Nothing beats homemade creamy cilantro lime dressing. It's fresh, vibrant, easy to make, and tastes so much better than store-bought salad dressing. Packed with cilantro, lime juice, and Greek yogurt, this dressing is creamy, smooth, tangy, and flavourful. The best part? You can make it in just 5 minutes and drizzle it over everything including salads, tacos, vegetables, and more.
Why You’ll Love Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Fresh simple ingredients. For this recipe, you’ll need some simple ingredients including two whole cups of fresh cilantro, freshly-squeezed lime juice, and fresh garlic. The result? A delicious creamy cilantro dressing that tastes fresh and tangy.
- It's an easy blender recipe. Making this dressing is so quick and easy. You just throw all the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and puree to blend. Who needs store-bought when it's this easy and delicious to make homemade salad dressing?
- It goes with everything. Use this dressing on salads, on tacos and tostadas, on fajitas, dip your quesadillas or enchiladas in it, or serve it with breakfast. It seriously pairs well with almost anything you can imagine: chicken, beef, fish, veggies, rice, grilled vegetables, and potatoes. Make one batch of this creamy cilantro lime dressing, and you’ll be enjoying it all week!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this easy and delicious creamy cilantro lime dressing, you will need the following ingredients:
- fresh cilantro - you need a heaping 2 cups of cilantro (approximately one bunch), and use both the leaves and the stems. When washing the cilantro, be sure to dry it very thoroughly. Otherwise the leftover water will significantly thin out the dressing and make it less flavorful. The cilantro bunches I use are about 2 cups packed, and weigh 3.5 ounces with the stems.
- lime juice - this adds a tangy citrusy punch to the dressing. Use freshly-squeezed lime juice for the best results.
- Greek yogurt - this adds the creaminess to the dressing. You can also substitute this with sour cream. If you are not sure whether to use Greek yogurt or sour cream for this recipe, choose whichever one you like to eat more. Note that sour cream has more calories and fat content, which makes it the more indulgent option, while Greek yogurt is generally healthier.
- garlic
- olive oil
- honey - balances out all the flavours. You can also substitute this with maple syrup.
- dried oregano - you can substitute this with Italian seasoning blend.
- salt
- jalapeño - I did not use any, but you can certainly add some if you prefer a spicier dressing. It's completely up to you.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a blender or food processor, and a mason jar or airtight container to store the dressing in if not using it all right away.
How to Make the Best Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Blend the ingredients. Place ¼ cup Greek yogurt along with all remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Pulse mix to until combined and blended. You do not want to blend it until completely smooth as you want to keep the dressing slightly textured with bits of cilantro visible.
- Stir in more yogurt. Transfer the dressing to a small bowl and add remaining ¼ cup of Greek yogurt. Stir with a spoon until combined. Adjust with more salt or honey to taste, if needed.
- Serve. Use as desired over your favorite salads or meals.
How to Store
While this homemade creamy cilantro lime dressing is much tastier than store-bought dressing, it won’t last as long since it doesn’t contain preservatives. The shelf life of your dressing depends on the freshness of your cilantro. If you use the freshest ingredients, your dressing will stay good for up to 7-10 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or mason jar.
How to Serve Cilantro Lime Dressing
Creamy cilantro lime dressing goes with everything! You can serve it on:
- Salads. Try it with Shrimp Taco Salad or Beef Taco Salad.
- Tacos. Try it in Fish Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, or Vegan Chickpea Tacos.
- Fajitas. Try it over Skillet Chicken Fajitas or Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.
- Tostadas. Try it on Shrimp Avocado Tostadas
- Rice. Try it over Cilantro Lime Rice.
It's also delicious drizzled over grilled meat or vegetables, or use it as a marinade for your meat. So make a batch or two to last you all week!
More Salad Recipes with Homemade Dressing
- Lemon Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Chickpea Greek Salad with Greek Dressing
- Strawberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
- Grilled Chicken Garden Salad with Ranch Dressing
- Vegan Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame Garlic Dressing
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Recipe
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings (makes 1 cup)
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Nothing beats homemade creamy cilantro lime dressing. It's fresh, vibrant, easy to make in 5 minutes, and tastes better than store-bought salad dressing.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, divided
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place ¼ cup Greek yogurt along with all remaining ingredients into a food processor of blender. Pulse mix until combined and blended. You do not want to blend it completely smooth as you want to keep the dressing slightly textured with bits of cilantro visible.
- Transfer the dressing to a small bowl and add remaining ¼ cup of Greek yogurt. Stir with a spoon until combined. Adjust with more salt or honey to taste, if needed.
- Store dressing in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Use as desired over your favourite salads.
Notes
How to store: While this homemade creamy cilantro lime dressing is much tastier than store-bought dressing, it won’t last as long since it doesn’t contain preservatives. The shelf life of your dressing depends on the freshness of your cilantro. If you use the freshest ingredients, your dressing will stay good for up to 7-10 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or mason jar.
Equipment used: You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a blender or food processor, and a mason jar or airtight container to store the dressing in if not using it all right away.
How to serve: It seriously pairs : It seriously pairs well with almost anything you can imagine: chicken, beef, fish, veggies, rice, potatoes, and grilled vegetables. Make one batch of this creamy cilantro lime dressing, and you’ll be enjoying it all week!
- Salads. Try it with Shrimp Taco Salad or Beef Taco Salad.
- Tacos. Try it in Fish Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, or Vegan Chickpea Tacos.
- Fajitas. Try it over Skillet Chicken Fajitas or Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.
- Rice. Try it over Cilantro Lime Rice.
- Tostadas. Try it on Shrimp Avocado Tostadas.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Mexican
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Isabel says
Made this to go over roasted cauliflower tacos. Absolutely delicious. Will use it on a few things. Thanks.
Rachel says
Can you freeze this? I have enough to make another batch, but wont be able to eat it all within 10 days. Super delicious!
MJ Scott says
Scrumptious tasting and easy to make!
Chantal says
Wowza!!
This isn’t a complicated dressing but the proportions are perfect. I’ve tried 4 or 5 other similar cilantro-lime recipes and none are this good. If you can find real maple syrup (and like it) try subbing it for the honey. This recipe is THE ONE!
Justine says
Yum!! Making some for our next taco night. So excited!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Yay, enjoy!
Nellie Tracy says
This is a delicious recipe. One of my favorite versions of this dressing.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you Nellie!