Bright and tangy Cilantro Lime Dressing made with fresh ingredients and easily thrown together in just 5 minutes with so much delicious flavor! Perfect for salads, veggies, chicken, fish, tacos and more!
Homemade dressings are so simple to throw together and this cilantro lime dressing is an absolute favorite during the summer. This dressing is bright, zesty and tastes amazing drizzled on salads, grilled veggies, as a marinade for chicken, fish or shrimp, on tacos, and so much more. It’s also easily made right in your blender in less than 5 minutes so you can easily whip this up any time you are in need of a burst of flavor!
You can also completely adapt this dressing to your liking! Make it creamy with a little Greek yogurt or some avocado, add some extra heat with more jalapeño or some red pepper flakes, throw in other fresh herbs for a more herbaceous dressing, or add some lime zest for a more citrusy dressing. You really can’t go wrong!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cilantro – this is truly the star of this dressing and will give it that vibrant green color
- Avocado oil – I just love the subtle flavor of avocado oil in this dressing which allows the other flavors to truly shine, but you could of course use olive oil for a more rich flavor
- Lime juice – this adds such a fresh taste and goes amazing with the cilantro, don’t skip!
- White vinegar – just a teaspoon to help maintain that tangy flavor, you can also use apple cider vinegar
- Garlic – fresh garlic tastes BEST in this dressing, but feel free to use one teaspoon of garlic powder in place of fresh garlic if that’s all you have on hand
- Honey – adds a little sweetness and helps to balance out those tangy flavors, you could also use maple syrup
- Jalapeño – this is added to give the dressing a nice kick without being too spicy, but this is of course optional! Alternatively, you could use a whole jalapeño for even more heat
- Seasonings – combination of cumin, salt and pepper to really make these flavors pop
Make it Creamy!
You can easily make this cilantro lime dressing creamy by adding half of an avocado in the blender or about 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt. Now this will make the dressing thicker so thin it out by slowly adding in a tablespoon at a time of water or extra lime juice until you get the desired consistency.
How to Serve Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Dressing for salads or veggies
- Use it as a marinade for chicken, fish or shrimp
- Drizzle on tacos, fajitas or burrito bowls
- Toss it in a pasta salad
- Spread for sandwiches or wraps
More Dressings You’ll Love
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 2 Tbsp lime juice (about half a lime)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
- Store dressing in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
- Calories: 86
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Sodium: 47 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.8 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.