Chipotle Ranch Dressing | No Mayo • Beyond Mere Sustenance

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Smoky, creamy, and just the right amount of spicy, this Chipotle Ranch Dressing gets its rich texture from plain Greek yogurt and low-fat buttermilk instead of mayonnaise. It’s perfect for salads, tacos, grain bowls, wraps, and as a dip for fresh vegetables.

A close up of a glass bottle with chipotle ranch dressing with a wood spoon on a wood cutting board.

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – About Healthier Salad Dressings

Homemade salad dressings are fresher, more flavorful, and so easy to customize with wholesome ingredients you may already have on hand. In a matter of minutes, you can create a dressing that’s healthier, less expensive, and perfectly matched to your meal – without the preservatives and additives often found in bottled versions.

I am a huge fan of homemade salad dressings. If you’ve followed me for awhile, you may have heard me gripe about the ingredients? They tend to be chock full of stabilizers, corn syrup, and chemicals that I cannot begin to pronounce.

When I first started Beyond Mere Sustenance, I did a cilantro jalapeño ranch. When I started working on a Mexican chickpea salad, I knew I wanted a ranch-style dressing. Initially, I was just going to link to the cilantro jalapeño ranch, but I thought it would be nice to offer an alternative. Chipotles seemed to be a natural choice, and I always have them in my pantry or freezer. The chickpea salad will be published next!

Main “Selling Points” for Homemade Salad Dressings

Environtmental impact – Mixing dressings in a reusable jar reduces plastic bottle waste.
Fresher flavor – Fresh lemon or lime juice, good-quality vinegar, herbs, garlic, shallots, and freshly cracked pepper create brighter, more vibrant dressings than most shelf-stable products.
Control over ingredients – You decide how much salt, sugar, oil, acid, and spice to use. You can also avoid preservatives, artificial flavors, gums, or stabilizers if you prefer. It’s easy to make dressings with less sodium and added sugar while choosing heart-healthy oils like extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Easy to customize – Once you know a basic vinaigrette ratio, you can change the flavor profile with different vinegars, citrus juices, herbs, chiles, spices, or mustards.
Better complements your meal – Instead of forcing a salad to match the dressing in the bottle, you can make a dressing that highlights the rest of the meal – whether that’s grilled fish, tacos, or Peruvian chicken.
Cost-effective – Pantry ingredients usually cost less per serving than premium bottled dressings, especially if you already keep olive oil and vinegar on hand.
Creativity – Homemade dressings can help you branch out beyond the familiar and repetitive. A simple vinaigrette becomes something special with ingredients like ají amarillo paste, huacatay, cilantro, roasted poblanos, roasted garlic, chipotle, or passionfruit.

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

Ingredients for chipotle ranch dressing including chipotles, fresh herbs, and buttermilk.

chipotles – I specify 1-2 chipotles with their adobo that you can find in a can in the Latin foods sections of most large grocery stores. Start with 1 chipotle pepper if you’re unfamiliar with their heat. Blend the dressing, taste, and add a second pepper if you’d like more smoky heat. NOTE: Increasing the number of chipotles increases both heat and smokiness.
buttermilk – I buy low fat buttermilk. That choice is up to you. If you don’t have – or want to buy – buttermilk, see Answering All Your Buttermilk Questions, from Storage to Substitutions to Recipes for more information.
nonfat Greek yogurt – I use nonfat because I count calories. I’m confident low fat or whole Greek yogurt will work fine. I think the dressing might be too thin if you substitute regular yogurt.
olive oil
lime juice – Please use fresh lime juice!
garlic – While I keep a jar of minced garlic in my refrigerator for cooked recipes, I want fresh garlic cloves when there is no cooking. If I have a couple of roasted garlic cloves left from a recent recipe, I love them! The jar of minced garlic can get pretty strong, so I prefer to reserve it for cooking.
fresh herbs – On photo day, I had dill, chives, and parsley, and that is what I used. I have used cilantro as well. I would avoid really strong herbs like rosemary and oregano.

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🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions

Mis en place – I find cooking more enjoyable if I get everything out, clean as needed, and measure as needed.

Step one of one: Add all ingredients to a blender, then pulse until smooth.

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.
Pulse until smooth. Taste for heat level and seasoning. Add a little adobo in increments if you’re uncertain about chipotles. Don’t forget salt and pepper to taste!

The completed bottle of chipotle ranch dressing in a glass bottle with herbs, wood spoon, and wood cutting board.

❓FAQ

How hot are chipotles and their adobo?

Canned chipotle peppers (typically chipotles in adobo) are generally in the range of 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) because they are simply smoked, dried, and rehydrated ripe jalapeños. What is medium to me may be hot to you. I find adding heat incrementally with the adobo sauce is helpful if you’re uncertain about the heat level.

How long can I keep leftover chipotle ranch?

For the freshest flavor and best texture, enjoy this dressing within 3 days. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and stir before serving. NOTE: I prefer storing homemade dressings in a glass jar or glass bottle because it won’t absorb odors or stain from the chipotle.

Start with 1 chipotle pepper if you’re sensitive to spicy foods or unfamiliar with chipotles in adobo. Blend the dressing and taste before adding a second pepper. If you’d like just a little more heat and smoky flavor without adding another whole pepper, stir in an extra teaspoon of the adobo sauce.

Heat level guidance?
Mild: 1 chipotle
Medium: 1 chipotle + extra adobo
Spicier: 2 chipotles

Kitchen Tip: I like to store homemade dressings in a glass jar. Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce can stain plastic containers orange, and glass doesn’t absorb odors or flavors. Chipotle, achiote, aji panca, paprika, turmeric… they’re all notorious for leaving plastic containers with a permanent orange glow.

If you love this creamy ranch dressing, you may want to check out my cilantro jalapeño ranch as well. While this recipe substitutes olive oil for 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise in the cilantro ranch, it’s an easy substitution if you prefer avoid the mayonnaise.

Healthy Chipotle Ranch with No Mayo Recipe

Tamara Andersen

A healthy and delicious homemade ranch dressing… this Chipotle Ranch Dressing uses fresh, healthy ingredients, and gets its creaminess from nonfat Greek yogurt and lowfat buttermilk.

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Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Condiment, Salad

Cuisine Southwest

Servings servings

Calories 19 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Dressing

1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 tbsp. olive oil mayonnaise - (see notes)
¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. lime juice
½ tsp. minced garlic - or 2 cloves roasted garlic
1-2 chipotle peppers with clinging adobo - start with 1 if uncertain
several snips of fresh chives or 1 minced shallot
several snips of fresh dill, parsley, oregano, or cilantro
¼ teaspoon sea salt
several grinds pepper

Instructions

Dressing

Add all dressing ingredients to the bowl of your blender.
Pulse 2-3 times. Give it a good shake. Repeat until smooth.
Taste for heat level and seasoning. Adjust as needed. See body of the post for more information on adjusting heat level.

Notes

For the freshest flavor and texture, enjoy within 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 19kcal

NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com