Cafe Rio Salad Dressing
If you like the creamy tomatillo salad dressing from Cafe Rio, this copycat recipe for Cafe Rio Salad Dressing can help you make it at home! And if you’re a fan of this creamy dressing with cilantro and lime and just a touch of spicy flavor, you’ll probably want to make it over and over.
PIN the Cafe Rio Salad Dressing recipe to try it later!
Every place has its own food culture, and if you live in Utah, Cafe Rio is a big part of that culture. I’ve loved the creamy tomatillo flavor of Cafe Rio Salad Dressing since the first time I tried it, and many years ago my brother-in-law Kelly gave me some copycat recipes for Cafe Rio Dressing, chicken, and rice, which I posted on my then brand-new food blog.
This copycat recipe is the adapted version I’ve made over and over since then, and it really does taste just like the famous creamy Cafe Rio salad dressing. This dressing recipe is a big favorite in my huge extended family of Cafe Rio fans, so you know it must be good!
But even if you’ve never been to Cafe Rio, if you like these flavors I bet you’ll love this dressing! And for this week’s Friday Favorites pick I’m reminding you about this favorite salad dressing so many people have loved; enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Ranch Dressing (I would use my BYU Creamery Ranch Copycat Recipe)
- cilantro
- tomatillos
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- fresh squeezed lime juice, I use my fresh-frozen lime juice
- Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or 1 small diced jalapeno pepper
What makes Cafe Rio Dressing so flavorful?
It’s the slightly sharp tomatillo flavor that makes this Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Dressing so good, and when I have lots of tomatillos, I sometimes increase the number of tomatillos and decrease the amount of buttermilk in the ranch dressing. Do that if you’re a tomatillo fan like me and you want more tomatillo flavor. And this tasty dressing also has lots of flavor from cilantro, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and Green Tabasco sauce.
Options for the Tomatillos in Cafe Rio Rio Salad Dressing:
I’ve seen various versions of this dressing around the web using canned tomatillos, but I always use fresh tomatillos when I make Cafe Rio Salad Dressing. However, there’s a note in the comments from someone who replaces the tomatillos with a little over a cup of Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link). I haven’t tried that myself, but I think it sounds great for a shortcut!
An anonymous commenter left the tip of roasting the tomatillos before using them in the dressing, but I’ve tried it both ways and still feel that the roasting step is completely optional. If you’re trying the version with roasted tomatillos, cut them up and roast for 15-20 minutes in a 400F oven. Watch them, and remove when they start to get barely browned.)
My Favorite Cafe Rio Inspired Recipe to try:
Check out my recipe for Chopped Chicken Salad with Cafe Rio Dressing if you want to see my favorite thing to make at home with Cafe Rio Dressing!>/p>
How to make Cafe Rio Salad Dressing:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.
- I first made this recipe using a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Style Salad Dressing Mix (affiliate link) for the base of this dressing, but now that I have BYU Creamery Ranch Copycat Recipe on the blog I would definitely use that!
- Whichever version you’re using, mix up two cups of Ranch dressing in a small bowl. (If you’re using the package mix, it will seem thin because the dressing needs to chill for an hour or so. If you’re planning to increase the amount of tomatillos, remember to put a little less buttermilk or milk in the dressing.)
- Here’s a photo of the tomatillos that add so much flavor to this recipe; remove the papery skins and chop them coarsely.
- Remove large stems from the cilantro, wash and spin dry or dry with paper towels, then finely chop it in the food processor.
- Add the chopped tomatillos, Minced Garlic, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce or a small chopped jalapeno pepper and process about 30 seconds, until ingredients are finely pureed.
- Then add the 2 cups of Ranch dressing and pulse a few times, just until ingredients are well combined.
- Chill Cafe Rio Salad Dressing for an hour or two and serve!
Salad Ideas with Cafe-Rio Flavors:
- Copycat Cafe Rio Veggie Salad with Vegan Creamy Cilantro Dressing ~ Happy Food Healthy Life
- Chopped Chicken Salad with Cafe Rio Salad Dressing ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Salad ~ Pressure Cooking Today
Cafe Rio Salad Dressing
This Cafe Rio Salad Dressing recipe tastes just like the famous Creamy Tomatillo-Ranch Dressing at Cafe Rio!
Ingredients
- 2 cups prepared Ranch Dressing (I usually use a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk mix, but you can make your own; see notes.)
- 1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed (about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
- 4 small tomatillos
- 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 TÂ fresh lime juice (see notes)
- 1 tsp. Green Tabasco sauce or 1 small diced jalapeno pepper
Instructions
- Prepare Ranch dressing according to directions on the package or recipe you’re following and put in the fridge to chill. I use a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Style Salad Dressing Mix (affiliate link), but use any ranch dressing you prefer.
