The Trader Joe's Salad Dressing We Ranked First Overflows With Flavor

Stroll down any aisle in a Trader Joe's, and you're sure to find a beloved gem on the shelves. In the freezer aisle, you'll find the affordable Apple Blossoms dessert, a twist on a classic treat. In the bread aisle, you can discover quite a few gluten-free staples, like bagels and hamburger buns. And in the condiment aisle, you'll see what is the gold standard for Trader Joe's salad dressings, as decided by Food Republic in its taste test and ranking of all TJ's dressings: the Cilantro Dressing.

This simply and aptly named salad dressing took the top spot thanks to its unique flavor profile (soap-gene-havers should probably steer clear of this one), yet overall balanced taste. It's tangy and savory, thanks to the combination of not just cilantro, Anaheim chiles, and lemon juice, but also onion and garlic, cotija cheese and mayo, and even a bit of cider vinegar. If you detected a slight note of nuttiness, that would be the pumpkin seeds that have inexplicably — but deliciously — made their way into the formula, too. Overall, it's a delicious dressing that perks up salads ranging from simple sides made of basic lettuces, to more elaborate, multi-component, eats-like-a-whole-meal salads.

Perhaps the best thing about Trader Joe's Cilantro Dressing is how it not only tastes amazing, but can make a wide variety of dishes also taste amazing by adding it into the mix in a variety of ways. For example, along with dressing salad greens, you could also use it as the dressing in pasta salads, like a Southwestern pasta salad, where the bright, tangy cilantro works deliciously with warm spices, sweet corn, and black beans. Plus, like all pasta dishes do, it will only get better as it sits in your fridge, with the fusilli soaking up the dressing.

It can also be used as a sauce on a variety of bowls, like taco or burrito bowls, or Southwest salmon bowls. Let it substitute for mayo in tuna salad with a twist. Or use it to dress bagged coleslaw mix for a quick taco, burger, or even hot dog topping. It's also ideal when used simply as a fry-, chicken tender-, or even mini-taco-worthy dipping sauce.

Finally, this versatile cilantro dressing also makes an incredible marinade for proteins, including chicken, steak, salmon, or even pork chops. Imagine your meat soaking up all that flavorful goodness, then getting tossed on the grill until charred.