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.
The Ingredients You Will Need
The comprehensive list of ingredients and quantities for the homemade dressing is in the recipe card below.
Substitutions to use for fewer calories include low-fat mayonnaise and Greek yogurt for sour cream. The recipe also includes Karo syrup but agave or honey could the used instead.
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 be stored 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 Southwest Salad
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 your only option is to 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.
Here are a few more tasty recipes to try:
- Tex-Mex Chopped Chicken Salad
- Caramelized Onion Crostini with Mushrooms
- Jalapeno Potatoes au Gratin
- Make-ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
The Best Southwest Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp light Karo syrup (agave or honey as substitutes)
- 1 tsp water (or more to thin)
- 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
- 1 tsp McCormick hot mexican style chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Salad
- Romaine lettuce
- cilantro
- red onion
- corn
- black beans
- grape tomatoes
- thin sliced carrot
- grated cheddar cheese
- Mrs. Cubbison's southwest flavor tortilla strips ,
Instructions
Dressing
- Whisk ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
- Place into an air-tight container and refrigerate to store.
Salad
- Assemble the salad to your liking and top with the dressing.
Notes
- The salad ingredient proportions are up to you. Corn and beans are a must. I added red onion because I like it. If you can't find the tortilla strips, (near salad croutons in the store), you could substitute spicy Dorito chips.
- This recipe makes 4 1/2 tbsp or approximately 2, 1 1/4 fl. oz. servings.
- To adjust the recipe to make a larger batch, click on the "2" in the servings in the header above and use the slider to increase the serving size.
- Substitute low-fat mayonnaise for full fat. Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Use honey or agave instead of Karo syrup.
- Nutrition information is for 1 serving of the salad dressing. Not the salad ingredients.
Nutrition
Karen
Yayyyy…a great southwest salad dressing that I need to try!!! Love the southwest salad from McDonalds!!! Bookmarking this right this minute. Thank you.
Joe
Thanks for the comment Karen…hope you like it!
philip
They use to sell this in bottles. I still have one since I love the dressing. I will certainly try your recipe.
Cindy
I loved this dressing. I used leftover fajitas ingredients and added it all to a salad, was a delicious fajita salad..Will be making it again. Thanks.
Joe
Thanks for the nice comment Cindy…glad you like the recipe.
V
I tried this after trying two other recipes with no success. This recipe was perfect for a blackened shrimp salad recipe I also copycatted from a restaurant I went to. The dressing went great with my salad. Thank you for the recipe.
Joe
Thanks for the comment…I agree it is pretty dang good!
mykal
Just made this one. Great recipe!! thank you!
Joe
Thanks for the nice comment Mykal.
Kevin Large
Made your dressing for my salad today with the exception of honey for corn syrup and it tastes just like the Newman dressing, Now I’m sitin on the beach enjoying my salad an a ( plastic) glass of wine. Life is good, thanks Joe! ?â›±?
Joe
Sounds fantastic Kevin…even the wine out of a plastic glass! Beach time is the best. Glad you liked the Newman’s copycat recipe.
James Poulnott
Love this recipe. I used agave nectar in place of the corn syrup. And I use it as a Cole slaw dressing as well. Delicious!!!!!!!
Joe
Thanks James,
Agave is a perfect substitute for corn syrup. Glad you like my recipe!
Brittany
So excited to try this recipe! Is Karo the same as maple syrup? Thanks for posting 🙂
Joe
Hi Brittany,
You could substitute maple syrup for the Karo syrup,(corn syrup), but it may impart a slightly different flavor. It will probably be unnoticeable since it’s only 2 teaspoons.
Hope you like the dressing!
Theresa
Actually, I had one of these salads today from Mcdonalds and it was delish. However it has spring mix greens including spinach… no iceberg that I seen at all. I prefer spring mix anyways because it’s better for you.
Angie
Joe,
I think you miss spoke when you said the dressing is dang good. I found the dressing to be exceptional and I used it all on one salad.YUMMY 🙂
Joe
Thanks Angie. I think a double batch is in order!
Ray
Hi Joe! I made this recipe and it’s absolutely delicious and reminds me of the Mcdonald’s Southwest! Being a pregnant woman and living away from all my favorite fast food has been tough lol. Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m making it for my family for the second night in a row:)
Joe
Thanks for the nice comment Ray. Enjoy!
Trish
Just made this and it is awesome! It’s the closest to the real thing I’ve tasted!
Thank You for sharing your recipe!
Joe
Thank you for the nice comment Trish…very glad that you liked it!
Rané and Jesse
Dear Joe and MaryJo,
I made your copycat recipe for the Southwest dressing. All I can say is wow, this is GREAT! While on the road, if my husband and I have to eat fast food in an emergency we usually stop at McDonalds, Wendy’s or Burger King for salads. We absolutely love your recipe. I will be making a quadruple batch today as I’m an everyday salad eater! Thank you so much for posting this!
Joe
Thanks for your nice comment. Glad you like it!
Tarne Short
Joe,
Just made your recipe tonight!! Tastes delicious and we love it!! Thank you for sharing!! McDonald’s Southwest salads is my favorite when we’re road tripping as well. Finally a great copycat recipe????.
Joe
Thanks Tarne! Very happy that you liked it.
Tiffany
Do you think if I use the reduced fat Mayo and sour cream this recipe will still work the same? Thanks! I’ve been dying for a Southwest dressing!!
Joe
Hi Tiffany,
I think that would be fine. Most of the flavor is in the spices anyway. The recipe makes a nice, tangy southwest flavor.
Tiffany
Thank you!! I’m going to try it out! I can’t wait!!
Anonymous
Is cider vinegar the same as Apple cider vinegar? Lol
Joe
Yes…it’s the same thing.
Steph
I will try yours and I like that your recipe is less carbs than Newmans.
Kyle G
I love your recipe! We used the olive oil mayo and added a little more lime juice. Yum
Joe
Thanks Kyle. Glad you like it. Hmmm. I’ll have to try the olive oil style mayo and a little more lime. Thanks, Joe
Lee
Your version seems 2 have a lot more fat grams than I remember on the pkg of dressing from McDonald’s. What brand of mayo did u use n your version? Also, your nutritional information didn’t include your serving size. Thx 4 recipe…can’t wait 2 try it! Those salads r my goto fav 2!
Joe
Hey Lee…Thanks for your comment. I use Hellmann’s mayo and yes, when I ran this through my nutrition calculator it came up about 4 grams more fat than the original. Calories are the same, mine has less sodium. I just made a double recipe and got 9 tablespoons or 4 1/2 fluid ounces, generally enough for 4 salads. Hope you like it! Joe
Donna Jitchotvisut
Joe and Mary Jo,
There was a woman back in the ’80s that did the same thing – figuring out how to make copy-cat recipes of popular fast food restaurant dishes and some popular prepared foods that are sold in big grocery stores. Check out Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Fast Food Recipes Secrets. The copy I have was published in September of 1988. These recipes really come close – especially the one for the White Castle Sliders and the one for the Sara Lee Butter Streusel coffee cake. Of course, she couldn’t use the actual names of the dishes she was offering the copy-cat recipes for because of possible legal problems but it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to identify them. I don’t know if this book is still available – you might have to go to eBay if it is out of print. (I copied your recipe for Southwest Dressing and will be making it.) Thanks for sharing!
Joe
Thanks for the insight Donna. Creating copycat recipes is hard since the originals are so good! Newman’s Own Southwest is a favorite of mine. This copy recipe is close. Glad you are going to give it a try.
MaryJo
Yummy!