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in Cooking Basics· Recipes· Sweet Eats

The Best Ever Restaurant-thentic Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

Print Recipe

[Updated September 30, 2020] Made in a blender, this savory and delicious Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing is rich and creamy.  Roasted Anaheim peppers are blended with lots of cilantro, Cotija cheese, pepitas, and other salad dressing ingredients to create a restaurant-thentic salad dressing that your family will crave.

Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing in a mason jar

I have Tiffany to thank for introducing me to this delicious Mexican salad dressing recipe.  She originally shared this recipe on this blog back in July 2013 when she was my blogging partner.  For those of you new to my blog, Tiffany is my niece and the mother of two beautiful girls (my great-nieces) known as Princess P and Princess Sweetie Pie.  They appear with regular frequency on this blog, as does Tiffany, even though she ‘retired’ from the blog in late 2013 to spend more quality time with her family.

Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing - Pinterest 1

Anyway, if you have ever had Mexican Caesar Salad at a restaurant you already know that the dressing is what sets this salad apart!  El Torito’s Mexican Caesar Dressing was always my favorite, so when El Torito, a California-based Mexican restaurant chain, closed down their restaurant in our community many years ago, we were bummed (they continue to operate many sites up-and-down the State of California, just not in our community).

Luckily for us, the mom of one of Tiffany’s good friends mastered the recipe and created a similar-flavored Mexican Caesar salad dressing that is delicious and full of flavor.  Easy to make in a blender, the hardest part is roasting the Anaheim peppers.  But, no worries – I’ll take you through the process step-by-step!

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Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

This is really an easy recipe to make.  The key to the success of this recipe is to have the right ingredients on hand.

Step #1 – Gather Your Mexican Caesar Dressing Ingredients

Ingredients for Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing on a tray

You’ll need the following ingredients to recreate this Mexican Caesar dressing (starting in the top left corner and moving around the above photo in a clockwise direction):

Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, Safflower Oil, or Avocado Oil – you will need a cup and a half (12 ounces) of a light-flavored oil.

Mayonnaise – you’ll also need a cup and a half of mayonnaise; if you want to substitute a light mayonnaise (35 calories per serving), no one will know the difference.  However, I don’t recommend the low-fat variety that is 15 calories per serving.  Low-fat mayonnaise makes a good substitute in applications that don’t require as much mayonnaise as this recipe calls for; for example, it’s a great substitute to use on sandwiches.

Salt and Pepper – you’ll need 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Cilantro – you’ll need two small bunches of fresh cilantro.  Tip:  if you aren’t making this Mexican salad dressing on the day that you buy the fresh cilantro, place the bunches in a glass with about 2-inches of water covering the ends of the stems.  Then cover the cilantro, glass and all, with a gallon-size plastic bag and place in your refrigerator.  This will extend the life of your cilantro for several days.

Garlic Cloves – you’ll need two.  In the photos above and below, one is peeled and one isn’t.  You will need to peel the skin off the cloves of garlic, but you can leave them whole since you’ll be pulverizing them in your blender.

A wedge of Cotija cheese on a tray

Cotija Cheese – you’ll need 5 tablespoons of crumbled Cotija.  I know it’s unbelievable, but on the day I went shopping, I couldn’t find it crumbled, so I bought a wedge.  Cotija is a Mexican cheese that’s a bit salty and crumbles easily much like Feta cheese, but it doesn’t taste like Feta cheese and is drier in texture and saltier.  It is typically used as the topping in Mexican elote (corn on the cob or street corn).

Two Anaheim Peppers on a tray

Anaheim Peppers – you’ll need 2.  As you can tell by the photo above in relation to the other ingredients, Anaheim peppers are large, about 6 to 10 inches in length and they are mild in flavor, so this Mexican Casaer dressing recipe is not spicy.  Roasting the Anaheim peppers is the hardest part of this recipe because you need to roast and skin them before adding them to the blender.

Red Wine Vinegar – you’ll need 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar.

Pepitas – you’ll need 1/3 cup of roasted and salted pepitas.  What are pepitas, you wonder?  They are similar to pumpkin seeds but are harvested only from certain varieties of pumpkins.

Coco and Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients

Here’s my helper, a boy named Coco, making sure that I’ve included everything needed to make this salad dressing.  Actually, missing from the photos above is water – you’ll need a quarter cup of water for this recipe, too.

Step #2 – Roast, Peel, and Seed the Anaheim Peppers

Anaheim Peppers on a gas burner

I have a gas stovetop, so I just roasted my Anaheim peppers over an open flame on my gas burner.  Do not walk away from your stove, if you are roasting your peppers this way!  They will blister fast and you don’t want to walk away for a minute and find them on fire!

Roasting Anaheim Peppers on a gas stovetop

I used long-handled metal tongs to flip them over, turning them several times and adjusting them on the burner in order to blister as much of the surface as possible.  If you don’t have a gas stovetop, there are several other ways you can roast your Anaheim peppers and I found a great post for you, written by food historian Tory Avey, with three different ways to roast bell peppers (oven, stovetop, grill).  However, I have to tell you this – roasting them on my stovetop, over medium heat, DID NOT take 15 to 20 minutes as stated in her post.  My peppers were done in a manner of minutes!

