The Complete Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad Recipe, right at your fingertips! So easy to make at home, and tastes exactly like the popular restaurant version.
The Complete Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad Recipe
Thank you to all you die hard Cafe Rio and Costa Vida fans for making us the number one site for Cafe Rio copycat recipes! If you haven’t tried this easy recipe for the famous Sweet Pork Salad yet, you are in for a treat! We LOVE Cafe Rio and Costa Vida – and we’re very picky about our Cafe Rio sweet pork. This recipe tastes exactly like the restaurant version, but so easy because you can make it right at home! We also played around with the rice, the beans, and the house ranch dressing. Finally, we nailed it! This recipe tastes exactly like having Cafe Rio take-out. Try it for yourself and you will see what we mean! Be sure to check out all our other tasty Mexican Recipes! We have all kinds of yummy Mexican dishes to round out your meals and celebrations!
What is the Difference Between the Cilantro Ranch Dressing and the Cilantro Lime Dressing?
We love both of these dressings so much – it is always hard to choose! They are both made with tomatillos, cilantro, and lime so the basic flavor is the same. The difference is that the Cilantro Ranch Dressing is thick and creamy like a traditional ranch dressing. The Cilantro Lime Dressing is more of a vinaigrette. It really just comes down to preference!
Cilantro Ranch Dressing 
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Don’t Be Intimidated!
This recipe has a lot of ingredients and a lot of separate recipes within the recipe. Don’t be intimidated! If you are wanting to simplify, you can just make the sweet pork and the dressing and get everything else store-bought. You can also make the beans, rice, pork, and dressing all a day or two before hand to make assembly quicker.
FAQ
You can find the 9″ round disposable foil pans for your salads HERE (just like what Cafe Rio and Costa Vida use)
Although both of the dressings have cilantro in the name, they don’t have a super strong cilantro taste, in my opinion. However, if you are wanting to use a different dressing I would recommend a chipotle ranch or a balsamic vinaigrette.
The recipe below is the proportions for one salad. However, if you make up all the recipes (rice, beans, pork, etc.) it can make 4-6 salads, depending on how hungry people are.
More Cafe Rio Recipes
- Our Version of Cafe Rio’s Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo)
- Our Version of Cafe Rio’s Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
- Our Version of Cafe Rio’s Sweet Pork Burrito
- Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Homemade Tortilla Strips
- The BEST Guacamole EVER
How to make Our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large flour tortilla <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 1/3 cup shredded cheese Mexican blend
- 1/3 cup cilantro lime rice <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 1/3 cup black beans <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 1/2 cup Cafe Rio sweet pork <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 2 cups leafy green or Romaine lettuce NOT iceberg, use leafy green or Romaine
- 1/4 cup pico de gallo <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 1/4 cup guacamole <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 1/4 cup tortilla strips <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- 1 tablespoon Cotija cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup cilantro ranch dressing <<click the link for our homemade recipe
- OR cilantro lime dressing <<click the link for our homemade recipe
Instructions
- Lay a tortilla in the bottom of an aluminum tin, a bowl, or plate. Sprinkle cheese on it, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 min or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and add rice, beans, and pork.
- Next add the lettuce. Top with pico de gallo, guacamole, tortilla strips, cilantro, and Cotija cheese.
- Serve with the cilantro ranch or vinaigrette dressing and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
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The black beans link sends me to Amazon to buy a can of black beans, lol!
I have made them all and they are yummy!
We don’t have cafe rio where I live so I’ve never tasted the restaurant version but we LOVE this salad nonetheless!
What a great recipe idea!! My dad is going to love this. Just sent it to my mom so she can make it!
Cilantro tastes like soap to me, I sub parsley
I LOVE this recipe!! I have made it several times and it is a huge hit, thank you so much!! It is delicious, I highly recommend it!
You have made it so easy to complete the whole Cafe Rio Sweet Pulled Pork Salads, thank you thank you!