Panera Chile Lime Ranch Dressing

Panera Chile Lime Ranch Dressing is a homemade tangy salad dressing copycat of Panera’s Chile Lime Rojo Ranch from the Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken. It comes together in just minutes and can be stored in the refrigerator.

My favorite salad at Panera is the Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken (with the BBQ Chicken Salad coming in at a close second!) It comes with a Chile Lime Rojo Ranch Dressing which is so delicious.

Panera salads are quite expensive, so I don’t usually get them often. With having to stay home so much this spring and summer, I decided to make a homemade version of the salad which would not be complete without the dressing!

This homemade Chile Lime Ranch Dressing tastes just like I remember. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, with a unique blend of flavors. Soon I’ll be sharing the copycat of the salad I made with the dressing! (UPDATE: See my version of Panera Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad).

Also try my Cilantro Lime Crema Costco Copycat on salads!

LOVE PANERA? Check out my Panera Copycat Recipes: BBQ Chicken Salad, BBQ Ranch Dressing, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Sonoma Chicken Stew, and Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup!

Recipe Details

This recipe appears to have a lot of ingredients, but it’s basically a simple buttermilk ranch dressing with a bunch of dried herbs and spices. The Panera version has Greek yogurt, so I added some of that.

The lime juice adds some tanginess, and the chipotle adds a kick. If you like spice, you can add more adobo sauce or chipotle to bump it up. You can also adjust the amount of cayenne.

The turmeric is used for coloring, so you can omit if you’d like. I wanted the dressing not only to taste like the one from Panera but also look like it.

Gluten Free Chile Lime Dressing

This dressing is naturally gluten free!

Looking for More Healthy Recipes?

Panera Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad
Panera BBQ Chicken Salad
Panera BBQ Ranch Dressing
Cilantro Lime Crema Costco Copycat Dressing
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Chicken Caesar Salad
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Panera Chile Lime Ranch Dressing

Meghan

Panera Chile Lime Ranch Dressing is a homemade tangy salad dressing copycat of Panera's Chile Lime Rojo Ranch from the Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken. It comes together in just minutes and can be stored in the refrigerator.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (see note)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (regular or light)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (regular or light)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 chipotle in adobo
• 1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce (more to increase spice)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons dried cilantro
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• turmeric (for color, optional)
• cayenne (to taste)

Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
• Blend until smooth.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container such as a mason jar until ready to use. Keeps for about 1 week.

Notes

If you don’t have buttermilk, you may mix 1/2 cup regular milk with 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature before using.

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Keyword condiment, gluten free, salad