Copycat Chuy’s Creamy Jalapeño Dip

Have you eaten at a Chuy’s restaurant? It’s a popular Tex-Mex style restuarant that seems to be located mostly east of the Rocky mountains, so if you’re on the west coast of the US you may not have had the opportunity to eat there.

But now you can have a delicious little taste of their food… at home!

However, if you have eaten there, you know how amazing their creamy jalapeño dip is. From the moment it’s placed on the table with those deliciously crisp and thin tortilla chips, I’m in heaven.

The jalapeño dip/sauce is perfectly tangy, savory, and has a little kick of heat. It also has a ranch flavor… which is odd that I love it so much, since I’m not a huge fan of ranch dressing.

I know, I know, a midwesterner that doesn’t like ranch… blasphemy! But with this dip, the ranch pairs SO well with the other flavors, and I could literally eat this dip with a spoon.

How to make creamy jalapeño dip?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Process the “green” ingredients. This is the jalapeños, jalapeño juice, tomatillos, cilantro, and lime juice.
2. Stir together creamy ingredients. This is the sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, salt and garlic powder.
3. Combine both mixtures.
4. Add buttermilk. This amount will vary, depending on the consistency and thickness you want the dip to be.
5. Process. If the dip/sauce has lumps, add it to the food processor again until it’s as smooth as you want.

Variations of this recipe

• Other dairy – if you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute, or use whole milk, half and half or heavy cream.
• Buttermilk substitute – if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own! Mix 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar with whole milk and let it sit about 10 minutes. It will look a bit curdled. Stir and use.
• Less tangy – reduce the amount of buttermilk used, or change up the ratio of sour cream and mayo to be heavier on the mayo.
• Spicier – you can use fresh jalapeños (seeded or leave the seeds in), and/or increase the amount of jalapeños used.
• Avocado – to really up the creaminess and green color, try adding 1/2 to 1 avocado (pitted and roughly chopped) to the food processor.
• Lime – I’m a lime fanatic, so I always add a splash of lime juice to this recipe, but the amount will be up to you… give it a taste and see if you’d like more lime flavor.

Making creamy jalapeño dip ahead of time

I love this recipe because it’s actually better when you make it ahead!

The flavors really get a chance to meld together this way. I like to make this dip the day before, or early in the morning of the day we want to use it.

Storage

Jalapeño sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 2 weeks.