This creamy southwest salad dressing is easy and delicious, with a light and healthy twist – no mayo and no sour cream required!

a small blue ceramic carafe filled with creamy southwest salad dressing, with a southwest avocado chicken salad in the background.

This Southwest salad dressing is creamy, zesty, and cooling with a healthy twist – it’s made with Greek yogurt! I love using plain, nonfat Greek yogurt as a salad dressing base (like in this easy honey mustard dressing, too!). It’s easy and it shaves off calories and fat – neither of which are a bad thing, but it just gives a little more flexibility to add more fun toppings to salads. And in my book, the more fun, toppings, and flavor to a salad, the better!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s creamy and delicious, yet light and refreshing.
The dressing has simple and pretty ordinary ingredients that can be easily found, if not already in your kitchen.
This salad dressing tastes zesty and flavorful without being too spicy and with a very subtle sweetness.
It’s easy! The dressing comes together in under five minutes. The most time consuming part is simply measuring your ingredients!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

overhead shot of glass bowls containing the ingredients to make southwest salad dressing: plain nonfat greek yogurt, lime juice, honey, spices, and apple cider vinegar

Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt: you can absolutely use a higher fat Greek yogurt if you prefer!
Lime Juice: adds a delightfully zesty acidic flair
Spices: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and optional salt and pepper to taste.
Honey: a little goes a long way! You could omit it entirely if you desire, but it adds the perfect complimentary touch to the flavors of the salad dressing.
Apple Cider Vinegar: adds a little extra necessary acidity and liquid to help create the perfect creamy southwest dressing.

How to Make Southwest Salad Dressing, Step-by-Step

Greek yogurt, lime juice, honey, and spices in a bowl being whisked together to make southwest salad dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, spices, and honey.
Once evenly incorporated, transfer to an airtight jar or container and refrigerate for up to three weeks (or sooner – go by the expiration date of your Greek yogurt!).

What to Serve Southwest Salad Dressing With

You have all sorts of options here! You can use it as a salad dressing, a sauce for proteins, sandwiches, wraps, a dressing for pasta or grain salads, or even a dip for vegetables!

Southwest Chicken Avocado Salad: while this dressing would be great on many salads, I created it specifically for this salad!
Try dipping Air Fryer Broccoli in the dressing
Use instead of mayo or hummus on a protein and veggie-packed sandwich, like this Leftover Turkey and Avocado Sandwich.

How Long Does it Last?

Generally, homemade salad dressing can last up to three weeks. But, with Greek yogurt-based dressings, I always suggest going off the date of your yogurt. Sometimes it’ll still be around that three week mark – sometimes sooner, just depends when you bought it!

No matter the date, though, be sure to keep it stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for max freshness and longevity.

Substitutions

If you’re dairy free, you could use a mayonnaise in this salad dressing. Or if you just simply don’t have plain Greek yogurt, you could also sub sour cream. Just remember that any substitution will change the nutrition information.

If you need a plant-based or vegan dressing alternative, try using a vegan mayonnaise or plant-based Greek-style yogurt. If you use something like a coconut-based Greek-style “yogurt”, taste as you go – it’s often sweeter and less tangy than traditional Greek yogurt, and you likely won’t need the honey in the recipe.

A bowl of creamy southwest salad dressing freshly whisked together

Is Salad Dressing Healthy?

It depends! The answer is pretty much always it depends. 😉

This Southwest Salad Dressing is definitely one that I would consider a lighter and healthier option than others, as it has just a handful of simple ingredients, no saturated fat, and even a small boost of protein.

Know, too, that “healthy” is subjective. The foods that help one maintain their health may or may not work for you – and that’s okay! Honor the body you have. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I suggest eating a variety of nourishing foods that help you feel good and achieve or maintain your health, balanced with the foods you love. Remember – an election isn’t won with every vote, but the majority. Your health is the same way – the overall dietary pattern is what matters most.

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