Blistered Anaheim Peppers on a white plate

I blistered my Anaheim peppers just enough to have the skin slide off easily.

Roasted Anaheim Peppers and paper bag

The above photo shows the brown paper lunch bag I used to ‘steam’ my Anaheim peppers for a few minutes after blistering them.  Also, in this photo, you can see the length of the long metal tongs I used to roast them on my gas stovetop burner.

Placing Roasted Anaheim Peppers in Brown Paper Bag

In the photo above, I’m demonstrating how to place the blistered Anaheim peppers in the paper bag.  Since they are hot from the blistering process, it is best to use your tongs to put them inside the paper bag.  You need to place them in the paper bag immediately after removing them from the burner to allow time for them to steam.

Sealed brown paper bag with Anaheim Peppers inside

Seal the bag by folding the top over a time or two and allow the peppers to steam until cool to the touch.  Then remove them from the bag and wipe them with a paper towel to remove the blackened bits.  If the paper towel doesn’t remove all the blackened bits, use your fingers to pick them off.  Then place the roasted Anaheim peppers on a chopping board and cut them open to remove the seeds.  The seeds will fall easily to the side, but you can use a teaspoon to scrape them off.  Don’t scrape too hard, though; you don’t want to annihilate your peppers because they are already soft!

Step #3 – Prep the rest of your ingredients for Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

Prepped ingredients for Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

Prep the rest of your ingredients by measuring them and placing them in little bowls and/or measuring cups.  Wash your cilantro under cold, running water, but there is no need to remove the stems.  You will be placing stems and all in the blender.  In the photo above, the oil is in the large measuring cup, the red wine vinegar is in the smaller liquid measuring cup, and the water is in the orange measuring cup.  The garlic cloves are peeled and the salt and pepper are combined in a small bowl.  The Anaheim peppers are roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces (middle row left), the pepitas are in a bowl front and center, the Cotija cheese is behind the pepitas, and the mayonnaise is behind the water.  Assembling all the ingredients and prepping them this way makes the rest of the process go quickly.

Making Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing on my kitchen countertop

Here’s a view of where I made my Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing – the end of my dark brown countertop on top of a large chopping board so that you don’t see as much glare from the granite surface!  My kitchen is part of our great room, so in the background, you can see our sectional, other furniture, the fireplace, and my dad’s amazing painting that I’ve named Emerald City.  Here’s a shameless plug:  I have another company called Wild Blue Yonder Art and we sell reproductions of some of my father’s artwork.  I say ‘some’ because he was also a sculpture and we don’t sell reproductions of his sculptures; only his paintings.  Check out Great Big Canvas to see this painting and others.

Step #4 – Blend Everything to Smithereens!

Anaheim Peppers, Pepitas, and Cotija Cheese in blender

Place the Anaheim peppers, pepitas, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, canola oil, red wine vinegar, and crumbled Cotija cheese into the blender.

Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing ingredients blended in blender

Give it a whirl, on high, until blended, about 30 seconds.

Adding cilantro to Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

Add one bunch of cilantro and blend, then add the other bunch of cilantro and blend until smooth, about one minute total.

Blended Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

Continue to blend on high, adding the mayonnaise little-by-little through the funnel top in the lid.  Finally, pour the water slowly through the funnel top and blend until smooth and everything is incorporated.

Four and a quarter cups of Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

This Mexican Caesar dressing recipe makes a lot of salad dressing!  Four and a quarter cups!  One quart plus!  I’m showing you the measurements in the blender so that you know this ahead of time.  If that’s too much for you, cut the recipe in half.  This salad dressing will keep in a sealed jar for one week in the refrigerator.

Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing with Anaheim Peppers on a pretty tray

Serve this dressing on a Mexican Caesar Salad or think outside the box to use it in multiple ways.  The best part about this salad dressing is that it doesn’t have to be used only on a Mexican Caesar Salad.  It is great as a dip to accompany appetizers, chips, quesadillas, on a Mexican Caesar pizza, sandwich wraps, drizzled on roasted chicken, grilled steak, carne asada, shish kebobs, or a sauce on tacos!  Yum!

Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing in a bowl

Kitchen Supplies and Equipment Needed to Make This Recipe:

This list of kitchen supplies and equipment links to Amazon and is provided for your convenience in case you don’t have everything you need.

Large Metal Tongs || Paper Lunch Bag || Paper Towels || Chopping Board || Kitchen Knife ||  Measuring Cups || Liquid Measuring Cups || Measuring Spoons || Blender || Rubber Spatula || Mason Jar || Canola Oil || Red Wine Vinegar || Mayonnaise

Food Photography Photo Props

In the above photo are various things I’ve collected over the years and used in this photoshoot.  They are not necessarily currently available but I just wanted to share with you where I sourced them.  The ‘Good Taste’ wooden spoon I purchased at Michael’s, the beautiful decorative chopping board from Pier One, the rattan plate charger from World Market, the flowering cactus plant in the white pot from Home Depot, the white wooden slats used as the bottom surface is also from Michael’s, and the faux marble backdrop is from Replica Surfaces.

