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Cilantro Lime Sauce – Put it on Everything!

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This cilantro lime sauce is a delicious and easy dressing. It pairs well with so many meals! Cilantro lime crema is especially good on tacos and slaw.

Cilantro lime sauce in a bowl.
Cilantro lime sauce in a bowl.

Why do I love cilantro lime sauce so much? I can put it on everything. That’s why. Tacos, burrito bowls, chips, eggs, and sandwiches. One of my absolute favorite ways to use it is as a salad dressing.

If you love cilantro, you will love this creamy cilantro lime dressing recipe!

Cilantro lime sauce ingredients on board.

What is Cilantro Lime Dressing and What is In It?

Cilantro lime sauce (also called cilantro lime dressing or cilantro lime crema) is a blended creamy sauce. It uses cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream as the primary flavors.

This recipe is made with olive oil, avocado, green onion (or scallions), cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and sour cream (or Greek yogurt).

Cilantro lime sauce ingredients on board.

How to Make Cilantro Lime Dressing:

Sauce recipes like this one make me happy because they’re super simple. Just add all of the ingredients to a high speed blender or a food processor, and pulse until everything’s combined.

Be sure to leave some small visible bits of cilantro in there. It tastes better if you stop blending before all of the ingredients have completely combined.

Cilantro lime sauce in a bowl.
Cilantro lime sauce on chip.

I use this sauce as the base for my Creamy Cilantro Turkey Tacos – they are so dang good! If you’re wondering how to try this sauce, I definitely recommend this taco recipe.

Creamy cilantro turkey tacos in a hand.

Looking for a sauce with a little more kick? Try my Creamy Green Sauce! It’s ridiculously good. It’s similar to this recipe because it’s filled with tons of whole green ingredients and pairs perfectly with just about everything.

Creamy green sauce in a bowl surrounded by the ingredients.
Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Cilantro Lime Sauce

Cilantro lime sauce in a bowl.

This cilantro lime sauce is a delicious and easy dressing. It pairs well with so many meals! Cilantro lime crema is especially good on tacos and slaw.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ avocado (peeled and pitted)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup chopped green onion
  • ¾ cup cilantro leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic (diced)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sour cream or greek yogurt

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor. Pulse until it’s mostly smooth - you want to leave it just slightly chunky with visible small bits of cilantro.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

2 Tablespoons

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 61Total Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 1.9gFiber: .6gSugar: .6gProtein: .5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments and on Instagram! @keytomylime #keytomylime

Be sure to pin this recipe for later!

Four images of cilantro lime sauce.

Have you ever wondered how to prepare cilantro? Real Simple has an article with some great tips and tricks to show you how.

Try this Cilantro Lime Sauce with your next meal!

Cilantro lime sauce in a bowl.

40 thoughts on “Cilantro Lime Sauce – Put it on Everything!”

  1. hello! just made it. it tastes great! i’m sure it will be better tomorrow! i’m going to use it on al pastor tacos.

    Reply
  2. This will be the third straight night of using this stuff! One night on grilled chicken, last night on fish tacos, and tonight on a Cobb Salad. It really IS “that good.”

    Reply
    • Hi Sarah, I’d recommend replacing it with an additional 1/2 – 3/4 cup of either sour cream or Greek yogurt. You could also try some slightly thinned out cashew butter if you’d prefer to use less dairy. If you like mayonnaise, I think 1/2 cup mayo could also work (I wouldn’t use Miracle Whip though). -Alexa

      Reply
    • Tried this for dinner to tonight, and wow, it’s delicious and I really do want to put it on everything. Thank you for the recipe! 🙂 Yum!

      Reply
    • Hi Barbara, So happy to hear you enjoyed the cilantro lime sauce so much! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback! -Alexa

      Reply
  3. Yes, it is now gone! Made it this afternoon for the Baja fish tacos, what a surprise!
    This will now be a family favorite, as it changed the way we enjoy fish tacos.

    Thanks, A Million!

    Reply
    • Hi Sean, So happy to hear you enjoyed the cilantro lime crema on your Baja fish tacos! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback! -Alexa

      Reply
    • Hi Hannah, We’ve never had any leftovers past the next day, so I can’t say for sure. Because of the sour cream and avocado, I would assume 2 – 3 days. Hope that helps! -Alexa

      Reply
    • Hi Azadah, I think jalapeno would be a great addition! I’d probably start with 1/2 jalapeno (seeds removed and set aside, ribs removed), blend it, taste it, and add the other half or the seeds based on preference. Hope that helps! -Alexa

      Reply
    • So happy to hear you enjoyed the cilantro lime sauce on your homemade carnitas! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback. -Alexa

      Reply
  4. I love everything about this recipe except the star ingredient, cilantro. (Have gene, taste soap). I’m thinking about trying it using basil instead of cilantro. Parsley seems like it wouldn’t have enough punch. Any other substitutions you’d recommend?

    Reply
    • Hi Tom, I haven’t tried any herbs other than cilantro in this recipe, so I don’t have any substitution suggestions for you. Since the main part of the flavor profile is the way the cilantro and lime pair together, I’m not really sure what other herb would work. If you do end up trying basil, please let me know how it goes! -Alexa

      Reply
      • Came across this recipe after dining out & had sauce. Went looking today & these reviews look great. I’m excited to try. This question got me wondering. Not a chef but now have time & like to cook. Would tomatillos work in lieu of cilantro. Using only pulp & it would change texture – maybe less water? Anyway, enjoy your site & can’t wait to try my new find! ✌️

        Reply
        • Hi Sandi, Thanks so much! I haven’t tried this recipe with tomatillos, but it sounds like it would be delicious. You’re right, it would make the sauce a bit thinner, so you could try it without the water first and add it in if it seems too thick. Hope you enjoy it with the tomatillos, please let me know how it turns out! -Alexa

          Reply
  5. This was amazing. It’s great on fish tacos but also makes it delicious dip for veggies or chips. Bend down I think it would also make a great salad dressing. New favorite sauce ever! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Hi Erica, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the cilantro lime sauce so much! It definitely is delicious as a salad dressing, too – I’ve used it on our Southwest Chicken Salad and love it there. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it! -Alexa

      Reply
  6. Do you think this sauce would freeze well? I’m looking for a cilantro lime sauce I could make in bulk and freeze in smaller amounts.

    Reply
    • Hi Becca, I wouldn’t recommend freezing this sauce. I haven’t tested freezing it, but I don’t think the sour cream would freeze well. -Alexa

      Reply
  7. This recipe looks awesome, but I’m not sure how you measure a cup of cilantro. Packed in tight, or just however much would be in the cup if you scooped up cut cilantro leaves? Or do you know how much by weight? I checked your photo of ingredients, and was disappointed to not get a visual on how much cilantro. (And yet I seem to be the only reader asking this question…Apologies if you described it and I missed it.

    Reply
    • Hi Anna, This recipe calls for measuring the full cilantro leaves with the tender stems lightly packed (many recipes will note it if the measurement needs you to tightly pack the herb leaves or dice the leaves first). Hope that helps! -Alexa

      Reply
  8. This is absolutely incredible and so easy/quick to make! Going to use it on some Mahi Mahi tomorrow, and some as a dip with chips today. 😉
    Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply
  9. Just found out I can no longer have soy based sauces (a flavor profile I really enjoyed) when I found this sauce that looks great! Salmon glaze and chip dip here I come!

    Reply

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