Traditional Buttermilk Ranch Dressing gets a spicy kick using New Mexico Red Chile Powder. Your salad greens never had it so good. Kick up your next salad with this Spicy Ranch Dressing.
If you’re a fan of New Mexico Recipes like we are, don’t miss this one for Stacked Enchiladas. A New Mexico specialty.
I’m beginning to think that a pinch of New Mexico Red Chile Powder makes every single piece of food better. I’ve been sprinkling it on beans, dips, and even deviled eggs. And now adding it to make this Spicy Ranch Dressing.
This recipe comes from the popular New Mexican Restaurant in Chimayo. And with first bite, I fell in love and had to make it in my own kitchen.
On our recent trip to New Mexico, we had lunch at the famous James Beard Award Winning Rancho de Chimayo. Chimayo, New Mexico is located on the High Road between Santa Fe and Taos.
The restaurant is in a restored family hacienda style home, and when we walked in, their warm hospitality made me feel like we were being welcomed into someone’s home.
The cuisine is traditional Northern New Mexican, and Carne Adovada is what put them on the map and earned them the James Beard Award. It’s an absolutely wonderful dish that defines the spirit of New Mexico cuisine.
Their Red Chile Ranch Dressing elevates traditional ranch into a warm Spicy Ranch Dressing.
According to their cookbook, the spicy ranch dressing is simply a doctored up Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix. Which makes this an incredible quick fix.
This spicy ranch dressing can be made from scratch or using a packet of Ranch Dressing. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Use both sour cream and mayonnaise to make this cool creamy recipe for buttermilk ranch dressing.
- Mayonnaise: Full fat please. And use your favorite brand.
- Sour Cream: Again, full fat. You'll get a thicker and richer result.
- Buttermilk: Adds a beautiful creamy texture and an under note of tang to the overall flavor.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic please. And use a microplane zester to grate it into the the dressing ingredients. This will help distribute that wonderful garlicky flavor.
- Plain Old White Vinegar: No need to get fancy with the vinegar for this recipe.
- Fresh Chives: Chives are wonderful for adding a mild onion flavor to this recipe.
- Fresh Parsley: Use Italian Flat Leaf Parsley for this recipe. For a clean, slightly peppery taste, you'll be glad you chose it over the curly variety. Which actually makes a better garnish along side your burger than for flavor in any recipe.
- Fresh Dill: A fresh buttery herb, using fresh dill will add a grassy flavor with notes of anise and lemon.
- New Mexico Red Chile Powder
Ingredient Substitutions
- Parsley: Substitute parsley for cilantro.
- Red Chile Powder: If you don’t have access to New Mexico Red Chile Powder, substitute Ancho Chile Powder.
How To Make Spicy Ranch Dressing, New Mexico Style
Step by Step Instructions
Simple, fresh and oh-so creamy, let's take a look at these easy step by step instructions to make this recipe for spicy buttermilk ranch dressing.
- Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine mayo and sour cream. A whisk works good for the entire process.
- Step 2: Add the buttermilk ¼ cup at a time, mixing as you go.
- Step 3: Add in the dry ingredients. Chopped fresh chives, chopped parsley, dill vinegar and chopped or zested garlic.
- Step 4: Using a whisk, combine all ingredients until well blended.
- Step 5: Now comes the fun part. Add the New Mexico New Mexico Chile Powder. Start with two teaspoons and keep adding to suit your heat tolerance. I usually add four teaspoons. We like our spice.
Make It Super Simple
Purchase a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. Add 1 ½ Cups Sour Cream, ½ cup half and half, ¼ cup Buttermilk. and then add 3 – 4 teaspoons New Mexico Red Chile Powder. That’s how the restaurant rolls and it’s delicious.
Tips For Success
- Use a microplane zester to grate garlic.
- I like to let this dressing sit in the refrigerator for about an hour so the flavors marry and the dressing thickens slightly. But it's not a deal breaker if you don't.
