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Chuy’s Copycat Version Creamy Jalapeno Dip
I lived in Texas for about 2 days before everyone and their dog was telling me all about this famous Chuy’s creamy jalapeno dip that I must try asap. Of course, I ditched unpacking in my quest to do some culinary research. Was it really as good as everyone said? I wanted to be the judge.
Dean and I chose a weekend night and drove straight to Chuy’s. There was a line out the door and a long wait. That is always a good sign! People seemed to love this place — even if it was for the star of the show, the creamy jalapeno dip.
We sat down and within minutes, the creamy jalapeno dip was sitting right in front of me. A basket of hot chips, fresh out of the fryer were beckoning me. I took the tortilla chip and dipped it into what looked more like a cilantro jalapeno dressing than anything and took the first bite. Wow. This stuff was straight up addicting.
Before I knew it, Dean and I had devoured an entire basket of chips and he was asking for more. Trouble. I was hooked on this creamy jalapeno dip and there was no turning back!
We just flew back to San Antonio last week for my darling niece’s wedding (hi Amanda!). I married into such a wonderful family and loved being with the Stadler crew.
We had a Mexican feast on Sunday and another darling niece (I have a lot of them), Haley, was bringing it! She is a little whiz in the kitchen and shared her version of Chuy’s famous creamy cilantro jalapeno dip. Once she put it out on the table, it was like watching vultures. It was a huge hit and I begged her for the recipe!
This is our version of the Chuy’s famous creamy jalapeno dip is super simple to make and can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes. I without a doubt could drink this stuff….all day long. It is also reminiscent of Cafe Rio or Costa Vida’s cilantro ranch dressing. You can use this dressing to drizzle on a salad, a burrito bowl, or just as an appetizer.
How do you make this famous Chuy’s creamy jalapeno cilantro dip dressing? You start with jarred jalapenos and cilantro pureed in a blender. You can use fresh jalapenos as well but I prefer the jarred jalapenos as I can control the heat. The jarred jalapenos are much milder than fresh ones but give off a crazy amount of flavor. Fresh cilantro brings the freshness and balances out the heat.
Both sour cream and mayonnaise are used as the base of this creamy cilantro ranch dressing. A packet of dry ranch dressing dip brings that ranch flavor that everyone seems to love. If you want to add more freshness, throw in a couple of tomatillos. You can use fresh tomatillos or canned tomatillos. Buttermilk makes a huge difference in this dressing and use just enough to thin it to desired consistency and taste.
The jalapenos and cilantro are pureed in a blender or food processor. My favorite inexpensive food processor can be found HERE.
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Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Cilantro Dip Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Sour Cream
- 3/4 cup Mayonnaise (if you prefer less mayonnaise, you may use 1 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup mayonnaise)
- 1 packet 1 oz Dry Ranch Dip
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- 1/2 cup Cilantro (tightly packed, may add more for fresh flavor)
- 3/4 cup Pickled Jalapenos (plus juice from a jar (may add up to 1 cup depending on heat preference)
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk (if you want it to be thinner, add more buttermilk)
- 2 Tomatillos optional
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Lime Juice optional
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch dip packet, and garlic salt.
- In blender or food processor, puree cilantro and pickled jalapenos with a little juice. (If using tomatillos, blend with jalapenos and cilantro).
- Add cilantro jalapeno puree to mayo mixture.
- Stir in buttermilk until you reach desired consistency. Add fresh lime juice, if using.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I hope you love this copycat version of Chuy’s popular Creamy Jalapeno Dip! It’s a family favorite. Happy Eating, my friends!
How long do you think it will keep. So excited to try this. Thank you
Hi, I just found this recipe. My daughter loves the o e from chuys and I told her I was going to find the recipe to make it. My question is, it says tomatillos optional. If I don’t add them would alter the flavor or it tastes better with them in it? Thank you.
Love this and all of our family does also…it’s always requested for get-to-gathers.
Easy, quick and delicious.
Good, but too much Mayo.
Excellent recipe and exact clone of the restaurant’s well-loved dip.
This recipe is spot on and absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for posting!
If we don’t buy buttermilk, but make our own by putting white vinegar in regular milk, will this recipe work and taste the same?
also, will it work with all sour cream instead of any mayo?
or what about with olive oil mayo or low fat mayo?
what about substituting plain greek yogurt for the mayo?
thanks!
Hi J! Using your own homemade buttermilk won’t taste the exact same, but it’s still an awesome substitute if you don’t want to go out and buy a whole carton of buttermilk. I honestly haven’t recipe tested for sour cream and Greek yogurt substitutes, but I think it would still be best to do at least half mayo and half Greek yogurt/sour cream. I hope that this helps!
I LOVE chuy’s. I LOVEEE creamy jalapeño. I’ve been using this recipe for years and all I gotta say after multiple experimentations with this recipe is that you gotta follow it pretty much exactly how it is. Modern Honey cracked the code and hit the jackpot with this recipe and I am so grateful. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, it really doesn’t taste the same. For example- I don’t normally keep buttermilk around since it expires fast but it makes a difference yall. Great recipe, great creator, great creamy jalapeño. Pair this with homemade margaritas and you’ve got a recipe for a perfect weekend!
LOVE this comment Ashley! Glad that you know and love Chuy’s too. Thank you for trying my recipe!
So did you add the optional ingredients too or no?
This stuff is literally incredible and definitely making it for the rest of my life lol. Quick question. Followed the recipe but it seems extra runny. Maybe because of the jalapeño juice I added. Is there a way to thicken it up a little more?
We love it in our house too! I’ve made it for my husband’s coworkers before, and they request it often lol. Mine has also been coming out a little more runny. Not sure what to do about that either.
Greek yogurt is the go to for thickening a dairy based recipe. Works amazingly well and really doesn’t alter the flavor.
Nailed it! Just like Chuy’s! I forgot to buy sour cream, but had Fage yogurt. It worked out great, I’m gonna but this sauce on everything! 😉
So happy to hear that the substitutions worked! Thank you for trying out my recipe. I love hearing that it’s just like Chuy’s!
Love this dip, one of our favorites! I know this may be crazy, but what is the name of the food processor you are using in the video?