Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing

Name: Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups mayonnaise; ¾ cup canola oil; ⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds; ¼ cup distilled water; ¼ cup red wine vinegar; ¼ cup crumbled Cotija cheese; 2 peppers roasted Anaheim chile peppers; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 bunches fresh cilantro, rinsed and stemmed

Rating: 4.95 stars

19 Ratings
16 Reviews
8 Photos

This is my best take on the dressing that is used in the El Torito restaurants in southern California. Be sure to toss some roasted pepitas and crumbled Cotija or Manchengo cheese on top of your salad for the full effect!

By Jim M

Gallery

Recipe Summary

prep:

15 mins

additional:

1 hr

total:

1 hr 15 mins

Servings:

Yield:

3 cups

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Blend mayonnaise, canola oil, pumpkin seeds, water, vinegar, Cotija cheese, roasted chile peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth, about 1 minutes. Add cilantro in batches, blending each to incorporate completely before adding the next, 30 to 60 seconds per batch.

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Step 2

Pour dressing into an air-tight container and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

180 calories; protein 1.1g 2% DV; carbohydrates 1.6g 1% DV; fat 19.2g 30% DV; cholesterol 6.7mg 2% DV; sodium 145.1mg 6% DV. Full Nutrition

Reviews (16)

Most helpful positive review

bjan

05/31/2014

Delicious! I also added a little squeeze of lime juice and coarsely chopped cilantro to a quick steak salad (made from leftover steak) - it transformed it into a summery fresh dish my family loved! Thank you for sharing! Read More

Helpful

(2)

19 Ratings

5 star values: 18
4 star values: 1
3 star values: 0
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

bjan

05/31/2014

Helpful

(2)

Carol West Kennedy

05/05/2014

Oh my gosh! This recipe is a stroke of genius! I don't know how Jim M. did this but I am so glad he did. I used to only buy the bottled El Torito dressing once in a while on a splurge and then use it sparingly ... on fish tacos which is our favorite use of it. I like making foods from scratch and especially "copy cat" recipes. Maybe I will post my "copy" of Chevy's Restaurant (Southern Calif. again) with my own twists. I also roast the tomatoes and onions on our patio "chimenea" with a little grill place on top like I did for the Anaheim pepper for this dressing recipe. The dressing already was tasting heavenly even before I put the cilantro it. It is so much better than the bottled; you can taste the little crunchy pepitas much better. I cut the recipe in half as we are empty nesters now and it still made a little more than 12 oz. plus what I ate off the spatula! I used my 4 or 5 cup food processor for this half recipe and it was perfect. ( I don't like my blender.) Oh, I am one happy camper. Thank YOU! I wanted to post my photo of the dressing in a large canning jar, but the pixels were too big. :-( Read More

Helpful

(2)

Gina Schultz

07/01/2017

This is just what I was looking for a great approximation of El Torito Grill's dressing to put atop grilled romaine salad with chopped tomatoes and some crushed tortilla chips. A HUGE hit. I use 2-4oz cans of roasted chilis in place of the Anaheim low fat mayo and I reduce the oil using c olive oil. I also find I prefer the fuller flavor of grated Parmesan to the traditional Cotija in the dressing (but sprinkle the Cotija on the finished salad. This dressing is also a great dip (I use one cup LF sour cream and cup LF mayo) for chips veggies on top of roasted potatoes spread on sandwiches and swirled into tomato soup. If you like cilantro TRY THIS RECIPE. Read More

Helpful

(1)

Sonia Pavão

05/03/2019

Very Delicious! Restaurant quality! I loved it Yum Yum! Read More

Lisa

04/06/2020

Delish on my Mexican Caesar salad! Read More

JORGINE

05/01/2015

I love this dressing. When we still lived in Ca. Our favorite Sun. brunch was El Torito and i always ate more than one salad just to get the dressing. And topped with pepitas and cotija yummy. So thanks for this recipe Read More

MarinaDR

05/11/2016

This was amazing and pretty spot on even with my adjustments only because I didn't have these on hand: Anaheim peppers (substituted with roasted hatch green chilies) and cotija cheese (substituted with grated parmesean cheese). Thank you this will be forever in the rotation. Read More

Alyson

05/04/2020

Delicious! I love cheese so added about 1 cup. Read More

kterri

08/16/2018

Great recipe! Read More

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Nutritional Information

Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing

Servings Per Recipe: 24
Calories: 179.8

% Daily Value *

protein: 2 %

carbohydrates: 1 %

exchange other carbs:

dietary fiber: 1 %

sugars:

fat: 30 %

saturated fat: 13 %

cholesterol: 2 %

vitamin a iu: 8 %

niacin equivalents: 3 %

vitamin b6: 7 %

vitamin c: 11 %

folate: 1 %

calcium: 2 %

iron: 3 %

magnesium: 5 %

potassium: 2 %

sodium: 6 %

thiamin: 1 %

calories from fat:

percent of calories from carbs:

percent of calories from fat:

percent of calories from protein:

percent of calories from sat fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.