The Best Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe

May 26, 2015 By Joe 150 Comments

Post updated March 11, 2023

This is my take on Newman’s Own Southwest Dressing Recipe. Just like McDonald’s southwestern salad dressing you can make at home. It’s a tangy blend of spices combined to make a great Southwestern salad dressing.

If you’re someone who loves Tex-Mex flavors and is always on the lookout for a perfect dressing to complement your salads, rice bowls, and grilled chicken, then you’re in luck!

Today we’ll be sharing a great recipe for homemade southwest dressing that’s easy to make, packed with fresh flavors, and uses real ingredients. Plus, you can customize it according to your taste preferences and dietary needs.

On our way back to Minnesota from Florida, MaryJo and I make some quick stops for lunch. My favorite quick stop is McDonald’s to get a Southwest salad with grilled chicken.

McDonald’s is at every other interchange and you know what you are getting when you buy there.

I don’t know if you are familiar with this, but it is a big salad with greens, cilantro, corn, black beans, grated cheddar cheese, topped with spicy tortilla chips with a packet of Newman’s Own Southwest Restaurant Dressing.

It is a really delicious, low-calorie lunch that really hits the spot.

The thing is, Newman’s Own Southwest Dressing is not sold in stores. Bummer! The Southwest Dressing Recipe is a total secret and you can’t buy it.

Why Make Your Own Southwest Dressing

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk about why homemade dressing is a healthier option than store-bought dressing.

Many store-bought dressings contain soybean oil, which is high in omega-6 fatty acids, and may lead to inflammation in the body. They also contain xanthan gum, a thickening agent that can cause digestive issues in some people.

Additionally, store-bought dressings often have artificial flavors, and preservatives to enhance their shelf life, which is not ideal for people who are trying to eat clean and avoid processed foods.

On the other hand, homemade salad dressing allows you to control the ingredients that go into your dressing, and you can avoid allergens or ingredients that you don’t like.

Moreover, making your own dressing is more cost-effective in the long run, and you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Plus, it tastes as good or better than any store-bought dressing you can find!

Developing the Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe

While we were at one of the McDonald’s stops I told MaryJo that I should try to duplicate the recipe for the Southwest Dressing, so I took a picture of the ingredient label. Logical first step.

There were things like corn syrup solids, corn vinegar, cornstarch, whey, and sour cream powder. Curious ingredients. I’m sure that if you are Paul Newman you could call up friends and have this stuff delivered to your front step! No problem.

Well, I am Joe and not Paul and have no idea what this stuff is. So I experiment.

One of the ingredients is egg yolks mixed with soybean oil and cider vinegar.

The egg yolks make the oil and vinegar mix together to make an emulsion that will not separate, (the old oil and water thing).

Well, I throw this together and added the spices I thought were in the dressing and made a pretty good likeness to the original, (not really).

Then I make another blend. Not quite right.

By then I’m thinking that if I come up with a Newman’s Own copycat recipe, it would contain uncooked eggs. That could mean…Salmonella city!

I went back to the store and bought pasteurized eggs. Turns out they are hard to separate, yolks and whites, but I got the job done.

I then tried another spice blend and I was not close again.

The Dressing Solution…Use Mayonnaise!

MaryJo sensed my frustration and suggested that I use already processed oil, water, and eggs which makes…Mayonnaise. I thought. okay, I give up. Bring on the Hellman’s.

So, with a new sense of purpose and determination, I tried at least 5 more spice blends which required MaryJo to go to the store once and for me to go to the store once more, for spices that we would try and to get more sour cream since I used all that we had.

Finally, I found a blend of spices that worked and my Southwestern Dressing Recipe is pretty close to Paul’s. Store-bought dressing flavor that you can make at home.

He must have spent a lot of time perfecting these recipes! His is exceptional but mine is dang good.

Here Are The Ingredients You Will Need

These are the essential things you will need to make this creamy, homemade southwest dressing.

Mayonnaise
Sour cream
Karo syrup You can use agave or honey as a substitute.
Apple cider vinegar
Lime juice
Onion powder
garlic powder
Dried cilantro Finely chopped fresh cilantro would also work.
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Ground cumin
Tap water To thin the homemade dressing so that it pours.

For the salad itself here is what I use.

Lettuce Iceberg or Romaine.
Fresh cilantro
Red onion
Fresh corn Frozen corn that has been thawed is best.
Black beans
Tomatoes Grape tomatoes or chopped Roma tomatoes.
Carrot
Cheddar cheese
Tortilla strips I used Mrs. Cubbison’s southwest flavor tortilla strips.
Grilled chicken breast This is optional but the chicken is quite good with the Tex-Mex flavors.

McDonald's southwest salad in a plastic bowl.

This photo is an actual Southwest Salad that McDonald’s used to sell.

My recipe makes enough for two salads, but if you enjoy this homemade southwest dressing recipe, feel free to double or triple the ingredients. There is a slider in the recipe card to increase the number of servings up to 20 servings. That would give you the correct ingredients needed for 25 ounces of dressing.

It should store in the refrigerator for one or two weeks. Store it in a Mason jar with a tight-fitting lid or any suitable airtight container.

McDonald’s used to have a southwest salad that came with Newman’s Own Southwest Dressing.

This recipe post was updated on December 9, 2021, and McDonald’s has discontinued making the Southwest salad. They also stopped selling salads in 2020 presumably because they were not that popular.

According to McDonald’s.com, they have Chicken Caesar Salad, Garden Salad, and Garden Salad with Crispy Chicken. According to my local restaurant, they don’t offer salads anymore.

I thought that it might be Covid that made them stop selling salads. This article from “Eat This, Not That” gives another explanation, which for a fast-food restaurant, makes sense.

They had to buy 2 different kinds of lettuce…one for sandwiches and one for salads.

So give my Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Hey. Did you make this recipe? Let me know how you liked it in the comments below. Take a photo of your creation and post it on your Instagram…tag @joeshealthymeals so I can take a look.

And here are a few more tasty recipes to try: