If you've ever dined at El Torito restaurant in Southern California, you’re probably familiar with their signature creamy cilantro dressing. It’s tangy, zesty, and packed with fresh flavors that perfectly complement any taco bowl, taco salad or green salad. This post will guide you through a knockoff version of this famous dressing, a creamy cilantro dressing recipe that you can easily recreate at home. The best part is that you only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious dressing.
Making homemade dressings is one of the easiest ways to elevate your homemade salads, and this homemade cilantro dressing is a true winner. It can also double as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips or even drizzled over taco bowls for an added burst of flavor.
Try my other recipes for Spinach Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette and Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.
Ingredients
Creamy Cilantro Dressing
- Poblano pepper (or two Anaheim peppers)
- Canola oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Cotija cheese, crumbled
- Roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cilantro
- Mayonnaise
- Water
Salad
- Romaine lettuce
- Red bell pepper
- Cotija Cheese
- Roasted pepitas
- Fresh corn tortillas for tortilla strips
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The first step in making this creamy cilantro dressing recipe is to roast the pepper. You can do this directly over a gas flame on a stove top, on your barbecue grill or in the oven under a broiler. Roast the pepper until the skin is charred and blistered, then place it in a paper bag. Fold the bag over and let it steam for 10 minutes. Afterward, gently peel the skin off while running the pepper under cold water. Cut it open and remove the seeds. Dice the pepper into ½” pieces. Roast the red bell pepper at the same time but cut it into ¼" strips after roasting.
These peppers were roasted on a grill with a sear burner.
Roast the peppers until the skin is charred on both sides.
Next, add the canola oil, red wine vinegar, Cotija cheese, pumpkin seeds, roasted poblano pepper pieces, garlic, salt and pepper to your blender or food processor. Both work great for this recipe. Blend for 30 seconds. With the blender on low speed, add the cilantro in small batches and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and water. Add the contents of the blender and stir to incorporate. Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning according to your own preferences.
Cut the tortillas into ¼” strips and fry in hot canola oil at 350°F for 45-50 seconds. Drain on paper towels.
For a terrific green salad, toss romaine lettuce with the Cotija cheese, pepitas and dressing, and garnish it fresh fried corn tortillas strips and chopped roasted red peppers. Of course, this creamy cilantro salad dressing isn’t just for salads. Drizzle it over roasted veggies, use it as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips and grilled shrimp, or spread it on tacos and burritos.
Storage
Store cilantro dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before each use.
Top Tip
Remove most of the stems from the cilantro before adding the leaves to the blender. Cilantro stems can be woody and may not blend properly. Also, make sure to mix the mayonnaise with water before adding the other blended ingredients. If the mayonnaise is blended with the other ingredients the dressing will tend to separate.
Final Thoughts
This homemade creamy cilantro dressing recipe beats any store-bought dressing. It offers a fresh and flavorful alternative with no unnecessary additives. The next time you're at the grocery store, skip the store-bought dressings and make this creamy cilantro dressing instead. You will love the fresh flavors. Thanks El Torito, this is a winner. Enjoy!
Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Cilantro Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- The first step in making this creamy cilantro dressing recipe is to roast the pepper. You can do this directly over a gas flame on a stove top, on your barbecue grill or in the oven under a broiler. Roast the pepper until the skin is charred and blistered, then place it in a paper bag. Fold the bag over and let it steam for 10 minutes. Afterward, gently peel the skin off while running the pepper under cold water. Cut it open and remove the seeds. Dice the pepper into ½” pieces.
- Next, add the canola oil, red wine vinegar, Cotija cheese, pumpkin seeds, roasted poblano pepper pieces, garlic, salt and pepper to your blender or food processor. Both work great for this recipe. Blend for 30 seconds. With the blender on low speed, add the cilantro in small batches and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and water. Add the contents of the blender and stir to incorporate. Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning according to your own preferences.
- Cut the tortillas into ¼” strips and fry in hot canola oil at 350°F for 45-50 seconds. Drain on paper towels.
- For a terrific green salad, toss romaine lettuce with the Cotija cheese, pepitas and dressing, and garnish it fresh fried corn tortillas strips and chopped roasted red peppers. Of course, this creamy cilantro salad dressing isn’t just for salads. Drizzle it over roasted veggies, use it as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips and grilled shrimp, or spread it on tacos and burritos.
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