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    Home » Recipes » Dips and Sauces

    Easy Cilantro Lime Dressing

    Author: Rachel Rivera | Published: Jun 11, 2020 | Last Modified: May 29, 2024

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    This zesty Cilantro Lime Dressing combines the vibrant flavors of fresh cilantro and tangy lime juice, creating a refreshing and versatile dressing that pairs perfectly with salads, tacos, and grilled meats. It's a burst of flavor in every bite!

    Cilantro Lime Dressing

    Looking for more healthy and dairy free dip ideas? Check out these (mostly) dairy free dips here! They're all soy and gluten free!

    Why You'll Love this Recipe!

    There's SO many ways you can utilize this recipe! See below for an entire list of ideas.

    It's super clean! The ingredients are real foods and fresh.

    Ingredients Needed

    An overhead view of needed ingredients (and some equipment) for cilantro lime dressing. There is a bunch of cilantro, a lime in a small bowl, a bulb of garlic, a jar or mayo, and a bowl of salt. There is also a zester, an immersion blender, and a hand juicer.
    • Mayonnaise
    • Cilantro
    • Garlic
    • Salt
    • Lime

    I like to make this homemade Whole30 Mayo as the base for this dressing. It's very clean and simple and made with real food!

    Substitutions/Variations

    • Add some spice to this dressing by adding a jalapeno!
    • If you'd like a thicker dressing, add in an avocado.
    • If you'd like a thinner dressing, drizzle in avocado or olive oil as it blends.

    How to Make Cilantro Lime Dressing

    This is the absolute easiest dressing to make! Just combine all the ingredients and blend!

    Start with mayo as your base. Chop the cilantro, and smash or chop the garlic. Add it to the mayo along with the lime juice and zest, and salt.

    Combine all the ingredients in a jar

    Using an immersion, blend it all together. That's it!!!

    Blend all the ingredients together

    Delicious uses for Cilantro Lime Dressing

    • This dressing is great with Mexican dishes. Try it over these Gluten Free Chicken Fajitas!
    • Drizzle it over Mexican rice.
    • Try it on tacos! When you make the tacos, use this Whole30 taco seasoning. It's the perfect Cilantro Lime Dressing for tacos!
    • It's also delicious paired with Puerto Rican papas rellenas (delicious deep fried potato balls) or empanadas!
    • I really love pairing this on my breakfast hashes. Put it on eggs too!
    • Speaking of eggs, this would also work so well for deviled eggs.
    • Dip fries into it!
    • Use it as a spread for burgers, wraps, and sandwhiches.
    • Of course, use it as a salad dressing!

    Storage

    Store this in an air tight container, or in a glass jar sealed with a lid or saran wrap, in the fridge.

    The dressing should last 3-5 days in the fridge.

    It does sometimes thicken in the fridge due to the oil.

    Tools Needed

    • Chef's Knife
    • Cutting Board
    • Zester
    • Immersion Blender
    • Jar

    Top Tip for Cilantro Lime Dressing

    If you don't have an immersion blender, you can make this in a regular high speed blender. The only difference you'll need to add more oil, I recommend avocado oil, and keep pausing to push it all down.

    A Note About Diets

    As written, this recipe is naturally gluten free, paleo, dairy free, and Whole30!

    If you are participating in any of these diets, then this recipe is safe to eat as written.

    It is not vegan as it contains an egg.

    FAQ's

    What is Cilantro Lime Dressing Made of?

    This dressing consists of a mayo base, then blended with cilantro, lime zest and juice, salt, and garlic!

    What is Creamy Cilantro Dressing made of?

    It's made of the same ingredients listed above and below, but if you'd like to make it even creamier, add an avocado before blending.

    Why is my Cilantro Dressing Bitter?

    There are a few reasons a cilantro dressing may be bitter.
    Be careful to only use the juice and zest only, not the pith! The pith is the white later below the zest, the green outer layer.
    Sometimes cilantro stems can make it bitter, so chop off the bottoms or even use only leaves.
    Make sure the ingredients are fresh and not rotting!

    Does Cilantro Lime Dressing have sugar in it?

    While other recipes may, this particular recipe does not! It contains no sugar in any form.

