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This creamy taco salad dressing takes minutes to stir up with salsa, Greek yogurt, and sour cream or mayo. It’s tangy, zingy, and so satisfying on tacos or burrito bowls!
Want a delicious drizzle for your taco salad that’s quick and easy to make? My Taco Salad Dressing is a genius hack that uses just a handful of ingredients to create a taco salad dressing that’s full of flavor in just 1 minute!
Why whisk up a vinaigrette when you can use a few ingredients you might already have for your taco salad? You’ll be surprised at how creamy and zingy it is. Try it on my favorite Ultimate Taco Salad for a tasty Tex-Mex style dinner that everyone always loves.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I was looking for a quick and easy dressing recipe for our taco salad dinner and came across this one. I used up some small to-go containers of salsa’s I got from our local Mexican restaurant and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe!” -Krystle
Ingredients For Taco Salad Dressing
What I love about this dressing is how simple it is to put together! It’s just a matter of mixing up a few ingredients you might have on hand or purchased for your taco salad anyway. Here’s what you need:
- Red salsa: Your favorite purchased brand! Mild or medium, you choose
- Greek yogurt: This helps to keep it light and healthy
- Sour cream: Adds richness and helps the drizzle adhere to the salad; you can also use mayo
- Hot sauce: Optional but recommended! We like Cholula brand; it adds a little heat and some tang
Mix together these ingredients, then add salt to taste until the flavor pops for this creamy, zingy and delicious sauce.
Substitutions: No Yogurt, No Sour Cream, or Vegan
Can you make this taco salad dressing without Greek yogurt or sour cream? To me, the Greek yogurt plus sour cream combo is ideal. The Greek yogurt yogurt lightens the calories, and adds protein and live probiotics. (See my other Greek Yogurt recipes.) Here are a few notes on substitutions:
- Don’t want yogurt? Use ½ cup salsa and ½ cup sour cream.
- Don’t have sour cream? Use mayonnaise instead of sour cream. You definitely need some richness to give it body and help it adhere to the salad. I don’t recommend 100% Greek yogurt, though you could do it in a pinch.
- Vegan: Use vegan yogurt and vegan mayo, or use ½ cup red salsa and ½ cup cashew cream (a vegan staple!) or vegan sour cream.
What Dressing Goes on Taco Salad?
There are lots of ideas on what goes on a taco salad. I love this dressing, but there are a few other ideas that are traditional depending on where you live:
- Catalina or French dressing: These are tomato based dressings; Catalina dressing is a little sweeter, and French is creamier. I personally didn’t grow up with these, so I prefer a creamy sauce.
- Ranch: Some people love a good ranch dressing on a taco salad. Try my chipotle ranch dressing for a Tex-Mex spin.
- Cilantro lime dressing: My cilantro lime dressing goes great on a taco salad.
- Creamy salsa dressing (this one!): This one is my favorite: it’s creamy like ranch and tangy like a vinaigrette. Plus, it’s so simple to make!
Flavor Boosters to Try
I love this taco salad dressing as is, but you can also add your own spins. Here are a few ideas:
- Taco seasoning: A few pinches of taco seasoning make it even tastier!
- Adobo sauce: A spoonful of sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce adds a smoky flair.
- Fresh herbs: Adding chopped cilantro adds a tangy flavor.
- Different salsa: Salsa verde adds a fun green twist.
- Ranch: My salsa ranch dressing is similar!
Ways to Serve Taco Salad Dressing
Of course, you don’t have to only use this taco salad dressing on taco salad. Here are a few more ways to use it!
- Taco salad: Of course! Try Ultimate Taco Salad with Vegan Taco Meat
- Nachos: Drizzle on Sheet Pan Nachos, Vegan Nachos or Tater Tot Nachos
- Mexican side salad: This Easy Mexican Salad would be fantastic with a drizzle
- Rice bowl: Try this Easy Rice Bowl
- Burrito: Throw it inside a Black Bean Burrito or Easy Breakfast Burrito
How to Store Taco Salad Dressing
Leftover dressing stores up to 1 week in the fridge. Stir before serving!
Dietary Notes
This taco salad dressing recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, see the notes above or in the recipe below.
Taco Salad Dressing (Creamy 1-Minute Hack)
This creamy taco salad dressing takes minutes to stir up with salsa, Greek yogurt, and sour cream or mayo. It’s tangy, zingy, and so satisfying on tacos or burrito bowls!
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 minute
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Dressing
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup red salsa (mild or medium)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt*
- ¼ cup sour cream (or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise)
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional; we like Cholula brand)
- 2 pinches kosher salt
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Stored refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
Notes
*Don’t want to use yogurt? Use ½ cup salsa and ½ cup sour cream. Want a vegan variation? Use vegan yogurt and vegan mayo OR use ½ cup salsa and ½ cup Cashew Cream or Vegan Sour Cream.
Delicious! Will definitely make again!
if I decide to not use yogurt and use sour cream…you say half cup salsa and half cup sour cream…do I also add in the next fourth cup sour cream??? or is it TOTAL half cup sour cream?
Add the extra!
As written, it’s a good base dressing but bland. I ended up adding lime juice cumin powder, dried oregano and garlic powder to make the dressing a thinner consistency and more flavorful.
Disregard my first message regarding Pinterest. I found it!
Thanks.
Great recipe. Super simple.
No way to “pin it?”
Cute couple
Sorry! I posted the wrong review on the wrong page. This dressing was great!
Alright so I NEVER EVER EVER comment on recipe pages but I absolutely had to comment in this. I followed the recipe exactly but my rice started sticking to the IP during the toasting step so I did the whole “deglaze” thing once I added the water. I knew that too much water had evaporated and too much rice had gotten stuck. Sure enough, literally 5 seconds before it would have come to pressure, I get the stupid burn notice. I was one of the first people I know to buy an IP and in total I’ve gotten maybe 3 burn notices in my life. I said “forget” it, let’s see what happens. So I turned it off and left it for 14 minutes (4 mins cook time and 10 NPR). Worst case, I have to start over. Well let me tell you, this was the best rice I have ever tasted. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked, and even with the rice cooker setting, I somehow manage to screw up rice every time I try. I don’t know if I’ll make rice any other way ever again. THANK YOU! This recipe is incredible.
I was looking for a quick and easy dressing recipe for our taco salad dinner and came accross this one.. I used up some small to-go containers of salsa’s I got from our local mexican restaurant and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for making it!
How long does the salad dressing last if kept in the fridge?
You can store up to 1 week! It will likely last up to 2 weeks, but we haven’t tested that. Thanks for asking!