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Homemade DAIRY-FREE Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (Cafe Rio Copycat)

June 1, 2019 by Megan Lavin 4 Comments

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The end-all, be-all of dressings. This southwestern take on ranch, with kicks of jalapeno and cilantro make this creamy salad covering what dreams are made of. Copied from a crazy popular restaurant in the West: Cafe Rio, but without wheat, dairy or eggs, making this dressing super allergy-friendly for just about any diet.

dairy-free-costa-vida-cilantro-lime-vinaigrette

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Pre-diagnosis, if you were to go to eat anywhere, especially on a date night–you would go to Cafe Rio (at least if you live on the West Coast). It’s just a given. It’s incredibly rare if there isn’t already a staggering line no matter what time you show up. Besides their crazy good salads and burritos, the pièces de résistance is the dressing. It is the savory version of the cherry on top.

Once you can’t have dairy, or eggs, or wheat though–forget about it. But, my dreams were still haunted by this thick, creamy, dressing. Add to the fact that I have three boys (yes, I’m including my husband in this) to feed, I’ve got to make a salad GOOD for them to want to eat it. And, dang it–dousing any salad in this dressing just makes it irresistible.

the-best-dairy-free-salad-dressing-recipe

I’m telling you, if you’ve never had the pleasure of eating at Cafe Rio (or the equally as good sister restaurant, Costa Vida) you might be thinking, but Megan–is there anything better than ranch?

I know. I get it. Ranch was my all-American go-to dressing as well. But, it’s like when people thought the world was flat, they just simply didn’t know what they were missing!

Add to the fact that you make this all in the blender and it makes so much, that it leaves plenty for a leftover salad the next day, and you’ll fall in love deeply.

dairy-free-cilantro-lime-vinaigrette

And, can we please give a round of a hand to my 6 year old who was my hand model? Talk about a team effort. Here I am, crouched on the floor trying to give out directions to a confused child. “No, pour more slowly.” “OK, like that, but hold the bottle higher.” “No, too high!” So, I hope you’ll appreciate the pouring shots as much as I do, it was quite an accomplishment. Honestly, it was harder than making the dressing!

Please also enjoy the fact that many Cafe Rio and Costa Vida Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing copycats cheat and use a ranch packet–which doesn’t exist if you have food allergies (I’ve yet to find one that is dairy-free). So, enjoy that this is completely from scratch with no hard to find ingredients (because yes, I can find my vegan mayo at my local Wal-Mart, or I’ve linked to it on Amazon.)

the-best-dairy-free-egg-free-salad-dressing-recipe

I hope you’ll enjoy this salad dressing each and every time you have a salad. You’ll notice I did a simple grilled chicken salad that has my homemade taco seasoning on it. Then, I just dressed it with some of my favorite toppings I had in the fridge: grilled corn, avocado, and cherry tomatoes. I’m sorry to be such a tease, but if you want the full copy cat (sweet pork and cilantro lime rice and beans) you’ll have to wait until my cookbook comes out in Spring 2019, because I have the pork and rice and beans recipe in there. But, I couldn’t make you wait until then to have the salad dressing!

Now go get you a fork, get you a salad and get cracking!

dairy-free-cafe-rio-dressing

Continue to Content
dairy-free-costa-vida-cilantro-lime-vinaigrette

Homemade DAIRY-FREE Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (Cafe Rio Copycat)

Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

The end-all, be-all of dressings. This southwestern take on ranch, with kicks of jalapeno and cilantro make this creamy salad covering what dreams are made of. Copied from a crazy popular restaurant in the West: Cafe Rio, but without wheat, dairy or eggs, making this dressing super allergy-friendly for just about any diet.

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups vegan mayo
  • 3 Tablespoons lime juice
  • ⅓ cup cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
  • 1 green onion--white and green parts
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 and 1/2 tsp)
  • 1/2 jalapeno, de-seeded
  • 1 tomatillo, husk taken off and quartered
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

In a high quality blender place all of the ingredients: the vegan mayo, lime juice, chopped cilantro, green onion, 3 cloves garlic, jalapeno, tomatillo, salt and pepper.

Blend until everything is smooth.

Pour onto your prepared salad. Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Leftover dressing may need to be stirred before using again.This is also great on burritos, tacos and just about anything southwest!

Notes

Adapted from multiple versions of copy cat recipes.

© Allergy Awesomeness
Category: Condiment

DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT! BE SURE TO ALSO CHECK OUT MY OTHER ALLERGY-FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS.

cafe-rio-costa-vida-copycat-dressing-by-allergyawesomeness


Looking for other salad ideas? Check out some of my favorite allergy-friendly salads:

Asian Spinach Pasta Salad

nut-free-asian-spinach-pasta-salad

Avocado BLT Pasta Salad

gluten-free-avocado-BLT-pasta-salad

Apple Bacon Salad with Sweet Red Onion Vinaigrette

Apple, Bacon & Spinach Salad with Sweet Red Onion Vinaigrette (GF, DF, Egg, Soy, Peanut & Tree Nut Free, Top 8 Free) Recipe by AllergyAwesomeness.com

Filed Under: Condiment, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Side Dish, Soy Free, Summer Recipes, Top 8 Free, Vegan Tagged With: Dairy Free, Egg Free, EOE Recipe, Fish Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Peanut Free, Soy Free, Top 8 Free, Vegan, Wheat Free

About Megan Lavin

Hi! I'm Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I'm a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly--it's an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with you, to help you eat like you did before food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!

Previous Post: « Gluten & Dairy Free S’mores Popcorn (Top 8 Free, too!)
Next Post: Gluten-free Vegan 3 Ingredient Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon “Cream Cheese” Frosting »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Victoria

    August 12, 2019 at 12:13 PM

    Hello! Another EOE Mama here who just found your blog! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and recipes. Where did you get the condiment container from? Does it have a lid? I’ve been looking for something that pours nicely for dressings.

    Reply
    • allergyawesomeness@gmail.com

      August 13, 2019 at 9:53 AM

      Hi! I got the glass jar from the Dollar Tree actually. It’s OK to pour, but honestly, I mostly use it for photo shoots. My favorite, though not as cute, is just using a plastic squeeze bottle (like the generic kind you’d get to fill with ketchup), that way little hands can use it and not have a ton come out at once. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Rachel

    August 2, 2018 at 10:06 AM

    The description for the mayo says soy free, but when you read the ingredients it says may contain soy. Any suggestions for a soy free mayo?

    Reply
    • allergyawesomeness@gmail.com

      August 4, 2018 at 12:43 PM

      Hi Rachel, I always suggest when there is a “may contain” statement about an ingredient you’re worried about that you call the company to hear more details before you decide. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, there is a soy-free vegainaise: https://followyourheart.com/products/soy-free-3/

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I'm a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly--it's an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with you, to help you eat like you did before food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!

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