- Use sharp scissors or good kitchen shears to cut chives into very small pieces
- Did you know you can freeze buttermilk? This recipe call for only a portion of the carton. I measure the rest into small 1 cup canning jars and freeze. It works very well, you may need to shake it up a bit before using, as it can separate.
- This is a somewhat thick dressing that's best drizzled on a salad with a spoon. If you'd like a more pourable dressing, reduce the mayonnaise to ¼ cup. You can also use a low fat sour cream. Full fat sour cream is quite dense. Mexican Crema is a thinner product that would work well here.
Questions You May Have
The benefits of making this recipe from scratch rather than using a packet mix, is this dressing is naturally a gluten free salad dressing.
Ways to use Spicy Ranch Dressing
It's not just a salad dressing after all:
- Drizzle it over pizza like I have for this BBQ Chicken and Jalapeno Pizza and my recipe for BBQ Brisket Pizza. It adds a wonderful compliment to the layers of bbq flavors.
- Spicy Ranch Dressing is thick enough for you to use as a dip for celery sticks, carrots or anything that happen to land on your crudites platter.
- It’s a great dip for those spicy chicken wings.
- Slather it over your next piece of grilled salmon. Just spread it over the fish as you toss it on the grill and use it to baste every 5 minutes. I usually cook salmon 15 - 20 minutes depending on size.
- Making a quick lunch of chicken avocado wraps - use this buttermilk dressing to jazz it up.
- Next time you're grilling corn, drizzle ranch dressing over the corn once it's cooked. It's also wonderful drizzled over grilled new potatoes.
- And speaking of potatoes, try dipping your Oven Home Fries into spicy ranch dressing, Fabulous.
Storage
Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
I hope you give this Spicy Ranch Dressing recipe a try. It’s a great way to bring New Mexico flavors to any combination of salad greens.
More Popular Dressing Recipes
And if you’re looking for more recipes, don’t miss my Salad Category. You’ll find lots of great recipe ideas, including the most popular salad dressing recipe on my site for Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing. Rich, chunky, creamy, it’s simply the best.
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Spicy Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup buttermilk plus more if needed
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated with a microplane zester
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chives fresh, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2-3 teaspoons fresh
- sea or kosher salt and fresh pepper
- 2-4 teaspoons New Mexico Red Chile Powder or Ancho
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the mayo and sour cream, slowly whisk in buttermilk until you reach a consistency you like.
- Mix in garlic, vinegar, parsley, chives and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. From here you can tweak it to your own individual taste by adding more sour cream, mayo, vinegar or herbs.
- Add New Mexico Red Chile Powder starting with 2 teaspoons. Add more as you taste to suit your heat tolerance.
- I like to let this dressing sit in the refrigerator for about an hour so the flavors marry, but it's not a deal breaker if you don't.
Notes
- Use a microplane zester to grate garlic into the the dressing ingredients. This will help distribute that wonderful garlicky flavor.
- This is a thick texture dressing, that’s best drizzled on a salad with a spoon. If you’d like a more pourable dressing, reduce the mayonnaise to ¼ cup. You can also use a low fat sour cream which is a thinner product. Full fat sour cream is quite dense. Mexican Crema is a good substitute, it’s thin but keeping that tangy flavor,
- This dressing will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. And just as you can freeze buttermilk, you can most certainly freeze this dressing for up to 3 months.
- Make this Spicy Ranch Dressing from the homemade version rather than a packet mix to amke this a naturally a gluten free salad dressing.
- How to chop chives? Just use sharp scissors or good kitchen shears to cut the pieces very small.
Nutrition
Spicy Ranch Dressing … It’s What’s For That Salad
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Is the New Mexico Red Chile Powder a blend of spices? I can’t find it near me, so I am thinking I might have to make my own… and maybe some of spices are around me. I know many spices like curry powder is a blend… I know making my own will not be the same, but maybe get me close…
Good morning. And thanks for your note and question.
New Mexico is not a blend of spices but rather a powder made from a single type of ground chile.
