Your favorite salad is likely as much about the dressing as it is any other component in the bowl. The fact of the matter is...lettuce is boring on its own. Now, with this Cilantro Lime Dressing, you'll never have to suffer boring lettuce again. It's creamy, tangy, and adds a spoonful of delicious Mexican flair to anything and everything it touches!
This dressing can also serve double duty as a condiment for grilled meats, tacos, and more! You'll also love this Creamy Chiptole Sauce Recipe!
HOW TO MAKE CILANTRO LIME DRESSING
- Chop - Roughly chop cilantro, jalapeño, and garlic and add to blender or food processor bowl.
- Squeeze - Squeeze in the juice of the limes.
- Add - Add the remaining ingredients.
- Blend - Put on the lid, turn on the machine, and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy!
This is a homemade salad dressing that doesn't take a whole lot from the effort department.
The first thing you'll do is grab a bundle of cilantro and give the leaves a rough chop. You'll also need to roughly chop a jalapeño pepper and a clove of garlic as well. Throw it all into a food processor or blender.
Next, slice into a couple of limes and give them a good squeeze -- squeeze it right into the food processor bowl. Then, add the remaining ingredients, pop on the lid, and mix until it appears smooth and creamy! This is the perfect addition to any Tex-Mex dish! If you love Tex-Mex you are guaranteed to love these Tex-Mex Recipes.
INGREDIENTS
- Cilantro Leaves
- Jalapeño Pepper
- Garlic
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Mayonnaise
- Avocado or Canola Oil
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T USE OLIVE OIL
If you've ever whipped up a homemade salad dressing and noticed it has a bitter (and somewhat overpowering) flavor to it, you probably have olive oil to blame. Olive oil is great for cooking, but unless it is a very high-quality olive oil, you should probably steer clear of using it in dressings.
When it comes to oil for your Cilantro Lime Dressing, we are all about the avocado oil. It's healthy, it's flavorless, and you don't have to spend a ton of money to get a great product.
That being said, canola oil is also a flavorless oil. It doesn't offer the same health benefits of avocado oil, but it will absolutely work for making this recipe!
LIKE IT SPICY?
Want to make a spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing? Don't bother removing the seeds from the jalapeño! The seeds will add a good deal of heat to the recipe.
USE AVOCADO AS A HEALTHY SUBSTITUTE!
Mayonnaise gives this recipe an instantaneous creamy vibe. However, if you like your salad dressings on the healthier side, cut the mayo out completely and add avocado instead!
You will need about a ¼ of a jumbo avocado (or ½ of a large avocado) cut into chunks. Then, add the avocado to the blender along with the other ingredients and blend! You could also try this dressing in vinaigrette form!
NOTE: You'll want to make sure the avocados are good and ripe before using!
DIP, ANYONE?
This Cilantro Lime Dressing can easily be converted into a dip! To do so, again, we turn to the avocado! Add 1 ripe, large avocado, cut into chunks to the blender along with the other ingredients and give it a whir! You'll likely need to add an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dip as well.
If you need more Condiments, Sauces or Marinades to spruce up your dishes, check these out!
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
Cilantro Lime Dressing will last for about four days refrigerated in an airtight container.
CAN YOU FREEZE IT?
No, you should not freeze creamy salad dressings.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU USE CILANTRO LIME DRESSING ON?
Salad is not where this Cilantro Lime Dressing love story ends. It's the perfect condiment for topping off grilled meats, is great spooned into a taco, and even works as a lovely sauce on top of green veggies or roasted potatoes!
Below, are just a few recipes you'll enjoy with a spoonful of Cilantro Lime Dressing!
Steak Fajitas
Tacos de Camaron | Shrimp Tacos
Tacos de Pollo (Chicken Tacos Recipe)
Pulled Pork Tacos
Southwest Chicken Salad Tacos
Cilantro and Lime Pork Chop Marinade | Recipe
3 MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!
Cilantro Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed and roughly chopped
- 1 clove of garlic roughly chopped
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about the juice of 2 limes)
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup avocado or canola oil
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor fitted with a blade attachment or blender and mix until the consistency is smooth and homogenous. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Makes about 1 ½ cups.
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Renee Goerger says
I am firmly on the side of team-cilantro. I'm so happy you shared this recipe. It's one of my new favorites!! Thank you.
Meagen says
Such an easy and delicious dressing! We also use it for dipping on occasion. Definitely one of my favorite homemade dressings, we use it regularly!
Lilly says
Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.