Here’s the recipe for The Best Ever Restaurant-thentic Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing:

Print

The Best Ever Restaurant-thentic Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing in a mason jar
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Made in a blender, this savory and delicious Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing is rich and creamy.  Roasted Anaheim peppers are blended with lots of cilantro, Cotija cheese, pepitas, and other salad dressing ingredients to create a restaurant-thentic salad dressing that your family will crave.  Serve on a Mexican Caesar Salad or think outside the box to use this on a Mexican Caesar pizza, sandwich wraps, or drizzled on roasted chicken, grilled steak, or shish kebobs!  Yum!

  • Author: Carole from Toot Sweet 4 Two
  • Prep Time: 22 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 32 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Anaheim peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
  • 1/3 cup roasted and salted pepita seeds
  • 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) salad oil (canola or avocado oil are the ones I’ve used)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons crumbled Cotija cheese
  • 2 small bunches cilantro
  • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Put the first 8 ingredients into a blender (Anaheim peppers, pepitas, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, canola oil, red wine vinegar, Cotija cheese)
  2. Blend on medium-high for 30 seconds.
  3. Add cilantro one bunch at a time and blend for about a minute total.
  4. Slowly add mayonnaise through the funnel in the lid with the blender on medium-high.
  5. Add the water through the funnel in the lid and blend on medium-high until completely blended.
  6. Pour into a quart mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

This recipe makes a little more than one quart of salad dressing (4 cups).  A standard serving size for salad dressing is 2 tablespoons, thus the servings listed as 32.

This salad dressing will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Serve over Mexican Caesar Salad, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, use as a dip with tortilla chips, use as a dressing in sandwich wraps, as a condiment to grilled chicken, steak, carne asada, shish kebobs, or on a Mexican Caesar Salad pizza.

I usually use light mayonnaise and it still tastes amazing.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons

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Tootles,

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Filed Under: Cooking Basics, Recipes, Sweet Eats Tagged With: cilantro, Mexican food, salad dressings, Teach Me to Cook

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Comments

  1. Lindsay says

    March 21, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    So good! I used a 4oz can of whole green chiles and substituted plain greek yogurt for half of the mayo, and it still turned out absolutely perfect! It actually tastes better than it did at the restaurant.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carole says

      April 23, 2017 at 4:23 pm

      Thanks for the tips! Both sound delicious! So glad you liked this recipe!

      Reply
  2. Queene Greene says

    November 6, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    Hello, Followed the recipe for the Mex Cesar Salad dressing to a “T” (twice) and twice, I ended up with a bitterness. What do you think I did wrong? The second time I did it I made sure to thoroughly remove each cilantro leaf and didn’t include the stems (thought that was my error) but unfortunately, I ended up with the same results. Quit after the second attempt because I didn’t want to waste all those wonderful ingredients. Your help is appreciated in advance.

    Reply
    • Carole says

      November 7, 2015 at 2:28 pm

      This is Tiffany’s recipe and since I’ve never made it, I reached out to her for help. Unfortunately, she said it’s perfect every time she makes it, so she didn’t have any ideas as to “why” it didn’t work for you after two attempts! And, since you said you followed the recipe to a “T” twice (meaning using the exact ingredients the recipe calls for and not substituting anything else to replace an item), it makes your results even more perplexing. I have some possible ideas: (1) sometimes fresh garlic will take on a bitter flavor if it is too old and (2) the same goes for nuts, so if your Pepitas are not fresh, it could impart a bitter taste. Actually, even cilantro can leave a bitter taste if not at its peak. Again, sorry this didn’t work for you and that we don’t have a definitive answer.

      Reply
    • Katy says

      April 10, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      Hi, a couple reasons I can think of that it might be bitter is, A. You are not removing all the burnt bits of skin from the chile after you roast it. / not removing all the seed of the chile. / roasting it too much that you are charring the flesh.
      B. If you are using an oil that has a bitter taste to it, like Italian or Greek olive oils that tend to have a stronger grassier / bitter flavor… ? Hope that helps:)

      Reply
      • Carole says

        April 17, 2016 at 10:13 am

        Thanks, Katy, for the great suggestions! Your help is solving the bitterness for the other reader are sincerely appreciated.

        Reply
  3. Susan says

    April 3, 2014 at 11:47 am

    Super quick using the vitamix blender – awesome flavor. Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carole says

      April 4, 2014 at 6:42 am

      You’re welcome! Thanks for the favorable review!

      Reply

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About

I’m Carole, wife to Charlie (25+ years), mom to a boy named Coco, writer, storyteller, home chef, and recipe developer, budding photographer, occasional crafter who loves family and friends, parties and tablescapes, and all things blog. Join me as I COOK, CREATE, INSPIRE.

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