Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe (2024)

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This Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe is creamy and so delicious. It is made with Greek Yogurt and staple pantry seasonings. The perfect dressing tossed with your favorite salad.

Easy Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe:

This Easy Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe is a family favorite. We love to top our favorite salad or my kids love it to dip their chicken nuggets in it. The easy seasonings, make this a staple creamy southwest dressing recipe.

This creamy, savory salad dressing has just the amount of spice to it that combines all the flavors. We can easily prepare this dressing in as little as 5 minutes and use it all week long.

Skip the store bought salad dressing, and make homemade. I love the fact that I know exactly the ingredients I am adding and nothing that I can’t pronounce. Simple and easy ingredients is why this is a great recipe.

What is Southwest Dressing made of?

This Southwest Dressing base starts with Greek Yogurt which makes it a delicious creamy base. Adding in the chili powder gives it that smoky flavor that adds so much depth to the dressing.

Then mixing in the paprika, cumin and garlic powder takes the dressing to the next level. Chopping up the fresh cilantro gives it that fresh, earthy tones for an amazing dressing taste.

Ingredients:

• Greek Yogurt
• Lime, juiced
• Chili Powder
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Garlic Powder
• Honey
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cilantro, finely chopped
• Water (as needed)

How to Make Southwest Salad Dressing:

• Combine Ingredients – Whisk all the ingredients (except for the water) together in a medium size mixing bowl.

• Add in Water – Then add in the water 1 tsp at a time until the dressing is the consistency that you prefer. You may not need all the water.

• Serve or Store – Use right away or store in an air tight container or a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

How to use Southwest Salad Dressing:

There are many uses for this super easy Southwest Salad Dressing.

• Toss with your favorite Salads
• It is great on Hamburgers and Hot dogs.
• Marinate your Fish in it
• Mix in with your pasta salad
• Top your lettuce Wraps
• Put a spoonful on your bake potatoes
• My kids use it has a dipping sauce for their french fries and onion rings
• Use as a dipping sauce with chopped vegetables
• Also, use it on Chick-fil-a Spicy Southwest Salad Recipe

Make a Southwest Salad:

Southwest salad is a favorite of ours as it is loaded with all the Tex Mex flavors.

• Start with Mixed Greens – We love using different types of lettuce when making this salad. Toss in some green leaf lettuce, spinach and romaine lettuce for a mixture of greens.
• Beans – Use a combination of black beans and pinto beans for extra flavoring.
• Onion – We love to slice some red onion. If you don’t have any, white onion works great too.
• Avocado – Adding slices of avocado adds so much flavor. Avocado has so many health benefits, that we always seem to have this delicious fruit.
• Corn – Top with fire-roasted corn for an amazing crunch. You can also use canned or frozen corn but I love the fire-roasted corn usually found in the frozen section.
• Tomatoes – Add in some grape or roma tomatoes to add to this salad.
• Add Chicken – Slice some southwest chicken for some extra protein. Then drizzle with southwest salad dressing or sour cream for a complete meal.

Variations:

• Dressing Base – Feel free to use mayonnaise instead of greek yogurt if you prefer. You can also use olive oil for a vinaigrette base dressing.
• Add in Extra Seasoning – Add in a small amount of cayenne pepper (¼ tsp) for a little extra kick if you prefer. We have even tried adding in some chipotles in adobo and it took the dressing to the next level of heat.
• Double the Recipe – My family loves this sauce. It great to make ahead of time and place in the refrigerator. We love to use as a dipping sauce with our grilled chicken or steaks. Serving size will vary, but we make this at least once or twice a week.
• Taco seasoning – You can also omit some of the seasoning and mix the greek yoqurt with some taco seasoning.

Tips for Southwest Salad Dressing:

• Make Ahead –We think the sauce taste best when it has set in the refrigerator for a few hours and even overnight. It gives time for all the ingredients to really marinate together.
• Use it as a Marinate –This sauce would be great to marinate your chicken breast or chicken thighs or even fish in. Just place protein in a zip lock bag and spoon in some sauce. Let it marinate overnight and then grill or bake your protein.
• Low Carb Option –We love that this is made with Greek Yoqurt to make it a healthy low fat option.

How to Store Southwest Salad Dressing:

Store you salad dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week. We like to make a batch weekly when we are meal planning so we can use for lunches and dinners.

Place in a mason jar or an air tight container. It may separate after being in the refrigerator. Just give it a stir and it will freshen the ingredients.

Print Recipe here for Southwest Salad Dressing:

More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes:

• Caesar Salad Dressing
• Poppyseed Salad Dressing
• Salsa Ranch Dressing
• Homemade Ranch Dressing