Creamy, tangy, and bursting with flavor, restaurant style Mexican white sauce is ideal for dipping, or topping your favorite Mexican food. From tacos and burritos, to enchiladas and quesadillas, this creamy sauce topping is sure to liven up all sorts of Mexican dishes.
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What Is Mexican Restaurant Sauce?
Mexican restaurants in the Hampton Roads, VA region serve a white dipping sauce made of food service salad dressing (like Miracle Whip), sour cream, milk, and secret spices.
It's blended together and served in small bowls alongside the tortilla chips and salsa. It's not queso either. Yes, you can request free refills too, just like with chips, and trust me, you will!
But, around the military installations in Virginia and North Carolina, most Mexican restaurants serve this awesome Mexican white sauce as a chip dip while waiting for your meal to arrive.
Who Invented This Sauce?
It's referred to as 'the white stuff', or the white dip, but the staff call it salsa blanca. It's incredible, you'll find yourself using it not just for your tortilla chips, but to slather on burritos, tacos, chimichangas, etc.
The recipe originated during the early 1970's in a small restaurant in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The owner intended the condiment as a salad dressing at his Mexican restaurant. The sauce quickly spread throughout the Virginia Hampton Roads area by the 1990s, as Mexican immigrants opened new restaurants.
Ingredients You'll Need
The ingredients for this copycat restaurant sauce recipe are simple items you most likely already have in the refrigerator and pantry.
PRO TIP: Miracle Whip, or store brand salad dressing sold in the mayonnaise style jar, is essential to the incredible, tangy flavor. Mayonnaise is a disappointing substitute (trust me, I know).
- Miracle Whip - Or any brand 'Salad Dressing'.
- Sour Cream - Dairy, non-dairy, full fat, or non-fat. You choose what suits your needs.
- Milk - To thin the sauce down.
- Lime Juice - Fresh squeezed.
- Garlic powder - You can also use garlic granules.
- Cumin - Ground cumin.
- Oregano - Dried, and crush it finer by rubbing it between your hands.
- Cayenne powder - Go easy here, a little at a time, it gets hotter as it sits in the sauce.
- Black Pepper - Fine ground.
- Salt - To taste.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make This Copycat White Sauce
This sauce is fast and easy to make. You can mix this recipe up in five minutes, but it actually really blooms if you let it sit overnight for the spices to blend.
Once made, you'll find it fabulous for so many appetizers, from vegetable crudites, crackers, and for as well.
Measure Ingredients Into A Bowl
- Measure the salad dressing, or Miracle Whip into a bowl.
- Add the sour cream, milk, seasonings, and the lime juice.
Mix And Chill
- Whisk with a wire whisk, or you can use a blender or even a food processor. Add all the seasonings to the bowl.
- Blend all the rango sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Best Made The Day Before
- Pour contents into a large jar. Seal and place in the refrigerator overnight if you can. It's worth making this sauce up a day early just so the flavors have time to blend together.
Tips For Success
- Crush the oregano to make the flakes a little smaller.
- Don't use mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip (or a generic brand of salad dressing). The authentic flavor hings on this important ingredient.
- Make recipe a day or two ahead. As great as this white sauce is fresh made, it's even better with time to let the flavors blend.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can use dairy free sour cream and almond or soy milk if you need this salsa to be dairy free.
- I've made this sauce recipe without the sour cream, using plain yogurt, and it's just as wonderful.
- Like it thinner? Just add more milk.
- Add a bit more cayenne powder, or add about ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes if you'd like is spicier.
Serving Suggestions
Serve like the restaurants do. Accompany a basket of corn tortilla chips with salsa, guacamole, and this amazing, tangy dip. This creamy, spicy condiment is a perfect addition to tacos, enchiladas or burritos. Or any spicy food for that matter!
It's also a great sauce served with our Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos. Try our Easy Pico de Gallo and 4 Ingredient Guacamole.
Storage Options
- Store leftovers in a covered bowl or in a mason jar until ready to serve. It's good for about 5 days.
- Do not freeze, as it will separate when defrosted due to the Miracle Whip in the recipe.
Related Recipes
- Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate
- Chicken Taco Seasoning
- Chile Relleno Burrito
- Pineapple Cilantro Salsa
- Mexican Fajita Seasoning Mix
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how this dip turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this homemade condiment.
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- Small molcajete bowls for serving guacamole, pico de gallo, and more.
- Large Molcajete - Perfect for large gatherings or parties.
- Rainbow Assortment of small molcajete's.
Frequently Asked Questions
Very much so. It was a homegrown sauce made originally for salads. It became popular at a 1970's era American style Mexican restaurant. Other Mexican restaurants in the Virginia area had to provide it also, by customer demand.
Yes, Rango sauce is the 'gringo name' for white sauce served in Mexican restaurants.
Probably not, as it's a Mexican American 'Gringo' concoction made tailored to Southern American tastes by a brilliant Mexican restaurant entrepreneur!
More Delish Recipes
Mexican Style White Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Miracle Whip or off brand salad dressing
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- pinch cayenne powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Measure the salad dressing, or Miracle Whip into a bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, and the lime juice. Whisk with a wire whisk, or you can use a blender or even a food processor.1 cup Miracle Whip, 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup milk, 2 tablespoon lime juice
- Add all the seasonings into the bowl. Blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust salt if needed.¾ teaspoon cumin, 1½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, pinch cayenne powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, salt to taste
- Pour contents into a large jar. Seal and place in the refrigerator overnight if you can.
Notes
- Make a day or two ahead. As great as it is fresh made, it's even better with time to let the flavors blend.
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