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Chili Lime Dressing

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This copycat recipe for Panera’s chili lime salad dressing is creamy, zesty, and a little spicy – and perfect for drizzling over salads or burrito bowls.

A mason jar filled with chili lime salad dressing

I was super sad to learn that Panera no longer offers its Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad (it was my favorite lunch order!) so I’m on a mission to replicate it at home. After creating my own version of their bean corn salsa, the next crucial step is making our own chili lime ranch dressing recipe at home. 

Looking for more easy salad dressing recipes? Check out our Sweetgreen spicy cashew dressing copycat recipe!

What This Recipe Entails

This dressing is creamy, citrusy, and a little spicy, and it complements the southwest flavors of a salad or burrito bowl so well. And thankfully it takes just a couple minutes to make.

  • Prep time: 5 minutes

This recipe uses mayo, lime juice, and then a handful of seasoning to create its bright and full flavor. And you very well might already have everything you need to make it!

Chili Lime Dressing Ingredients

We wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible and thankfully that was easy to do with a handful of spices that you likely already have! Our chili lime salad dressing is simply made up of light mayo, lime juice, water, and a few seasonings:

  • Ground red cayenne pepper
  • Chipotle powder
  • Paprika
  • Turmeric
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Salt

The dressing gets its spice (and a little smokiness) from the cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, and paprika. Turmeric is mostly used to enhance the dressing’s color, but its earthy flavors tone down the lime and balance out the heat as well. Garlic and onion add to the depth of flavor, while salt enhances the overall flavor profile of the chili lime dressing.

Unlike Panera’s chili lime ranch dressing, our salad dressing is mayo-based. Light mayo is the perfect blank canvas for recreating your favorite sauces, dressings, and spreads since it’s so plain. When thinned with lime juice and water, it’s the perfectly pourable consistency for drizzling over salads. Plus, this recipe is so flavorful you’ll never even guess it started with mayo!

How To Make Chili Lime Salad Dressing

It’s super quick and easy to whip up a batch of this chili lime dressing. Here’s how we do it:

  1. Add light mayo, lime juice, and water to a small bowl.
  2. Whisk carefully to combine until the consistency is smooth and pourable (add more water if you’d like it thinner).
  3. Add the seasonings and whisk vigorously until combined.

That’s it! In 5 minutes or less, this chili lime dressing is ready to use on your favorite salads, burrito bowls, and sandwiches. To make mixing small batches of dressings like this one even easier, we use our trusty mini whisk. If you like making your own sauces, spreads, and dressings, we highly recommend getting one.

Homemade chili lime salad dressing being scooped from a mason jar with a spoon

You can also prepare this dressing ahead of time and store it in a glass bottle or jar in the refrigerator. We like to use these glass bottles for homemade dressings, sauces, and syrups – they’re the perfect size and clean easily in the dishwasher between uses. Or, you can also use a mason jar. Stored properly, this chili lime dressing will stay good for up to 1 month – so you can keep enjoying it over and over!

Serving Suggestions

While we made this dressing to go on our southwest chili lime salad, we’ve found so many great ways to use it. Here are some of our favorites to serve as inspiration for you!

No matter how you choose to use it, this bright and flavorful chili lime dressing adds a southwest flare to any recipe. Give it a try and let us know your favorite use for it in the comments below!

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Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

A mason jar of Panera style chili lime salad dressing

Chili Lime Dressing

Nicole & Alex Langdon
This copycat recipe for Panera's chili lime salad dressing is creamy, zesty, and a little spicy – and perfect for drizzling over salads or burrito bowls.
4.80 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Ingredient, Sauce
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 4 fl oz
Calories 74 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • ½ cup light mayo
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Add mayo, lime juice, and water to a small bowl and whisk gently until combined.
  • Add remaining ingredients and whisk thoroughly until well-combined. Transfer to a glass bottle or other airtight container for storage, or use immediately.
One last step:Please consider leaving a review to let us know how it was!

Notes

Consistency: The lime juice and water help thin the mayo so it becomes pourable. Lime juice is potent, though, so if you want this dressing thinner just add more water.
Serving suggestions: Use this dressing on salads, burrito bowls, and tacos. It’ll add some heat and zest to any of these dishes!
Storing: Store this dressing in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (just remember to give it a quick shake before using again). We use these glass bottles to store dressings, sauces, and syrups we make at home – they’re great! We definitely recommend having a set if you like to make these types of things frequently, too.

Nutrition

Calories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 203IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
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90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

4.80 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    We use this dressing on so many different things. I think my favorite use is as a sandwich spread with some grilled chicken.

    Reply