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Home Meal Type Condiments
5
/5
10 minutes minutes

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Vegan Vegan
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard12 Comments
Posted: 6/18/20 Updated: 11/3/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Creamy cilantro lime dressing is perfect to jazz up your salad. Fresh cilantro, avocado, garlic and lime make this so much better than store-bought! Vegan, gluten-free and paleo, plus a video to show you just how to make it.

A good salad dressing brings life to a salad! From the classics like balsamic vinaigrette and Italian dressing to more adventurous like raspberry basil vinaigrette or green goddess dressing, they have a way of making each ingredient in the salad taste even better.

spooning the cilantro lime dressing out of a jar

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite dressings! It is fresh and citrussy, tangy, and with just enough cilantro flavor. You can make it creamy by blending in half an avocado, or keep it thinner without.

Perfect enjoyed on a taco salad, spread onto burgers or wraps, or drizzled over burrito bowls.

Reasons you'll ♡ cilantro lime dressing

  • it's vegan-friendly, gluten-free and dairy-free
  • you can make it with an avocado to make it super creamy
  • it is versatile and tastes great on salads, wraps, burrito bowls or tacos

Recipe video

Watch this 1-minute video to see how easy it is to prep this dressing! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!

ingredients required to make creamy cilantro lime dressing

Fresh ingredients for big flavor

This dressing uses the a delicious combination of fresh ingredients to give a unique blend of citrussy, herbaceous, tangy, savory and sweet flavors.

  • olive oil to help disperse the dressing
  • white wine vinegar to add tanginess
  • dijon to help emulsify the dressing (helps keep the oil and vinegar from separating)
  • lime for acid and bright, citrussy flavor
  • honey or maple syrup to balance the sourness of the lime and the tanginess of the vinegar
  • garlic to add flavor dimension to the dressing
  • cilantro for that classic fresh, herbaceous and slightly citrussy flavor
  • salt to enhance the flavors and bring them all together
  • avocado (optional) to make the dressing creamy

collage image before and after adding the avocado to the dressing

Prepping the dressing

For this recipe, you will need a blender (stand or immersion), or a food processor. Place all ingredients into the cup that comes with the immersion blender, or into the stand mixer, and blend for 30 seconds. You may need to scrape the sides down to get the cilantro properly pureed. Your dressing will be thin like a vinaigrette without the avocado, but will be thick and creamy with half an avocado added.

If you add the avocado and find the consistency too thick, add water by the tablespoon to thin out. If you find it not creamy enough, you can try adding an extra ¼ to ½ of the avocado.

Using the dressing

This dressing goes really well with Mexican flavors, or paired with anything spicy. Here are some suggestions to use the dressing

  • use it on a chopped green, pasta or southwestern inspired salad
  • pair it with something spicy like chipotle chicken or chipotle shrimp
  • use it as a dip for vegetables
  • use it as a dip for these baked beef taquitos
  • spread it on a sandwich, wrap or turkey burger
  • drizzle it over a burrito bowl or on your tacos

close up shot of a bunch of cilantro

Variations + ingredient swaps

Consider this as a great base recipe that you can put your own twist on!

  • swap the honey for maple syrup to make it vegan
  • omit the cilantro to make a creamy avocado dressing (it's still very tasty!)
  • add a jalapeno for a spicy kick
  • swap the avocado for ¼ to ½ cup of plain yogurt

Storage and prep ahead tips

This dressing can be prepared ahead! Thanks to the lime in the dressing, it keeps the avocado from browning for several days.

  • Dressing tastes best when it is fresh but is still tasty after a few days in the fridge
  • Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
  • Shake or stir back up to serve
  • Do not freeze

cilantro lime dressing drizzled over arugula

More salad dressings

  • 7 Basic Vinaigrette Recipes
  • 5 Minute Asian Salad Dressing
  • Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette
  • Healthier Caesar Dressing
  • Classic Greek Salad Dressing

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Close up shot of creamy cilantro lime dressing in a glass mason jar with a spoon

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 10 minutes mins
Print Rate
Creamy cilantro lime dressing is perfect to jazz up your salad. Fresh cilantro, avocado, garlic and lime make this so much better than store-bought! Vegan, gluten-free and paleo, plus a video to show you just how to make it.
6

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cilantro leaves (loosely packed)
  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey (swap with maple syrup to make this vegan)
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ avocado (optional)

Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend with an immersion blender.
  • If adding the avocado, you may wish to thin the dressing out with some water.

Tips:

*This recipe is super tangy! If you prefer a milder dressing, reduce the white wine vinegar by 1-2 tablespoons
Nutritional information includes the avocado.
Storage
This dressing is best served fresh, but it can keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Variations
  • swap the honey for maple syrup 
  • omit the cilantro to make a creamy avocado dressing 
  • add a jalapeno for a kick of spice
  • swap the avocado for ¼ to ½ cup of plain yogurt
 

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of batch, Calories: 141kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 88mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 115IU, Vitamin C: 2.7mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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Reader Interactions

5 from 9 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. Kelly says

    Posted on 4/19/21 at Posted on 4/19/21

    5 stars
    This was the 💣! I made mine with lemon instead of lime and an extra garlic clove (cuz we are garlic crazy!).
    Next time I’ll try it with parsley for a different flavour profile.
    But it’s a brilliant base recipe to adjust to your own taste.

    Reply
  2. Lynn Corrigan says

    Posted on 1/17/20 at Posted on 1/17/20

    5 stars
    Used a whole avocado because I needed to use it. Super thick so added a couple T water and some olive oil. So yummy. Consistency of a dip with the whole avocado, but so yummy.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 2/3/20 at Posted on 2/3/20

      Hi Lynn! Oh I bet it was super thick with a whole avocado! Glad you enjoyed, and thanks for your review!

      Reply
  3. Melissa says

    Posted on 11/6/19 at Posted on 11/6/19

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy. I will be making this again and again! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/13/19 at Posted on 11/13/19

      Hi Melissa, I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review 🙂

      Reply
  4. Bee says

    Posted on 4/15/19 at Posted on 4/15/19

    5 stars
    This is my favorite dressing! You make it look so easy so I’m totally trying this at home. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Debra Fernandes says

    Posted on 6/4/18 at Posted on 6/4/18

    is there an easy way of conversion to uk measurements / please

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 6/5/18 at Posted on 6/5/18

      Hi Debra, are you looking for mL? That should be easy enough, but unfortunately I just don't cook with scales and don't have weights for any of the ingredients 🙁

      Reply
  6. madalin stunt cars 2 says

    Posted on 3/19/18 at Posted on 3/19/18

    5 stars
    look so delicious ;x Your pictures are beauties!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 3/24/18 at Posted on 3/24/18

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  7. Lindsay Cotter says

    Posted on 3/14/18 at Posted on 3/14/18

    5 stars
    These are the kind of dressings I could just drink. LOL! but fine, I will grab a salad. YUM

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 3/14/18 at Posted on 3/14/18

      LOL! You are too funny. Thanks, Lindsay!

      Reply

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