- If you have time, chill the dressing made from the package mix or homemade dressing for an hour or two so it can thicken.
- Remove papery skins from the tomatillos and coarsely chop.
- Remove large cilantro stems, then wash leaves and spin dry or dry with paper towels.
- Add cilantro to food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until finely chopped. (If you don’t have a food processor, I’d chop all ingredients well by hand and then blend dressing in a blender.)
- Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or chopped jalapeno to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely pureed.
- Add the 2 cups of prepared dressing and pulse just a few times, until ingredients are well combined.
- Chill dressing for an hour or two and serve.
- This makes about 2 1/2 cups dressing, or 20 servings if you use a serving size of two tablespoons.
Notes
Try Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing or Buttermilk Dressing if you prefer to make your own. I use my fresh-frozen lime juice.
Variations:
~To make a roasted tomatillo dressing, dice tomatillos, place on a baking sheet, and roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes before adding them to the food processor.
~If you’d like even more tomatillo flavor, use 4-5 large tomatillos and decrease the buttermilk or milk in the Ranch dressing by about 1/4 cup.
This recipe adapted from a very old recipe for Cafe Rio Dressing, Chicken, and Rice that I got from my brother-in-law Kelly.Â
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 106Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 6mgSodium 223mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 0g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Cafe Rio Salad Dressing would be good low-carb or Keto eating plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, as long as you use low-carb ingredients or a low-carb dressing as the base. I often use this dressing on a salad with leftover roast chicken, which makes a great low-carb meal.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salads to find more recipes like this one. Use theDiet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Anna’s Cool Finds. Anna has some Utah roots, so I think she might have liked the recipe! It was last updated with more information in 2024.
50 Comments on “Cafe Rio Salad Dressing”
I love making dressing with the HVR powder. To thicken it quickly, I put it in the freezer for 30 minutes (I set a timer so I don’t forget).
I think that’s a great idea! I know some people turn up their nose at using a powdered mix to make dressing, but I don’t mind shortcuts like that all. Everyone gets to make their own choices!
This sounds fabulous, will try it soon! Where did you find the adorable salad dressing jar?
Hope you enjoy! I bought that jar many years ago at a thrift store in Salt Lake!
This is really good! I wanted to make it today but didn’t have tomatillos so I used Herdez (brand name) Salsa Verde instead, ratio about 2 parts ranch, 1 part salsa, with a squirt of fresh lime juice. I used it to make coleslaw today and can’t wait to try it on other salads and will also try the original recipe when I have tomatillos. Thanks!
I buy that same brand of green salsa, and I LOVE that idea! Will definitely try it myself that way. So glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe!
We love this dressing too. Such a great bottle 🙂 Thanks for linking to my salad recipe.
My pleasure!
Mimi, great idea; thanks for sharing!
One Thanksgiving I made an all Southwestern meal, which included a side dish of sweet potato enchiladas topped with tomatillo sauce. This is definitely a creamier version of what I made, but it's still a fabulous combination. And, you could add turkey to the enchiladas!
Well, I've seen tomatillos on rare occasion in grocery stores but never had the slightest clue what to do with them. If I ever see them again, I'll get a few and then revisit this recipe.
Regina, honestly I don't know how that would taste. It might be close if you added the cilantro.
Would you get the same taste, if I was being lazy and bought green salsa and added it to the ranch dressing?
This will stay good a little over a week in the fridge.
I love, love, love this dressing. I got pregnant after moving out of Utah, and was craving Cafe Rio salads painfully. My question is; how long does this keep in the fridge? Not that I expect it to go uneaten for long, but just in case.
Thank you!
Leigh, I can't think of anything you could use instead of tomatillos, but they do come in cans. I think they are pretty widely available year round. Maybe try Latin market if you have one of those.
This dressing looks amazing! This may seem like a strange question, but can I use anything to replace the tomatillos?? I've never seen them in our stores & would imagine them to be expensive as they are not "normal" around here. (in BC, Canada)
Thanks
Thanks Kristi. It is good on lots of different things. I really like it as a dip for sugar snap peas!
I love the color of this dressing, and the simplicity. I can see all kinds of uses for it along with my favorite Mexican chicken salad.
Kristi
Nicole, that's just how I feel about Ranch dressing too. You MUST go to Cafe Rio if you're in Utah!
Julie, that sounds easy and good!
I love this dressing! I have a recipe that looks identical as far as the ingredients, but everything is just dumped into a blender together, including the Ranch dressing components, blended, and then chilled for a couple of hours.
