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Mexican Restaurant White Sauce

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This Mexican White Sauce is a delicious sauce for dipping or putting on everything! It is that good!

 

This Mexican Restaurant White Sauce is a garlicy, slightly spicy white sauce my local mexican restaurants serve alongside their salsa and chips!  It is addicting!  

This is not a cheese dip,  I repeat this is not a cheese dip.  If you are looking for the cheese dip Mexican restaurants serve this is not it.

This is a recipe for that garlicy white dip Mexican restaurants serve with their chips and salsa and it is amazing on everything (we call it El Rodeo dip around here).  I put it on my tacos, I dip my fries in it, I eat it with chips, I drizzle it on nachos, it is AMAZING!!

Now I have come to realize that this is not served all over the country and it is kind of localized here in Virginia, so it may seem strange to some but I promise it is absolutely delicious.

I loved this dip from my local Mexican restaurant and would actually even buy an extra cup of it to take home because it is just that good.  However, there are times when I want this dip and I just don’t feel like going to a restaurant to get it so I figured there has got to be a way to make it at home.  So to the internet I went and it took a looooooot of searching, apparently this fabulous dip isn’t served at all restaurants so getting a recipe for it was a little difficult and I found a few and decided to take the basics of all the recipes and mix them together and add a few things until I got the dip spot on!

It is perfect, tastes just like it.  Soo many copycat recipes out there come close to what they are trying to mimic but are never quite there and still leave you craving the original but this recipe tastes 100% exactly how it is supposed to.

Now some of the ingredients might make you raise your eyebrow but trust me after you mix all this stuff together and let it sit overnight it is knock your socks off awesome!

You do have to let this sit in the fridge at least 24 hours, that is how long it takes for the magic to work.

So please trust me and make this sauce, even if it sounds weird just do it, just make it.  You will be amazed at how wonderful it is and you will soon be slathering it on everything!!

RECIPE FAQS

What does this taste like?

This does have it’s own unique taste, if I had to describe it I would say it is a very garlicy mexican ranch, but it’s a little sweeter than ranch.  It also has a little kick of heat but not too much at all.

What should I use this with?

I use it with everything!! It is served in the restaurants with tortilla chips, but you can dip anything in it.  I love using it as a spread on anything from tacos to chicken.  It is a great dipper for french fries and quesadillas.  Anything you would put sour cream you can put this on.

Does it really have to sit for 24 hours?

It does, at least overnight.  The longer you give it the better. If you make this dip and immediately taste it it is not going to taste good.  These flavors need some time to mix and come together. 

I don’t like olives, can I use something else?

I promise you you cannot taste the olives in this! They are crucial to the recipe and are the secret ingredient.  The provide a tang and saltiness that this dip needs.  Don’t come back here and say the sauce didn’t taste good because you left out the olives lol!

INGREDIENTS

  • Garlic – Fresh garlic is a must for this recipe, the jarred kind isn’t quite the same here.
  • Lemon – Just a bit of lemon juice is all you need.
  • Oregano – Dried oregeno is best for this recipe.
  • Hot Sauce – Whatever hot sauce is your favorite will work here.
  • Pimento Stuffed Olives – They do need to be the pimento stuffed ones and you will use a little juice.
  • Cayenne pepper – This adds just a bit of heat.
  • Garlic salt – This adds saltiness and flavor.
  • Red pepper flakes – Also adds a bit of heat.
  • Salt – To enhance all the flavors.
  • Cumin – Cumin adds great flavor to this dip.
  • Milk – Milk helps thin the sauce a bit, use whichever kind you drink.
  • Sour cream – Adds richness and creaminess to the dip.
  • Miracle Whip- Now I know you will want to substitute mayo but the miracle whip has the right amount of sweetness that this dip needs.

How to make Mexican Restaurant White Sauce

  1. Easiest recipe ever!!
  2. Just put all of these ingredients into your food processor and blend till smooth!
  3. Here is the MOST IMPORTANT PART!
  4. You HAVE to refrigerate this sauce for 12-24 hours.
  5. You have to give it that time to meld together or it will not taste right so make sure to plan ahead!!
  6. It makes a ton and is good on everything!
Mexican Restaurant White Sauce

Mexican Restaurant White Sauce

Yield: 3 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 Cloves Garlic
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tsp Oregano, Dried
  • 4 dashes Hot sauce
  • 18 Pimento stuffed olives
  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp Garlic salt
  • 1/2 tbsp Red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • 1 cup Sour cream
  • 30 oz Miracle whip jar
  • 1 tbsp Olive juice from jar

Instructions

  1. Easiest recipe ever!!
  2. Just put all of these ingredients into your food processor and blend till smooth!
  3. Here is the MOST IMPORTANT PART!
  4. You HAVE to refrigerate this sauce for 12-24 hours.
  5. You have to give it that time to meld together or it will not taste right so make sure to plan ahead!!
  6. It makes a ton and is good on everything!

