Roasted Poblano Ranch Dressing: A Creamy, Cooling Drizzle for Tacos, Bowls, and More!
Back when Chris and I started dating, we frequented a late-night slice shop near our little Milwaukee apartment. I don’t even remember the toppings on our favorite pizza, but it was drizzled with their creamy ‘PBR’ sauce, an absolutely craveable roasted poblano ranch sauce.
When we moved to Minneapolis a few years later, one of my first orders of business was recreating our nostalgic sauce. It took a lot of tries to make sure tasted just how we remembered – creamy and cooling with a slight kick of heat.
This Creamy Roasted Ranch Dressing recipe is the result and I am so excited to finally share it with you!
At the base of this recipe is a traditional homemade ranch, made with mayonnaise, sour cream, and lots of fresh herbs. Adding a couple of roasted poblano peppers into the mix lends subtle smoky spice and a fabulous green hue. 💚
And it’s pretty quick and easy to make! The roasted poblano ranch dressing comes together in 15 minutes with the help of a high-speed blender. From there, the options are endless! Drizzle it over your favorite tacos and salads or grab a slice of your favorite pizza and give it a dip. 😉
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Poblano peppers are mild Mexican chili peppers with a low Scoville score, landing them on the milder side of spicy. They are known for their smoky flavor, which is elevated when roasted. It pairs beautifully with a creamy sauce!
It’s quick and easy to roast poblano peppers right over the open flame of a gas stovetop. If you do not have a gas stove, you can also use the grill or your oven’s broiler.
🫑Easy Poblano Substitutes! ⇢ Anaheim peppers have a similar level of heat as mild poblanos. If you want some extra spice, roast a jalapeño or serrano pepper to kick things up a notch. 🌶
How to Make Homemade Roasted Poblano Ranch Dressing
Once the poblano peppers are roasted, this creamy sauce comes together super quickly using a blender or food processor.
Blend the dressing. Toss the roasted poblano peppers into a blender with mayonnaise, sour cream, lime, cilantro, garlic, chives, and dill. Blend for a couple of minutes, until the poblanos break down into the sauce and it reaches a really smooth and creamy consistency.
Adjust as desired. For a more drizzly sauce, add one tablespoon of water to the blender at a time until the poblano ranch reaches your desired consistency. This simple change shifts the texture from a thick and creamy sauce to a lighter dressing.
Easy Recipe Variations! ⇢ For a dairy-free poblano ranch dressing, replace sour cream with your go-to dairy-free yogurt. For a vegan sauce, swap mayonnaise with your favorite plant-based mayo.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade poblano ranch dressing has deservedly been a PWWB House staple for years.
Our current favorite way to put it to use is as a creamy and cooling drizzle for my weeknight-friendly 20-Minute Fish Taco Bowls, but the options are truly endless.
You can also drizzle the ranch over Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Tacos, a Roasted Vegetable Taco Salad, or a Grilled Veggie Burrito Bowl, or slather it over your favorite pizza. Trust me, it’s absolutely delicious. 💚
I can’t wait for you to try this Poblano Ranch Dressing! It’s a quick and easy way to add a smoky kick of flavor to your bowls, tacos, salads, and more. I think you’ll love it just as much as we do!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Print
Creamy-Dreamy Roasted Poblano Ranch Dressing (or Dip!)
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Prep Time: 15 minutes -
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Cook Time: 5 minutes -
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Total Time: 20 minutes -
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Yield: 2 cups -
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Category: Sauces & Condiments -
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Method: Blender -
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Cuisine: American, Mexican & Tex-Mex -
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Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
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Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Tangy and herbaceous ranch dressing meets roasty poblano chiles!
At the heart of this creamy sauce is a couple of poblano peppers, Mexican green chiles with mild spiciness. Quickly roasting the peppers on the stovetop intensifies their naturally smoky flavor – a particularly delicious pairing for a creamy ranch dressing made with tons of garlic and fresh herbs.
As written, this recipe is pretty cooling and mild – if you like a bit more spice, feel free to toss a roasted jalapeno or serrano pepper into the mix.
The end result is an all-purpose creamy dressing – use it for taco night, salads, chicken wings, and more. Check the blog post, above, for more inspiration. ♡ Happy cooking!
Ingredients
- 2 poblano peppers
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 large lime, juiced (approx. 3 tablespoons juice)
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 6 cloves garlic OR 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives OR 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill OR 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast the poblano peppers: Place the poblano peppers directly over a gas burner. Light to a medium-high flame and cook about 2 minutes per side or until as charred as desired. (Alternatively, if you do not have a gas stove, you can roast the poblanos under the broiler. Place the peppers on a baking sheet, transfer to an oven rack positioned directly under the broil, and broil 4-5 minutes per side.)
![An overhead shot of two roasted poblano peppers in a glass bowl atop a white marbled surface.]()
- Steam the poblano peppers: Transfer the charred poblanos to a bowl, cover, and set aside to steam for 5 minutes. Once steamed, carefully peel away any loose, charred skin and discard. Slice the stem off the pepper and discard. If desired, remove and discard some or all of the seeds for a less spicy sauce.
![An overhead shot of two roasted poblano peppers on a wooden cutting board. One of the peppers has been partially chopped into large chunks.]()
- Prepare the poblano ranch dressing: Place the roasted poblano peppers in a blender with the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chives, dill, kosher salt, and ground black pepper to taste. Pulse to break up the roasted poblanos, then blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
![An overhead shot of poblano peppers, mayo, sour cream, limes, cilantro, garlic, chives, salt, pepper, and dill in the bowl of a food processor atop a white marbled surface.]()
![An overhead shot of poblano ranch in the bowl of a food processor atop a white marbled surface.]()
- Serve: Transfer to a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until chilled – the poblano ranch will be thin at this point, but it will thicken as it rests. Once chilled, serve as desired – it’s a fun spicy-creamy sauce to serve with tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, nachos, and more. We especially love drizzling it over these Fish Taco Bowls, but sky’s the limit – get creative, have fun with it, and enjoy!
![A close-up overhead shot of poblano ranch dressing in a small glass pitcher atop a white surface, surrounded by cilantro leaves and spent lime wedges.]()
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Spiciness: Poblano peppers are mild Mexican chili peppers. They are not especially spicy but they do have wonderful flavor, which is why I like using them for a creamy, cooling ranch dressing. If you like a little more heat, feel free to add a jalapeno or serrano pepper to your ranch dressing – you can roast it up right alongside the poblano peppers.
- Recipe Variations: If you prefer not to use sour cream, feel free to swap it out with full-fat yogurt. If you avoid dairy or would like to make vegan poblano ranch dressing, replace mayonnaise with your favorite vegan mayo and sour cream with your favorite dairy-free yogurt.
Storage: This creamy poblano ranch will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.
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