge?
Hi Angela, It keeps really well in the refrigerator for up to a week and only gets better with time as the flavors meld.
What would you substitute for the cilantro? It tastes like soap to me.
I haven’t tried anything yet to advise, but you can try parsley or basil.
I have a friend who is obsessed with jalapeno, so I will have to make this for them!
I hope your friend loves this recipe!!
We made this dressing for our salads today and it was so yummy! I loved the fresh lime in it, and just the right amount of spice!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review.
I love homemade dressing, it is always the best! This one looks simply delicious, and I love that it has a bit of a kick. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Mmm yes! It makes everything taste better and that kick of heat makes it way more exciting than plain ranch.
Love that I can now make this from home versus buying a store brand! Delicious and with a kick; yum!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I absolutely love how easy this was to make and how creamy it came out! Perfect!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Ashley!