Get more delicious dip recipes here !

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120 Comments

    1. Oh yes it should be refrigerated right after you mix it all together and leftovers should refrigerated. I’m going to specify it in the post. Thanks!!

      1. in southern ca I ave never heard of this but I am going to try it just as you say for 1/2. thank you

          1. Pepe’s in Midlos sauce is ADDICTING. It is literally why I looked this recipe up!!!!

      2. How comparable is this to the white sauce at La Casita in Richmond?? I find a lot of other restaurants are way too sweet for me, but I can’t get enough of the white sauce at La Casita….
        Lisa

        1. I have not had La Casita but since this white sauce is pretty much Virginia based hopefully it tastes pretty close! Thanks for stopping by!

          1. Yeah. It originated at a place called El Toro way back in the day. I just bought a tub from my local restaurant. I love it. Lol!!

          2. You can also,use plain mayo if the whip dressing makes it too sweet. Love this stuff.

        2. My favorite white sauce is served at Mexico restaurant! I just want to purchase it by the gallons!

      1. Yes! It is best served cold or room temperature, but it does need to be stored in the fridge if there are leftovers.

    2. OMG!!!!!! I moved to FLORIDA from Norfolk, VA!!!! My favorite restaurant was El Rodeos there, and this recipe is PERFECT!!!!!! OMG I miss it soooooooo much!!!!!!! THANK YOU for posting this miracle recipe!!! No one knows what I’m talking about when I mention this sauce. But they are all about to learn!!!!

        1. Yeah don’t make the mistake I made, I LOVE THE WHITE SAUCE, but outside of VA if you ask for White Sauce (MY MISTAKE OF ASSUMING ALL MEXICAN RESTAURANT’S SERVED IT) You get Queso Dip (THE CHEESE DIP) and when I attempted to ask and explain what I was asking for, I was looked at like I was CRAZY!!! This happened in SC, FL, and MD

      1. Right there with you! I just moved to Florida from Virginia Beach and none of the Mexican restaurants here offer the white sauce and I miss it so much!! :( I am hesitant to try this recipe because of the ingredients but your comment has made me a believer!

      2. OMG! We used go to El Rodeo when we lived in VA Beach!!! I got the recipe from my friend who used to work there! I totally miss it! We moved up to the far reaches of Northern NY and I can’t find decent Mexican food anywhere! LOL Growing up in the mid-west Mexican food was a staple! LOL

  1. Saw this on Jam Hands, and I had to check it out! This is a new one for me, but can’t wait to make this. Do you know how long it will keep? I may have to make half of the recipe…only two of us. Thanks!

    1. I would say about 3-5 days, it may keep longer I am not too sure, but it get more and more garlicy the longer it sits.

  2. Firstly, I had to laugh. I have just done a post on my version of Mexican Rice, hoping the Mexicans couldn’t find me because I wasn’t using AUTHENTIC ingredients – and the first thing on your ingredients is Miracle Whip!!! Ha ha – we have that here, I didn’t realise it was Mexican!! (and before you start thinking what is this crazy person on about, I am Australian and that is seriously funny)

    Anyhow – once I get my San Diego-born partner in crime to agree to such a transgression, we are definitely going to test this one out – sounds good.

  3. Oh wow, thank you so much for this recipe! It sounds great. Honestly, I have never had that white dip before, but I am a big fan of anything garlicky and I LOVE dipping my fries into anything that is not ketchup (my favorite is aoli of any kind)! I am so excited to make this! I also love your photo of it. We use them for everything around here! Now following you on Bloglovin’!

    Emily
    http://emprovising.blogspot.com

  4. This looks yummy, I just want to know what type of sauce this is? I live in a order town, called El Paso, and I have never seen this sauce before! It looks like a fancy sour cream..

  5. I think I need to eat more Mexican because I’ve never seen a white sauce served with chips. hmmm. Now I need to buy some olives and try this out, because it looks crazy good. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday

  6. This is intriguing enough to pin. I’ve been in many Mexican restaurants and eaten in more than my fair share of south-of-the-border homes but have never run across a white sauce like this. Obviously it’s one of the must-make-soon recipes. Thanks for linking up at My Favorite Posts Show Off Weekend Party. Hope to see you again tomorrow.

    Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer

  7. The Mexican White Sauce recipe, can Mayo be substituted for the Miracle Whip?
    I quit using Miracle Whip a long time ago when they made the first thing in it ‘water’ in ingredients.
    Some of my dishes started having liquid problems, or watery, after sitting and I realized it was from the Miracle Whip and changed over to Mayo and the problems disappeared.
    Thanks.

    1. I really don’t think you can substitute mayo in this recipe as it is the flavor of the miracle whip that you need in this recipe, however, with this recipe I have never had any issue with it getting watery :)

    2. You could use Mexican Crema which is a little thinner than sour cream and might be what was used in an authentic Mexican recipe. You could also use regular mayo that is thinned with a little milk to get the consistency of Crema. If you want to reduce calories you could try using Greek yogurt.

  8. You use T and t for a lot of the measurements. Is the big T for tablespoon and little t for teaspoon? Just wanted to clarify.

  9. Can I just tell you how amazing this is! I’ve only had this sauce at Virginia Mexican restaurants and tried to find a recipe to make at home. The only thing I could find was queso dip. This is what I was looking for, only better!5 stars

    1. Mona, please tell me you had it at La Siesta before it closed? I have been trying to duplicate their white sauce for years. If so was this one close???

    2. The first time I had this sauce was in Richmond, VA!!! Loved it and didn’t see it again until Chuy’s restaurant here in the Dallas, TX area. Thanks for the recipe!

    3. It must be a east coast kind of thing. I grew up in Cali and we didn’t have this dip but I am living in Maryland with my husband and they serve this dip at the Mexican restaurants out here. I thought it was Queso Blanco Dip at first but then I tasted it. I am surprised it is made with Miracle Whip but that probably explains why I do not like the dip. My husband does however, and I am looking to make it for him and his mother. I am going to make it with Crema instead of sour cream I will let you all know how it turns out if you want me to.

  10. I’m almost “afraid” of Miracle Whip…aaaccck Ö because of its sweetness. I’m a total mayo girl, but I can almost see where it would make a sauce taste delicious. So, I’ll buy my first jar of Miracle Whip EVER and give your sauce a whirl. Just sounds too amazing not to try. Thanks for sharing!

  11. I must start this by saying I was born in east Texas, grew up in south-west Texas & lived in Houston, Texas until retiring in 2006. I have never seen or heard of this “sauce”. It sounds interesting, but the closest I can come to it is the White Cheese Dip, which I love. Thought I had eaten in nearly every Mexican restaurant from Houston to Dallas to El Paso. But I’ll give this one a shot. Let you know how it works out. Dee Dee

  12. Looks Awesome, but I can’t see any recipe, none shows on page for“Mexican Restaurant White Sauce”, have I missed something? Can you Please send to my Email?
    Thank you so very much!!! Sharon

    1. Sorry about that! My site got a little wonky today but the recipe is back up in the post! Thank you so much!

      1. Do you know how long it lasts in the fridge? El Loro here in MN has it and I love it!! But very expensive to buy from them. Excited to try!!!

    1. Sorry about that! My site got a little wonky today but the recipe is back up in the post! Thank you so much!

    1. Sorry about that! My site got a little wonky today but the recipe is back up in the post! Thank you so much!

    1. Sorry about that! My site got a little wonky today but the recipe is back up in the post! Thank you so much!

  13. at first I did not realize you were saying to use 30 oz. of Miracle Whip in the recipe. It says Miracle Whip jar so I thought you were going to use the jar to store the sauce in. Now I get it! You actually use 30 oz. of Miracle Whip in the recipe. Glad I could figure that out, duh! Recipe sounds great, I am going to try it. Thanks.

  14. I looked at several other recipes on the internet before deciding to give yours a go. Yours was the only one that called for olives, which intrigued me. I only made 1/4 batch to start out with. The only change I made was to use half Miracle Whip and half mayonnaise. It is EXCELLENT! My only problem is that I half to wait for 24 hours before consuming the rest! I can’t wait! Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

    1. Thank you for posting this comment because I was waiting for someone to say they really tried it. Now I can add this with my Bean and Bacon Dip to pass down to my grandchildren.

  15. Where are you eating this? I’ve lived in South Texas, Central Texas, and currently West Texas………I’ve never seen this served. It must not be TexMex……but sounds delish!1 star

    1. Im in Virginia and it is a staple in the Mexican restaurants here but I kinda think its isolated to this area, not very many people have heard of it.

