The ancestor to the Taco Salad, “Tacos in Tacups,” was served with sour cream to dress it. The first published Taco Salad recipes began showing up in books and magazines in the 1960’s and often did not include sour cream. The addition of  traditional salad dressings to the Taco Salad likely has its origins as a substitute for the sour cream as a condiment on top. Sour cream can be a divisive ingredient, and a creamy dressing can be substituted to provide a similar textural component.

Taco Salad Dressing

Rather than keep an inclusive list of allowed Taco Salad dressings, we provide examples of the most common and classic varieties, as well as a list of absolutely forbidden dressings.

The Classics

  • Sour Cream

  • Ranch

  • Thousand Island

The Forbidden

  • Blue Cheese

  • French, Italian, Russian, and other dressings with regional names unrelated to Texas or Mexico.