Substitute Ancho chile powder, or Cayenne. Be careful as cayenne can be very hot.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Oh my! I must try this! My husband is from very near Hatch, NM, and if it stands still, he wants to put green chile on it. We make a trip back to TorC almost every year to stock up on green chiles and red Chile power in various strengths. I have a fabulous recipe for a Hatch Green Chile vinaigrette, but this dressing sounds heavenly. I will be making it very soon
Rancho de Chimayo has a website to order their specialty items, including red or green chili powder, sauces, coffee, and honey. Check it out: http://ranchodechimayo.com.nmsrv.com/tienda/specialty_foods.htm
OMG, Lee Ann, I ate at Rancho de Chimayo while visiting Santa Fe and Taos between May 14-21. I would have loved meeting you in person. The restaurant was wonderful, as was the village and chapel. In fact, I fell in love with New Mexican cuisine, which was different than I expected. My friends who live in Rio Rancho insist that their cuisine is not Tex-Mex or Southwest; it’s very specific. I enjoyed the quesadillas at Rancho as my meal since the serving was enormous. The delightful waitress was very helpful and suggsted that, instead of choosing either chicken or beef, that I mix them. Wow, what a fabulous combination! And the pinon coffee capped the meal perfectly. I left my heart in NM and will return! Now I must try this dressing!
The restaurant is in a restored family home, and when we walked in, their warm hospitality made me feel like we were being welcomed into someone’s home.
I totally agree about that home-style hospitality. We loved the place.
Amazing sounding dressing. I’ve been putting green chili powder on everything. Every time we’ve been to Chimayo the restaurant has been closed (either by that horrific fire many years ago or b/c it’s a holiday). That meal looks delicious!
I have absolutely know idea how I returned from NM without any green powder. geeeeeez.
Oh this looks so delicious! My husband love this kind of dressing. I will make this for him. Thanks for sharing.
Let me know what he thinks!
Looks and sounds like a delicious dressing. I know I would have wanted this as a dipping sauce today. I will have to try this out.
Thanks David. My husband loved this for a dip for potato chips.
Love spicy mayo and spicy ranch. Never made on my own can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Michael – let me know what you think.
Now this is my kind of dressing. I love that the recipe looks easy to make.
Thanks Brandi – it is easy. I hope you give it a try.
This looks awesome and looks exactly like something I ate yesterday and had me wondering what was it: I couldn’t stop my sushi cravings so we went for vegetarian sushi, and they gave us a delicious sauce that I’m thinking is very similar to this one! I looove spicy things, so I’m sure I will enjoy this!
I hope you give it a try. Thanks Cynthia
Looks amazing. I love making everything homemade. So much healthier and better for you!
I couldn’t agree more! 🙂
Oooh I bet this would pair well with wings on a game night.
Great idea! Why didn’t I think of that. 🙂
That looks amazing. I think that restaurant is a must try! I love adding spice to my food and this ranch dressing recipe is a must try for me.
It’s a special place. Thanks AnnMarie
Every once in a while I have to go to Chimayo just to eat there. Good choice on the carne. It’s my favorite! Love what you chose to do with some of the red chile powder. Took Ranch dressing up a few notches. 🙂
Thanks MJ. We really liked that restaurant. I can’t wait to go back.
Rancho de Chimayo sounds like a fantastic restaurant that is really doing food right! Hidden Valley is my favorite ranch dressing mix and I love adding spicy ingredients. Ill try the chile powder you suggested and see how that tastes!
Rancho de Chimayo is a special place. I hope you can go sometime.
This recipe rocks! I love buttermilk ranch dressing and I sprinkle cayenne pepper on everything. Your recipe combines the best of both worlds!
Hi Chrissy, Thank you so much for the visit and the comment.
This sounds so amazing! I have been looking for a new dressing to mix up my weekly salads! Something spicy would be awesome!
Thanks Angela. Let me know how you like it.
Yum, this sounds delicious! I love ranch dressing, this sounds like a great addition to it!
Thanks Stephanie
I like it but would never have thought to add chile powder to ranch dressing.
That’s because you haven’t recently been to New Mexico. 🙂