I've always loved "homemade" Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. Can't stand it from the bottle, but mixed from the packet, it's absolutely delicious. That combined with cilantro, tomatillo, and Tabasco Jalapeno sounds so good I think I'll make it for dinner tonight! Also, when I come visit, I want to check out Cafe Rio 🙂
You can be sure I will. I'll take a look in my personal recipe book!
Regards from Spain!
Yes, I can imagine there is no Cafe Rio in Spain. I don't really have time to individually swap recipes with anyone, but if you have an idea for a Spanish-inspired recipe that's South Beach Diet friendly you can send it to me through the e-mail at "how to contact Kalyn" and I'd love to try it out.
I love your Blog! I'm a Cafe Rio fan too!
I was living in SLC for a few months but now I come back to my country, Spain. I miss Utah so much, but unfortunately I cant go there now…
I love to cook ,and If you are interested in Spanish recipes, please, let me know!!
I will be happy to swap recipes with you!
Thaks for your blog!
I am Addicted to Cafe Rio and the real reason why is there house dressing. I glad you were able to decode their secret recipe. I tried it but I kind of just eyeballed the measurements of the ingredients and it turned out good but not cafe rio good. Thanks a lot tough, next time Ill try to be a little more precise.
Erin, you're welcome! So glad you liked the recipes. No idea where these recipes actually were printed when my brother-in-law found them, but I think they're pretty close, especially the salad dressing!
Thank you so much! I've looked for Cafe Rio recipes in the past and couldn't find what I was looking for: the dressing, the chicken, and the rice. I happened to google it again and found your recipes for all 3 of my favorite things at the restaurant! We recently moved out of Utah, so it was a like a little miracle that I found your awesome recipes! I just wanted to say thank you and that your recipes were great, I tried them all and it was almost like we were eating the real thing!
nice
The recap is published, it's always great to see your WHB posts!
We visited Utah last week & my only MustDo thing on my list was Cafe Rio. We accidentally ended up with salad dressing on our tray & may I just say that I am in love. I used it for a chip dip! Now I am thrilled to know how to make it.
And I appreciate knowing how to cut lettuce. THanks for all you do!
That looks like an absolutely fabulous salad dressing! Pretty easy to make too! I can't wait to try this out. Now I would just have to search for the tomatillos 🙂
That looks and sounds amazing!
~Aly
Beautiful color! We don't see many tomatillos on suburban Long Island, so I may need to do some hunting in NYC.
We've been on a try out new salad dressing kick in our house. I am definitely adding this one to try!
It was fantastic meeting you this past weekend, Kalyn. Can't wait to see you again soon!
Very unique dressing! would like to try making it! tq
OMG! that looks like a spicy version of a green goddess! I am on it!
This looks DELISH!!! I'm trying it tonight. I love tomatillo salsa and this sounds like a fabulous dressing!!
I'm off to Sprouts for tomatillo's at this very moment. This looks wonderful and will be great with some grilled salmon & a salad. Can't wait! Thanks Kalyn for sharing.
This morning at the bank, a friend asked me what to do with the motherlode of tomatillos that appeared in his garden last week. I suggested he give them to a friend (me)! Now I know what I will do with them — this dressing sounds delicious.
Oh yum! I can't find tomatillo here in Bangkok but once I'm back in Canada (next month) I'll be sure to try this dressing! Cheers!
I love tomatillos. I live in Dallas and there are some fantastic hispanic grocery stores that bring in loads of tomatillos, and at a great price. I've never put them in a dressing but it sounds great.
Once I started making my own dressings, I vowed to never buy store-bought dressings again.
I appreciate the valuable information about different options. I learn so much – thank you.
I hope we get tomatillos here this year (there's worry that we won't because of the tomato blight). And when we do, I can't wait to make this tart, creamy dressing!
It just so happens that the daughter half of Fab Frugal Food is visiting the mother half in Utah this week – now we're torn. Do we go to Cafe Rio to satisfy the craving you've just awakened? Or do we make some of this ourselves?
Or BOTH?
Dilemmas, dilemmas . . .
I had salad last night and was wishing for some yummy dressing. I wish I would have some of this. What a great recipe!
I notice the Utah people are weighing in! (Cookin' Canuck and Maria are Utah food bloggers. Go check out their blogs!)
Kristina, I have volunteer tomatillos and they're going wild!
Katerina, mine usually doesn't last very long, but I'm guessing it will keep at least 2 weeks in the fridge. Tomatillos are great!
Looks great! I still have never cooked with Tomatillos. How long do you figure this would keep in the fridge?
This sounds fabulous! Our tomatillo plants are growing like crazy this year so I'm always on the lookout for more recipes to use them up.
I love Rio. I always get their veggie salad with a whole wheat tortilla. Yum!! Thanks for the recipe!
You are my hero! This is one of my all-time favorite dressing. I'm so excited to make this at home.