    Cilantro Lime Dressing

    Cilantro Lime Dressing

    Rachel Rivera
    This zesty dressing combines the vibrant flavors or fresh cilantro and tangy lime juice, creating a refreshing and versatile dressing that pairs perfectly with salads, tacos, and grilled meats. It's a burst of flavor in every bite!
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Dip, Dressing
    Cuisine American, Mexican, Spanish
    Servings 1.5 cups

    Equipment

    • 1 Jar
    • 1 Immersion Blender
    • 1 Zester

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup mayo
    • ½ bunch cilantro chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic peeled and rough chopped
    • ½ tsp. salt
    • ½ juice and zest of lime

    Instructions
     

    • Place all ingredients in a jar.
    • Using an immersion blender, fully blend and incorporate everything together. Enjoy!
    Keyword Cilantro Lime Dressing, Cilantro lime dressing recipe

    Other Healthy Dips and Sauces You Will Enjoy

    • Sugar Free Honey Mustard
    • Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
    • Mango Dressing
    • Roasted Salsa Verde

    Did you make this recipe? Leave me a comment below letting me know how much you loved it!

    Also feel free to share a picture and tag me on Instagram @thecleanhappylife!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tanner says

      November 02, 2021 at 8:17 pm

      Finally took the plunge. So easy, fast, and delicious! I used rice wine vinegar because that s what I had and dried parsley and fresh chives for the herbs because that s what I had. I don t like wine or vinegar so I used a scant tbls of the vinegar because I was afraid. It was fine, so next time I ll follow the recipe as written. You ladies know your stuff! Thank you for doing the hard work to bring this into our lives.

      Reply
      • Rachel Rivera says

        November 08, 2021 at 6:12 pm

        I'm glad you tried it! Definitely try it as written, it's so worth it and you won't regret it!

        Reply
    2. Lani says

      October 27, 2021 at 11:02 pm

      4 stars
      Perfect, just what I need. Trying this out, thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Rachel Rivera says

        October 28, 2021 at 8:35 pm

        Your welcome! I hope you love it!

        Reply
    3. Marnie says

      October 27, 2021 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      Yummm... delicious, easy and fresh... what more could you want!! Thank you for this recipe. Marnie xx

      Reply
      • Rachel Rivera says

        October 27, 2021 at 8:49 pm

        Definitely, nothing more to ask for! I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    4. Anita says

      October 27, 2021 at 12:24 pm

      This looks soooo good! And easy too. The best of both worlds. 🙂 I can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Rachel Rivera says

        October 27, 2021 at 8:49 pm

        Oh yes, easy and delicious is my favorite combo! I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    5. Elaine says

      October 27, 2021 at 8:55 am

      Wow This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it !!

      Reply
      • Rachel Rivera says

        October 27, 2021 at 8:46 pm

        Thank you! I hope you love it 🙂

        Reply
    6. Casey says

      January 31, 2021 at 8:36 pm

      I looooove a good dressing – especially when it’s super easy like this! Can’t wait to try it out on my salads this week!

      Reply
      • thecleanhappylife says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:35 am

        Yes same!! Hope you love it!

        Reply
    7. Yvonne says

      July 07, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      5 stars
      This was super easy and tasty!! I think I had a little too much cilantro because it’s pretty green 😂 but definitely tastes good!

      Reply
      • thecleanhappylife says

        July 07, 2020 at 6:42 pm

        I'm so glad you liked it! Easy and tasty recipes are the best, thank you for trying it!! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Carolyn says

      June 25, 2020 at 9:07 am

      Holy smokes this looks good. I love the flavors of avocado and lime together, and I’ve been wanting to make a dressing like this for chicken salad wraps. I’m glad I found this recipe, thanks!

      Reply
      • thecleanhappylife says

        June 28, 2020 at 2:59 pm

        Thank you! I hope you love it, it's definitely a favorite around here!! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Rachel! I'm a health food blogger who's currently obtaining a nutrition certification! My health journey started with hormonal issues and gut health, which eventually led to this blog!

    Here you'll find recipes that are practically all gluten free and soy free! Many are paleo and grain free also, but all are healthy and delicious!

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