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We are always in the mood for a tasty salad. They are light, refreshing, and can take on a variety of flavor profiles.
We LOVE to have fresh dressings and vinaigrettes on hand, or at least ingredients needed to whip them up! That way, when the craving hits, we’re ready to go. This cilantro lime dressing is one of our favorites!
Similar to our Citrus Vinaigrette and Strawberry Vinaigrette, it’s light and delicious. The cilantro and lime pair perfectly for a bright and sweet flavor. This tasty dressing comes together in minutes and is perfect for topping salads or marinating chicken or fish.
For more favorites, try our Homemade Ranch Dressing, Caesar Salad Dressing, and Creamy Pesto Dressing.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Bright and zesty. The lime and cilantro are a match made in heaven! We use this as a salad dressing or marinade.
- Just blend! It’s really that simple – it’s ready in minutes!
- Simple and fresh ingredients. We love that this dressing uses fresh ingredients for extra flavor – lime, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno make this next level delicious!
Cilantro Lime Dressing Ingredients And Substitutions
- ¼ cup lime juice – You’ll need about 2 medium limes for fresh lime juice, or use bottled juice.
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves – Use fresh cilantro and cut off the stems.
- 3 tablespoons sugar – or honey
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped – To make it spicy, leave some of the seeds in.
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic – You’ll need to mince 2 garlic cloves or preminced garlic.
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
- ½ cup olive oil – extra virgin olive oil
- optional – Add half of an avocado, some sour cream, or Greek yogurt to make the dressing creamier.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Dressing
- COMBINE. Add lime juice, vinegar, cilantro, sugar, jalapeño, garlic, and garlic salt to a blender or food processor and blend.
- ADD. While processing the ingredients, gradually add the oil in a steady stream.
- BLEND. Blend to combine. Drizzle this cilantro lime dressing recipe over a salad or use as a marinade.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- For spicier dressing, add in the jalapeno seeds or more jalapenos.
- For a creamier dressing, we like to add in some ripe avocado, plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
- Not only do we use this on salads like Kale Salad or Chicken Taco Salad, but it adds amazing flavor to tacos, quesadillas, burrito bowls, and more.
- This dressing makes a great marinade for grilled chicken and salmon.
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add lime juice, vinegar, cilantro, sugar, jalapeño, garlic, and garlic salt to a blender and process together.
- While processing the ingredients, gradually add the oil in a steady stream.
- Blend to combine.
Notes
- For spicier dressing, add in the jalapeno seeds or more jalapenos.
- For a creamier dressing, add in some ripe avocado, plain greek yogurt, or sour cream.
- Not only do we use this on salads like Kale Salad or Chicken Taco Salad, but it adds amazing flavor to tacos, quesadillas, burrito bowls, and more.
- This dressing makes a great marinade for grilled chicken and salmon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you add sour cream, yogurt, or avocado, it will only last for about 4 days.
More Like This
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Citrus Vinaigrette
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Balsamic Vinaigrette
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Strawberry Vinaigrette
5 mins
Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
10 mins
Favorite Dressings
Greek Dressing
5 mins
Cafe Rio Dressing
5 mins
Homemade Ranch Dressing
35 mins
Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
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This recipe was originally published February 2020.
This looks great, but I don’t see lime listed in any of the ingredients? Am i missing something? Instead of 3 tablespoons sugar, do you mean lime juice?
Light and flavorful
This is a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, but I don’t see any lime or lime juice in the recipe. Could you please double check? Much appreciated!
Are those actually the numbers per serving!??? And what is a serving size? The nutritional stats are horrible
A serving size is about 2 tablespoons. Those numbers would be for the full amount that the recipe makes, not for an individual serving size. 🙂
Really easy to make and tastes great with not just a salad but to drizzle on chicken tacos, quesadillas, fajitas and so much more.
I’ve always preferred a vinaigrette type of dressing to creamy ones. This one is light and zesty. Yum!
I loved this dressing, it was so light and refreshing, perfect for summer!
Yes, it’s such a great summer dressing. Glad to hear you loved it!
I don’t see any lime in this cilantro lime vinaigrette. I’m so confused.
Thanks so much for catching that! You would use 2 tablespoons of lime juice plus more to taste depending on how tangy you would like it.
LOVE this CILANTRO LIME VINAIGRETTE recipe! I make a large batch and just use it all week!
I’m so glad to hear you love the recipe. That is a great idea!!
A great tasting dressing that is light and refreshing.
Mmm…love cilantro!! It adds such a burst of flavor to salads!