Best Dressing for Taco Salad Recipe

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

We all love taco salad, no matter which way you decide to arrange it. Sometimes it’s made with grilled chicken, sometimes it’s made with ground beef (old school). But no matter how I  choose to make it, I  always make the same dressing. 

Taco Salad with Taco Salad Dressing

Everyone likes their taco salad a little differently. I still like the old school taco meat salad, but the key for me is the right dressing that is creamy and adds flavor.

I’ve been making and eating taco salads since my early twenties. Prior to that I never even had a taco. When I moved to California right after college, I was walking distance to Taco Bell and at that time I was crazy about the Supreme Burrito and the Taco Salad. I’ve come a long way since then and so has the taco salad.

Taco Salad Dressing

You can make it as simple as you want with just taco meat, lettuce and cheese or go all out with what I call the works, including olives, avocado and my best taco salad dressing. I personally skip the beans, but some of you love them, so feel free to add.

I was given this recipe from Andrea who has lots of yummy things on her instagram feed Nashville Made. She brought it to one of my Galentine’s parties.

When I took this to a party, people raved over the dressing and texted me the next week for the recipe.

What is the best dressing for taco salad?

This is so easy, because it’s a ratio of 1 to 1 to 1 and the components are sour cream, mayonnaise, and jarred salsa. I use the fire-roasted salsa from Trader Joe’s. You can use any jarred salsa you wish, but not one with a lot of texture. If your salsa is chunky, run it through the food processor first.

  • Sour Cream
  • Mayonnaise
  • Fire Roasted Salsa (or regular, but add in some heat).
  • NOTE: If you can’t find fire roasted salsa, add some of this sugar free taco seasoning.

Why this Recipe Works

The fire-roasted salsa give heat and acid. The sour cream adds the tang and the mayonnaise adds creaminess. If the dressing isn’t acidic enough, add a teaspoon of vinegar or some lime juice. Don’t use unsalted salsa. Add a teaspoon of taco seasoning if needed. Trader Joe’s Taco seasoning is very spicy, and a teaspoon would add a nice amount of flavor and heat.

You can make your own taco seasoning here.

Homemade DIY Taco Seasoning Mix from Spinach Tiger
Taco Salad with Taco Dressing

Pin This

Taco Salad Ingredients

  • Taco Meat or Meat of your choice
  • Lettuce, chopped
  • Black Olives
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Avocado
  • Beans (optional)
  • Tortilla Chips (skip if eating grain free, sub with crushed pork skins).
  • Taco Salad Dressing
  • Chopped Tomatoes or Pico De Gallo‘=

Use for Old School Tacos

Use my keto taco meat and grain free tortillas.

Keto Ground Beef Taco from Spinach TIger

Use this best dressing for taco salad for these keto taco cups.

Keto Taco Cups from Spinach Tiger

More Mayonnaise Dressings from Spinach Tiger

Taco Salad with Best Dressing
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Best Dressing for Taco Salad

A combination of mayo, sour cream and salsa for the perfect dressing for taco salads, tacos.
Course: Salad and Salad Dressing
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: taco salad, taco salad dressing

Ingredients

Taco Salad Dressing

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup fire roasted salsa see notes
  • lime wedge optional

Taco Salad

  • 4 handfuls Crisp lettuce chopped
  • 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • crushed tortilla chips
  • 1 cup taco meat Recipe Here
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • lime wedges

Instructions

Taco Salad Dressing

  • Combine all three ingredients. You can add taco seasoning if it needs it.
  • You might also want to squeeze some lime into the dressing.

Taco Salad

  • Arrange lettuce, meat, cheese, avocado, olives, tomato on plate and use dressing as much or as little as you like.

Notes

I  use Trader Joe’s fire roasted salsa, which has just the right kick. If you are using a jarred salsa that is not spicy, you might want to add some taco seasoning. 

Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo

Similar Posts

2 Comments

    1. Thank you for the recipe. I didn’t mention you as I wasn’t sure I actually remembered it right. I so appreciate it. I went back in and mentioned you. So sorry. And tagged Nashville Made.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating