Creamy Jalapeño Dip is an all-natural copycat recipe of the popular dip from Chuy's, made with just a handful of real ingredients including fresh jalapeños, cilantro, and salsa verde!
For even more scrumptious, Tex-Mex inspired dips, you might enjoy Beef Enchilada Dip, Creamy Salsa Dip, and Zesty Black Bean Dip!
In case you've never had Creamy Jalapeño Dip, it's a bowl of deliciousness served alongside chips and salsa at the eclectic Tex-Mex chain, Chuy's...a restaurant that started in Austin but -- according to my quick perusal of their website -- is now spread across a variety of states (you lucky Ohioans).
I believe it's well-documented that I've always been a queso girl (and still am to this day, foreverandeveramen). But when they bring out your chips and salsa at Chuy's, they also bring out that aforesaid small bowl of Creamy Jalapeño Dip.
And it's so addictive that I typically situate it at arm's reach and inhale it faster than anyone else at the table.
In fact, it pretty much makes me forget about ordering queso until our crew is at least two bowls in on the Creamy Jalapeño front. It's just that good, folks.
So a few years back, I decided to attempt an at-home version of the recipe.
All-Natural Copycat
While Chuy's Creamy Jalapeño Dip at the restaurants reportedly starts with packaged ranch dressing mix, I wanted to put a fresher spin on the dip by using more natural ingredients.
So while I recognize that my recipe is not an exact copycat, I honestly think that it tastes even better than the original! And I feel better about the ingredients, to boot. 🙂
Ingredients
As mentioned above, original Chuy's Creamy Jalapeño Dip (as well as most copycat recipes) starts with dry ranch dressing packets. And unfortunately, that most popular and beloved store-bought brand of ranch dressing mix includes a bunch of unpronounceable ingredients plus MSG...
So wanting to keep this recipe a bit more from-scratch, I started with my Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing ratio of ingredients as a base. And then I added plenty of flavor!
- Fresh jalapeños. I love the freshness and bite of fresh jalapeños, although you may substitute drained, pickled jalapeños if you prefer (which is actually what Chuy's restaurants use). It's also possible to make this recipe mild or spicy, depending on your taste. Scroll down for some tips on controlling the heat of your jalapeños!
- Cilantro. This recipe traditionally contains a bit of cilantro, but not too much, since the primary flavor is meant to be jalapeño. That being said, if you're feeding this dip to a group of cilantro fans, feel free to double or even triple the amount. My family happens to love cilantro, so I always go heavy on it.
- Mayonnaise + sour cream + buttermilk. This is the "homemade ranch base" that I've been referring to. Once combined and thoroughly chilled, it has a perfect consistency and balance of flavor for a creamy dressing or dip.
- Tomatillo salsa. Also known as salsa verde. I always check the label for minimal (real) ingredients, and I've found that there are some good jarred options at most grocery stores.
- Garlic powder + onion powder. For additional flavor that's not too overpowering.
- Salt + pepper. Be sure to add enough salt, which will help the other flavors in the dip "pop."
How to Make Creamy Jalapeño Dip
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
Once you gather your ingredients, you're just moments away from sampling Creamy Jalapeño Dip BLISS!
- In a blender or food processor, pulse the jalapeños until minced.
- Add the cilantro and pulse until chopped.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend or puree until completely smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
But wait! You're not quite done yet!
Don't Skip this Step!
There's one final, very important step before you dig in!
After you transfer your Creamy Jalapeño Dip to a container, you need to chill it for at least 4 hours -- but preferably 8 or more hours! This will allow the flavors to blend and intensify. When you first make this dip, it tastes rather mayonnaise-y...but that will go away as it chills.
Popping it in the fridge will also thicken it up a bit. The dip at Chuy's is actually fairly runny, as is this copycat when you first blend it up. But chilling will help remedy that.
As for the flavor, I always recommend tasting it again one last time, just before serving. This will allow you to further adjust the salt and pepper, if necessary.
Controlling the Heat of the Jalapeños
Creamy Jalapeño Dip can be made to be fairly mild -- with the jalapeños contributing more flavor than heat -- if you scrape out and discard all of the seeds and membranes from the jalapeños.
However, if you want a spicy dip, just leave those seeds and membranes intact before whizzing everything together.
And what if you're not sure? Well, in my experience, some jalapeños are just naturally hotter than others, and you never really know what you're going to get until you try them.
So here's what I often do (since I have kiddos who enjoy some heat but can't handle too much)...
- I initially remove and reserve the seeds and membranes from the jalapeños. That's right...I set them aside!
- Then I proceed to make the dip as directed without those seeds and membranes.
- Once the dip is done, I taste it. If I want it spicier, I add a portion of the seeds and membranes back to the dip, completely pureeing them in and then tasting again.
- I keep adding more seeds/membranes and tasting until I reach my desired heat level. If, at that point, I still have seeds and membranes that I didn't use, I know I'm safe to discard them.
Finally, do keep in mind that the heat of the jalapeños is likely to intensify just a smidge once the dip chills for a while.
Other Ways to Enjoy Creamy Jalapeño
If you eat at Chuy's, you can actually get this concoction poured over your enchiladas or burrito or Chuychanga as a Creamy Jalapeño sauce.
It also makes a fabulous salad dressing. Taco salad, anyone?
Or you can simply drain it straight from the bowl, as fast as your little chips will carry it to your mouth!
After all, sometimes one's usual vat of queso has earned a well-deserved break. 😉
So what are you waiting for?
I'm sure you can think of a reason or two to enjoy some of this Creamy Jalapeño Dip goodness!
Hope you enjoy this one, friends.
More Yummy Dips
Creamy Jalapeño Dip {Chuy's Copycat Recipe}
Ingredients
- 2 fresh jalapeños, *see Notes below
- ⅓ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup good-quality mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup salsa verde (tomatillo salsa)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, pulse the jalapeños until finely minced. Add the cilantro and pulse until chopped.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients and blend/process until mixture is smooth and completely puréed. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4, but ideally 8 or more, hours. Serve with tortilla chips.
Video
Notes
- Individual jalapeños can vary in their heat levels. That being said, as a general rule:
- For a mild dip, scrape out and discard the seeds & membranes from your jalapeños.
- For a medium dip, leave the seeds & membranes intact in one jalapeño and scrape them out/discard from the second jalapeño.
- For a spicy dip, leave all of the seeds & membranes intact. Or you can even add an additional jalapeño for extra heat, if that's your preference.
- The chilling time is critical to this recipe, in order for the flavors to blend and develop.
- This dip will slightly thicken after chilling in the fridge for several hours. However, it is not intended to be (and will never turn into) an overly thick dip.
Originally published on April 21, 2016, and updated on May 22, 2020, and February 9, 2022.
Mike
I've made this twice, absolutely delicious. I didn't have buttermilk nor sour cream, I substituted for healthier options using greek yogurt and kefir. It's a big hit, great for taco night or dipping pretty much anything into it.
Laura Reese
This was amazing. I have always been so afraid of jalapeños! You helped ease me in perfectly without the seeds. It was perfect!! No we didn't add any in but we loved the flavors.
Holly
Made this to use as a dip for chicken taquitos and it was delicious. This will be my go to dip now, easy to make and hard to resist.
Katie
Tastes just like what I remember! We love this one at parties with friends.
Betsy
Super delicious dip! Love it! We're having tamales tonight and this is going to go so perfect with them!! YUM!!
CC
I lived in Austin for 5 years. Once I moved away, I had withdraws from the creamy jalapeno dip. This is the closest recipe to Chuy's that I have found. I will say that you do need it to sit before eating. I did not let it sit overnight and when I tried it first I didn't like it. After it sat overnight it tasted way better.
Samantha Skaggs
So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, it definitely needs to chill for hours before the flavors meld and it tastes right. 🙂
Stephanie
Hi! Do I need to make the homemade buttermilk ranch dressing as written in your linked recipe then still add more buttermilk and sour cream as laid out in the recipe? I read the description that said you added cilantro and jalapeños and tomatillo salsa to the homemade ranch but was a little confused based off the instructions. Super excited to try this and want to make sure I get it right! Thanks!
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Stephanie! Sorry if my explanation was confusing...I simply meant that I based the creation of this recipe on my homemade ranch recipe, with a few particular additions to turn it into Creamy Jalapeño Dip. Just follow the instructions in the recipe card as written. 🙂 Hope that helps, and hope you enjoy!
Nick
Can be a little spicy, air on the side of caution on both the jalapenos & cilantro. Great recipe & with a little trial and error you can get it how you want it!
Samantha Skaggs
I find that every batch of jalapeños I buy is different! Some are very mild while others are super spicy. So I usually add half of a jalapeño at a time and taste as I go to achieve my family's desired spice level. 🙂
Lucy
Although both my kids went to college in Austin, and my daughter still lives there, we never did Chuy’s. It’s such a food town that we always try something new.
However, I saw this and wanted to make it for today’s Super Bowl chicken fajita nachos. Just stuck it in the fridge to let the flavors mingle, but I hate about 10 chips with it first. So so so so good and simple! Might just get me to try Chuy’s when we can finally do restaurants again. Thanks for sharing your home version!
Mara
This dip is fantastic! I’ve shared the recipe with so many people and everyone raves about it! Just curious tho (and I may have missed this when I read the post) how long does this typically last after refrigerating?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Mara! This never lasts more than a day or two at our house -- ha. But it should be fine in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. I'd pay attention to the expiration date of your buttermilk in helping you decide. 🙂
Nina Deal
Have you used it on chicken tenders yet? For those of you Chuy's fans without kids, there is a secret on their kids menu that is the most amazing chicken nuggets. They are scratch made and with the jalapeno ranch, it's an adult treat. I've actually written in to the Chuy's corporate site to suggest that they start carrying a chicken sandwich. I also love this stuff and whenever we order takeout, I order additional so that I can make chicken tenders at home. And, for the record, I HATE plain ranch dressing. HA.
Samantha Skaggs
Wow, who knew? Sounds delicious...thank you for sharing!
Kathleen
I love Chuy's . They don't normally bring this out until it is asked for or the waiter recognizes us as regulars who always get it and then they bring out multiple bowls. I had found a copy cat recipe but it called for the can of pickled jalapenos which was difficult to then adjust the heat. I also made the ranch from scratch. I will definitely try your recipe. Like you I could drink this like a milkshake. Yum yum