  16. None of our local Mexican restaurants serve this so I’m excited to try it. I just have a couple of questions. Why is it you use garlic and garlic salt; then you use hot sauce, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Why the duplication? Also, I’m assuming the olive juice is from the pimento stuff olives but you put it at the bottom rather than right under the olives. What size olives as I get the huge ones from Costco.5 stars

    1. Correct the juice is from the pimento olives. I just use the regular sized olives from the grocery store. The duplication of some of the flavors and heat elements are just what happens to make this sauce tick, there is vinegar in hot sauce which adds a different flavor than the flakes and the cayenne pepper blends a little better than the flakes and the flakes add a good heat. Fresh garlic provides a bite to the sauce while the garlic salt bumps the garlic flavor and adds a little salt to the recipe.

  17. There is a substitute for the miracle whip
    .it’s called table cream and is available at any Walmart.

  18. I’m going to try it…but I wish you’d show more comments from fans who had made and tasted it, rather than how it “looked” or “sounded”!

  19. I just made this today with whatever I had on hand.
    It had turned out insanely awesome.
    I just used half of all the ingredients coz i didn’t need too much
    Miracle whip
    Garlic cloves
    Garlic powder unsalted
    Milk
    Sour cream
    Oregano
    Chili flakes
    Fresh jalapeno

    1. Thank You so much for this wonderful sauce… I made it and LOVE it… BUT now I’m asking you if you have ever made a Mexican cheese sauce, I loved the one that was made in the restaurant (Chechees)

  20. Glad to read that there are others who find Miracle Whip unpleasant. I’ll try it with real mayo and add some sweet pickle juice…just a bit; don’t want this to be sweet…or I’ll look for the table cream as Walmart. Thanks for those suggestions.

  21. Has anyone tried this with real mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip? I absolutely hate that stuff. It’s way to sweet for me and family. Thanks!

    1. I am thinking with the mayo base it probably will not freeze very well. Since we put it on everything we usually use it all up within a week or so. Thanks for checking it out!!

    1. It really makes a big difference in the flavor, you do not taste them at all but it adds a lot of flavor that the dip needs. Even if you don’t like olives you will never know they are in there!

  22. You really had me until I got to the Miracle Whip. That stuff is nasty and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere there is food that could be contaminated by it.
    Now that you know my true feelings, can I just use mayonnaise?
    Thanks

    1. Believe me I feel the same way about miracle whip lol! Give me a jar of Dukes any day. However it is crucial to this recipe because of the sweetness it has, and as long as you give it overnight for all the flavors to mix you won’t even know miracle whip was in it lol

  23. The miracle whip is crucial because of the oils in the mayo will off balance the sour creme and is supposed to be not super sweet but tangy. Another is this sauce is originally made from plaza azteca restaurants and el rodeos around regional nc and va. Because dairy and sweet products negate and soothe the heat in hotter salsas that Caucasians are not used to here it was created to be served with tortilla chips but is great on everything. I figured i would shed some light on the questions. Also im from va and it is a staple in all Mexican restaurants here and had to research this as well as talking with a couple mexican restaurant owners. As far as the recipe, the poster has about nailed it but added her own things to match what her area restaurant variation does. It does variate some but not much mostly powders vs fresh and dried flakes, and never mayo for salad dressing! So enjoy our local take on a heat reducer that turned into a delicious condiment in va an nc.5 stars

    1. Yes, the hubs & I first had it in Charlotte, NC. We currently live in Mid Central VA. It is the only two states we’ve ever had it. Love this sauce.

  24. Read and re-read the recipe that you posted. The way it reads you just need a 30 oz.miracle whip jar. Threw me for awhile .I’ll be trying this one. Thanks5 stars

    1. I used to live in Maryland and love this sauce. I moved to Maine 5 years ago and haven’t had it since. Its not a thing in Maine. Can’t wait to give this a try. Getting ready to head to the store…Now!

  25. Must say, after reading, reading and reading reading reading all of these (interesting) comments I am ready to make this sauce as soon as I get the extra ingredients. I must admit, my mom is a Miracle Whip person, I am a mayonnaise person. But I am also a paprika person if needed…especially instead of pepper. I generally do things as written, then also try things with substitute items (my way – with mayo and paprika, and no pepper, for example. Understand?). I will be glad to try both ways. I am open. I hate to think I cannot be open – I am sorry that others are not. I can see that editing does not show you some things that what we think as definitely a no-brainer are not in other places…funny that way. But they were right for many of the items mentioned. You handled them well. Thank you. I look forward to reading more from you. Linda5 stars

  26. I could not find the recipe on your site today. I really want the recipe as the white sauce has been the only item that I have paid extra for in a Mexican meal! Please let me know when it is up on line.

