This Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing takes just 5 minutes (and no special equipment) to make, but the flavor explosion packed into each bite is out of this world.
Use it as a salad dressing, marinade or sauce for chicken or fish. If you like cilantro, you’ll love this dressing.
Friday is Cinco de Mayo and I’ve been daydreaming about Mexican recipes we could enjoy.
I love both Mexican food and faux-Mexican Tex-Mex food. I just love food, I’ll admit it. 🙂
Anyway, a lot of my ideas just didn’t feel light enough for what I feel like eating at this time of year. Where we live, spring is finally here, and suddenly I just want salads and barbecue.
So I dreamed up a big bowl of salad filled with delicious but still cheap Mexican-inspired ingredients, drizzled with this amazing Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing. I’m now officially in love with this dressing. It would be fantastic on any kind of salad, but it would also be delicious on chicken or fish, or even as a marinade.
I even ate a little leftover bit of it as a dip. It’s just so good.
The other great thing about this dressing is that it doesn’t require any special equipment to make. Meaning you don’t need a food processor. In fact, I made it without one just to be sure.
You certainly could make it with a food processor, but personally I don’t like to drag mine out unless it’s absolutely necessary (and when it is, it’s an incredible kitchen tool).
You could literally make this cilantro lime dressing with a knife and a cutting board. I used a garlic twist for my garlic, which could just be done with a knife, and I used a citrus press for my lime juice, but you could just squeeze them with your hands.
Delicious and easy. Sounds perfect for a busy week!
Check out the beautiful salad I dreamed up for Cinco de Mayo!
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing – Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing – Ingredients
Finely chop about 1/3 cup cilantro (you should end up with 1/3 cup – not start with 1/3 cup).
You could certainly make this dressing in a food processor if you want to, but personally, I hesitate to break out the food processor for every little thing – the cleanup is just too annoying. So I only use it when I absolutely have to.
The good news is that you can totally make this dressing with just a knife and a cutting board. That’s what I did and it was easy!
Finely mice 1 clove of garlic. We have a couple of these handy little garlic mincers.
The one on the left is from Lee Valley and I love it, but it’s pricey – I think around $20 or $25.
The one on the right is the Paderno Garlic Twist. It does the job too, although the garlic isn’t quite as fine. It comes with a much smaller price tag, though.
You’ll need 3 tablespoons of lime juice, so squeeze some limes using whatever method you like. I have a few different types of citrus juicers to choose from, depending on how many pieces of fruit I’m juicing and how lazy I feel.
The one pictured here makes juicing limes and lemons super easy and I love it. Amazon has one that looks amazing and has great reviews, but there are lots of other ones available for sale at different price points. I found mine at Value Village!
Add 1 teaspoon of honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cumin to the minced cilantro, minced and lime juice in a bowl. Mix well. Add 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 3/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream. Stir well to combine and let sit at least 10 minutes before eating.
Enjoy! 🙂
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cilantro (finely chopped -you should end up with 1/3 cup - not start with 1/3 cup)
- 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup plain yougurt (or sour cream)
Instructions
- Finely chop about 1/3 cup cilantro and add to a medium sized bowl.
- Finely mice garlic and add to cilantro. Add lime juice.
- Add honey, salt, pepper and cumin to the bowl. Mix well.
- Add mayonnaise and plain yogurt or sour cream. Stir well to combine and let sit at least 10 minutes before eating.
Notes
Notes:
We have a couple of handy little garlic mincers. The one on the left is from Lee Valley and I love it, but it's pricey - I think around $20 or $25. The one on the right is the Paderno Garlic Twist. It does the job too, although the garlic isn't quite as fine. It comes with a much smaller price tag, though.
I have a few different types of citrus juicers to choose from, depending on how many pieces of fruit I'm juicing and how lazy I feel. The one pictured here makes juicing limes and lemons super easy and I love it. Amazon has one that looks amazing and has great reviews, but there are lots of other ones available for sale at different price points. I found mine at Value Village!
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choose from, depending on how many pieces of fruit I'm juicing and how lazy I feel. The one pictured here makes juicing limes and lemons super easy and I love it. Nutrition
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Sandy says
Hi there! This sounds amazing. How long would this dressing last in the fridge please?
Thank you
Laurier Samson says
Hi Sandy! So sorry I’m just seeing this comment now! I think it would be okay up to about a week. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Beth Groom says
I took the easy way out and bought the “ready-to-use” garlic and cilantro in the tube. This dressing is fabulous in the Mexican salad and when you have left over dressing, it’s great as a dip!
Myra says
Good to know it still works out with the ready to use cilantro and garlic! Glad you like it Beth! 🙂