Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette is a tangy dressing that can be put on almost anything! It takes less than 5 minutes to make and truly adds a burst of flavor to whatever you like.
If you want more homemade vinaigrette recipes, try my white balsamic dressing or this citrus dressing.
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Why this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Recipe is a Keeper
I love this recipe because it’s cool, creamy and refreshing. It’s perfect to simply add to your favorite salads or food from your local Mexican restaurant.
- Adaptable: With a few simple swaps, you can customize this recipe to how you love it. Add your favorite herbs.
- Healthy: It’s a nutritious option that fits well into a balanced diet. You’ll love it on a simple green salads!
- Balances Flavors: The recipe achieves a perfect balance of sweet, salty, sour, and savory.
- Pairs Well with Other Dishes: It complements a variety of sides or main courses.
- Easy Ingredients: It uses common ingredients you often have on hand.
Can I Use this Dressing as a Marinade?
Yes! Allow whatever meat you’re using to sit in the cilantro lime marinade overnight in the fridge. It adds a wonderful flavor to your meat.
Ingredient Notes to Make Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
You will need just a few super simple ingredients to make this cilantro lime sauce recipe. They’re all easy to find at the store, but you may even have some of the ingredients in your kitchen already.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is best but you can use bottled lime juice if you want.
- Agave: Agave will give your cilantro-lime vinaigrette a sweet, honey-like taste.
- Cilantro: Finely chop fresh cilantro leaves for this cilantro lime dressing recipe.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for Cilantro Lime Dressing
When you prepare ingredients ahead of time, it can help save you time and kitchen space when it comes to making everything for a nice dinner!
- Make Ahead: You can make this dressing up to a week ahead of time in a container in the refrigerator.
Special Equipment Needed for Homemade Salad Dressing
Sometimes you need a specific piece of equipment to make a recipe just right. In this case, all you need is a food processor!
- Food Processor: A food processor or a blender will emulsify everything, making sure your zesty cilantro lime homemade vinaigrette is smooth and well mixed. It will also help to make it creamy.
Pro Tip for this Zesty New Recipe
Quality Olive Oil: A good quality extra virgin olive oil will enhance the flavor of the vinaigrette.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing Recipe
This recipe comes together in just 1 quick and easy step. This cilantro dressing is so good, it will quickly become one of your favorite recipes!
These are the basic steps for making Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Blend Ingredients Together
Place lime juice, garlic, agave, salt, olive oil and cilantro in the food processor and pulse until everything is combined and smooth.
How to Store, Remix and Use Leftover Salad Dressing
- Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Remix: Blend in a jalapeño for a little spice.
- Using Leftovers: Enjoy leftovers on taco salad, grilled chicken burrito bowls, southwest quinoa salad or creamy avocado quinoa salad!
Variations and Substitutions to use Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
This creamy cilantro lime dressing recipe is super easy to customize to make your own! Try taking it to the next level by trying different flavors and ingredients.
- Fresh Ginger: Add some fresh ginger to the zesty cilantro lime dressing with flavors of cilantro and lime.
- Shallots: Shallots would be the perfect addition to this great dressing made with fresh ingredients like cilantro and shallots.
- Honey: To add some sweetness, add a touch of honey or maple syrup to this easy salad dressing recipe.
- Avocado Oil: If you’d like to use something other than olive oil, try avocado oil.
Perfect Summer Salad Recipe FAQs
Make this honey lime vinaigrette thicker with a little cornstarch, or thinner with some more oil and vinegar.
I would not recommend freezing this tangy cilantro vinaigrette as the flavor can change when thawed.
If you’re in a pinch and don’t have any fresh cilantro you can substitute dried cilantro.
Serve with Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, Tex Mex Quinoa Salad, Caesar Dressing Salad or Chicken Picadillo Taco Salad.
Expert Tips and Tricks for Making This Recipe
- Fresh Ingredients: High quality is best for ingredients like cilantro and limes.
- Citrus: You can use a mixture of lemon and lime juices.
- Marinade: Use easy cilantro lime dressing as a marinade for chicken, seafood and other meats.
- Vinegar: Try using red wine vinegar instead for this lime cilantro marinade dressing to top salads.
- Greek Yogurt: If you’d like a creamy version, add greek yogurt and blend until smooth.
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
- 1 clove Garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon Agave
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until all ingredients are combined and dressing is smooth.
Christina’s Notes
- Fresh Ingredients: High quality is best for ingredients like cilantro and limes.
- Citrus: You can use a mixture of lemon and lime juices.
- Marinade: Use easy cilantro lime dressing as a marinade for chicken, seafood and other meats.
- Vinegar: Try using red wine vinegar instead for this lime cilantro marinade dressing to top salads.
- Greek Yogurt: If you’d like a creamy version, add greek yogurt and blend until smooth.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Awesome lime vinaigrette Thanks
Glad that you enjoyed it!
Looking forward to trying your recipes. Thank you