  27. I first thought this was for the white cheese sauce, but what confused me was the 30 oz Miracle whip “jar” Is the jar and/or the contents to be used?

  28. I live in CO, I’ve never heard of Mex white sauce. Hispanics here don’t make it, they make a hot red sauce.

    1. So I have found out it is pretty much only made here in Virginia but it is so good on everything and just as a dip! All the Mexican restaurants here serve it.

  29. I have never had anything like this sauce from VA so I made the recipe as written. OMG is this stuff amazing. When I say I put it on everything, I do mean everything! Eggs, sliced tomatoes, and even plain heated and rolled tortillas. I’m only one person and I managed to finish the whole recipe in a week. It is absolutely wonderful. Next time I will cut the recipe in half because I shudder to think of the number of calories I consumed last week. LOL

    1. Lol!! I am so glad you liked it!! We love it on everything too, my favorite is to put it on a tortilla with some leftover roast pork, yum!

  30. I plan to use some of this sauce on a pasta salad that will have orzo pasta, diced red onions, sliced green onions (green parts only), kidney beans, black beans, corn and diced roasted red and yellow peppers. I think this salad will be a HUGE hit!!!
    I was also thinking of trying this sauce on potato salad……

  31. I’ve had this sauce many times, but not usually a Mexican restaurant. Normally this is served routinely in Argentina, Venezuela, Columbia and others. I’ve always had it on Arepas, so good I can’t get enough. Thanks.

  32. I have made this several times. My favorite story about this sauce is that I served it with chips at our Christmas dinner. The younger couples were eating it up. They asked about it and I stated that it had 18 olives in it. They were minced so fine they weren’t even noticeable. My nephew was so disgusted as he continued to eat the dip. He couldn’t tear himself away even though he stated he hated olives. This sauce is great on everything and I can’t thank you enough for posting the recipe. I haven’t changed anything and make it as written. Great job.

  33. Recipe should say “30 oz jar of miracle whip” instead of “30 oz miracle whip jar”. For those that were easily confused.

  34. So I originally tried this when I went to my fiance’s hometown in MD. We don’t see this down south in FL at alllll. Needless to say my fiance wanted some and I found this recipe. He says it’s dead on ! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’s great and taste delicious ♡

  35. Dont worry, i will wait the 24-hours to serve this but i has to try a little before storing it in the fridge and oh my word!!!!! I cannot wait to try it tomorrow when all the flavors meld together. Thank you for figuring this out. I used to have this White sauce at El Loro in Chesapeake VA and absolutely loved it but it’s too far away for us to go back there just for sauce. You’re amazing gor figuring it out.

  36. I’m a Virginia native, transplanted in Oklahoma because of my hubby. I miss this sauce so much!! There are two restaurants here that I have had it in and neither of them come close to the VA goodness! Everyone thinks I am talking about queso :( But alas! There is one more place here near us and they claim they are famous for their white dip! So we will see :)

  37. This is exactly what I was looking for and my husband is going to be thrilled. We used to eat at a Mexican restaurant that served complimentary tortilla chips, white sauce and salsa, and we’d have to buy a couple bags of chips with a pint of their sauce before we left.

    I sampled before refrigerating, and even though the ingredients hadn’t had a chance to get to know each other for the 12-24 hours it was delicious! Thank you so much!

  38. This white sauce is what I miss most about living in Virginia. Absolutely love this stuff. I prefer it over salsa

  39. Has anyone made this with Avocado Mayo? Or is Miracle Whip a deal breaker on flavor profile? I cannot eat Miracle Whip and Avocado Mayo could potentially be a pricey experiment. The two products do not taste anything like each other and I was just curious if someone else has already tried it.

  40. I was born and raised in San Diego, but the Navy had us stationed in Hampton Roads for 17 years. This is not a sauce you’d find in California, but man oh man, if the restaurants there did serve this, it would be a hit for sure! Plaza Azteca in Va Beach and Chesapeake, were my favorite JUST because of this sauce! You totally nailed the recipe and I was certainly shocked to know it had Miracle Whip and olives in it (I hate both as a general rule haha). I have followed this recipe exactly, many times, and it never lasts around here. We now live in southern Georgia where good mexican food, let alone this sauce, cannot be found. Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Yay!! I am so glad you like it!! It is definitely a good recipe to have when you cant get it from the restaurant!

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