Your next taco salad is going to be made with this zesty cilantro lime dressing. Savor it as a vinaigrette or add Greek yogurt or avocado for a creamy finish!
This cilantro lime dressing is the ideal summer salad dressing since it’s herbaceous, acidic, and delicious when drizzled over grilled vegetables, summer salads, and other dishes. Is this dressing its best feature? Three ways to make it! Serve the cilantro lime dressing as is, or add avocado for a thick, creamy sauce (shown on the left above) or Greek yogurt for a creamy ranch-style dressing (shown in the middle above).
Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Dressing
In order to emulsify the dressing and finely chop the cilantro, I make this dressing in a food processor. These seven components give it a zesty and vibrant taste, and it takes minutes to blend:
Cilantro is the main attraction. It gives the dressing a really green and fresh look.
Garlic gives it a slight bite.
It’s sour from the lime juice.
The harsh, acidic flavors are balanced and soothed with honey or maple syrup.
When I use cilantro and lime, ground coriander is one of my go-to spices since it adds a deeper flavor to this dressing.
The flavors are enhanced by sea salt.
Additionally, extra-virgin olive oil unifies everything and adds richness.
That’s it! Your dressing will be ready for salads, tacos, burrito bowls, and more if you just pulse it together but not too long.
Varieties of cilantro lime dressing: Although I adore the vinaigrette version, I occasionally switch it up based on what I’m cooking and what I’m desiring. I enjoy making creamy cilantro lime dressing both with avocado and with yogurt.
A creamy Greek yogurt dressing is slightly creamy but not too thick, much like ranch or buttermilk dressing. Simply place half a cup of plain whole milk Greek yogurt in the food processor with the remaining ingredients to make it.
Compared to the Greek yogurt version, the creamy avocado cilantro lime dressing is richer. I enjoy using it as a dipping sauce for burritos or as large, viscous blobs on taco salad. To make it, put one avocado and the recipe for the base dressing in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Add some pickled jalapeños or a small amount of jalapeño to make it spicy.
Serving Ideas for Cilantro Lime Dressing
This is a fantastic dressing to have in the refrigerator. Simple green salads and homemade burrito bowls with cilantro lime rice, black beans, vegetables, pico de gallo, guacamole, and mango salsa benefit from its zesty, vibrant addition.
Additionally, it would taste great when scooped or drizzled over the following foods:
Bowls of Burritos
Vegetarian Tacos for Breakfast Burritos (substitute the tomatillo sauce)
Replace the salsa with breakfast tacos.
Vegetables on a Grill
Oven-roasted potatoes with avocado toast
Vegetable Fajitas
Quesadillas
If you adore this recipe for cilantro lime dressing…
Try more of my favorite sauces, such as Caesar dressing, tzatziki, pesto, tomatillo salsa, chipotle sauce, and tahini sauces.