Easy Tex-Mex Sour Cream Salad Dressing

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/7/22
Tex mex sour cream salad dressing in a bowl next to a cilantro sprig

The Spruce Eats

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 2 cups

A tasty Tex-Mex style salad dressing livens up a taco salad or homemade tacos, but it can also be used as a sauce for a chicken or steak entree. While homemade salad dressing can seem complicated or intimidating to a home cook, this sour cream-based version is easy to whip up in just a few minutes with a blender, immersion blender, or food processor.

Cilantro, a common Tex-Mex ingredient that's included in this recipe, is a polarizing herb because people can perceive the taste differently. For some, it's a lovely citrusy, herbal flavor; for others, it tastes like soap. This is possibly due to a difference in the genes that recognize aldehyde chemicals, a significant component of cilantro. If you happen to be one of the people who can't stand the taste of cilantro, leave it out of the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces sour cream

  • 1/2 cup chunky salsa

  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Tex-Mex sour cream salad dressing recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats

  2. In a blender or in an immersion blender container, combine the sour cream, salsa, cilantro, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin. Process until smooth and well-blended. 

    Tex-Mex sour cream dressing ingredients in a blender

    The Spruce Eats

  3. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in salt and pepper to taste.

    Smooth blended dressing in a bowl, sprinkled with salt and pepper

    The Spruce Eats

  4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

How to Use Tex-Mex Sour Cream Salad Dressing

  • This is great as a creamy dressing for taco salad
  • Try it on tacos, such as fried fish or chicken tacos
  • Use as a sauce for chicken or steak entrees
  • Top burrito bowls
  • Dress a Southwest pasta salad made with ingredients like beans, bell peppers, and corn


How to Store

  • Because this dressing contains dairy products, it won't last as long as vinaigrette salad dressings. Keep it sealed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  • Do not freeze dairy-based salad dressings like this one.


Recipe Variations

  • Tex-Mex Vinaigrette: Replace the sour cream and mayonnaise with 1/4 cup salad oil, such as olive oil or canola oil, and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Increase the lime juice to 3 tablespoons to get a good amount of acid that's required for the flavor that you want to dress up salad greens.
  • Sour Cream-Avocado Tex-Mex Dressing: Replace the mayonnaise with 1/2 cup of mashed avocado pulp.
  • Light sour cream and light mayonnaise can also be used in this recipe to decrease the calorie count and grams of fat.
  • Add some spice to the recipe by mixing in ground cayenne pepper. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste after adding, increasing the amount to reach the desired heat level.
  • For a higher protein and lower fat content, replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt. If you want an ultra-creamy dressing, use whole Greek yogurt. For a lower-calorie option, use fat-free yogurt, also sometimes labeled as 0% Greek yogurt.

What Goes Well With a Taco Salad?

Taco salads tend to be a meal unto themselves, needing little accompaniment. If you'd like to turn it into a feast, try serving the salad with soup, like bowls of taco soup or avocado soup. Street corn, Mexican-style rice, and refried beans also make nice sides for a taco salad.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
49 Calories
5g Fat
2g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 49
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 100mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 47mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)