Best Cafe Rio House Dressing Copycat (Tomatillo Ranch)
This is it. The only copycat recipe w/the secret ingredient to this amazing dressing. Best Cafe Rio House Dressing Copycat (Tomatillo Ranch)
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayo (I use olive oil mayo)
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons dry ranch powder (use Hidden Valley - it's about 1/2 a packet)
- 1 small tomatillo (or half of a large one), rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon canned diced jalapeno (I used the La Victoria brand)
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 cup fresh premade pico de gallo * I got mine at my local Kroger store (Fred Meyer here). Be sure it includes tomatoes, onions, serrano peppers or jalapenos, and lime or lemon juice). I really think you need to buy this pre-made because it's been sitting and softening the ingredients and letting them marinate. You can make your own but you'll need to chill it for a couple days before using.
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except cilantro to a high-speed blender. Mix on high speed until completely blended.
- Add cilantro last and pulse. You can blend it completely in, or you can leave small flecks of green cilantro throughout, if you want a little more texture. At Cafe Rio they leave some small flecks of cilantro in the dressing (very tiny) - adding the cilantro last will let you control how blended the cilantro gets.
- Once it’s blended it is still not done… It will not taste just like Cafe Rio dressing until it has chilled for a couple hours.Last step - chill for at least 2 hours. Preferably 4-6 hours or overnight. You really want to let this dressing chill because it helps all the flavors come together. Once it is chilled it will taste just like Cafe Rio.
- Enjoy over your Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad or on any other dishes you make!
Notes
*The type and liquid level of the Pico de Gallo you use can slightly impact the flavor. If you think it still has too much ranch flavor you can add a little more pico to the dressing. Play around with it until you get a consistency you like!